
Cydney Perry, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports Tue, November 10, 2026 at 2:40 AM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles is back on the sidelines, but not at Target Center.
The 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year was front and center at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Monday, Nov. 9, for the Minnesota Vikings ' "Monday Night Football" matchup against the Buffalo Bills , where she's been tapped as the celebrity photographer of the week. Miles sported a brown photographer bib on the field as she snapped pictures of the action, including some warmup photos of Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson.
"I'm still a work in progress," Miles joked as she showed off her snapshots. "As the game goes on, I'll get better."
Miles, who was nicknamed "Spectacle" due to her signature googles and highlight-reel plays, has been making the most of her offseason as a spectator. She sat courtside at Target Center for the Minnesota Timberwolves ' matchup against the Golden State Warriors last month.
Miles was an unanimous selection as the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year, capping an incredible rookie season where she helped the Lynx to a league-best 33-11 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA postseason .
Miles led the Lynx in scoring (19.8 ppg), assists (6.0) and was third in steals (1.3). She finished eighth in the league in points per game and seventh in assists. Miles was also ninth in total points and total assists. The former TCU product earned All-Star honors in 2026 and became the only rookie to be named a starter in the All-Star game. She followed that up with a first-team All-WNBA nod.
The Lynx were ousted in the first round of the playoffs by the No. 8 seed New York Liberty, but Miles admitted that she "learned a lot" from the experience and is already looking forward to next season.
"I think it was an interesting year, right? We started off with weird expectations and then we got really good, and then it was like, 'OK, I should win,'" Miles said during her exit interview in October. "And then it felt like, if we didn't win, it was the end of the world almost. I was just navigating all those expectations. I also started off as a rookie who no one really thought would do what I did. Now I'm in MVP conversations and now I have to play at that level. And it was just like a roller-coaster expectations and emotions the whole year."
Week 5: The mascot of the Arizona Cardinals, Big Red, performs before the game against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images) Week 5: New England Patriots cheerleaders perform during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. (David Butler II, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 5: San Francisco 49ers fans cheer as Brock Purdy #13 leaves the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers, Getty Images) Week 5: A Seattle Seahawks fan cheers during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers, Getty Images) Week 5: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson does a Lambeau Leap after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears, 31-7 . (Sarah Kloepping, Green Bay Press-Gazette) Week 5: Fans look on from the stands during the game between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The game ended in a 27-27 tie . (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) Week 5: The mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jaxson de Ville, performs before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Jaguars won the game, 19-17 . (Nathan Ray Seebeck, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 5: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform before the "Thursday Night Football" game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Ron Jenkins, Getty Images) Week 5: Singer and songwriter Lainey Wilson dances with members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders before the "Thursday Night Football" game between the Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. (Ron Jenkins, Getty Images) Week 4: The San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleaders take the field before a game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. (Darren Yamashita, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 4: Seattle Seahawks fans hold cutouts of quarterback Sam Darnold prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lumen Field. (Joe Nicholson, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 4: Houston Texans mascot Toro and Superfan pose for a photo prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. (Thomas Shea, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 4: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders perform before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. (Jonathan Dyer, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 4: A young fan of the Baltimore Ravens looks on before the start of the game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 4: Washington Commanders mascot Major Tuddy holds a camera during the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. (Kirby Lee, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) Week 3: Denver Broncos cheerleaders perform during the "Sunday Night Football" game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High.
Week 3: The Maracanã Stadium gets set to host the International Series game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Week 3: Corgi dog competitions take place during halftime of the game between the Detroit Lions and New York Jets at Ford Field.
Week 3: A fan looks on during warmups prior to the game between the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
Week 2: Singer Taylor Swift watches the game between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Week 2: The Canadian and U.S. anthems are sung during a pregame ceremony before the "Thursday Night Football" game between Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills at new Highmark Stadium.
Week 1: Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the "Monday Night Football" game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
Week 1: Fans arrive ahead of the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (in Melbourne, Australia. The 49ers won the first NFL game played in Australia, 27-7 .
Week 1: Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam perform during halftime of the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Lumen Field.
1 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: The mascot of the Arizona Cardinals, Big Red, performs before the game against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images) 1 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: The mascot of the Arizona Cardinals, Big Red, performs before the game against the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen, Getty Images) 2 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: New England Patriots cheerleaders perform during the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium. (David Butler II, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 3 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: San Francisco 49ers fans cheer as Brock Purdy #13 leaves the field after defeating the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers, Getty Images) 4 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: A Seattle Seahawks fan cheers during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lumen Field on October 11, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Steph Chambers, Getty Images) 5 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson does a Lambeau Leap after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Bears, 31-7 . (Sarah Kloepping, Green Bay Press-Gazette) 6 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: Fans look on from the stands during the game between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland. The game ended in a 27-27 tie . (Patrick Smith, Getty Images) 7 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: The mascot of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Jaxson de Ville, performs before the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The Jaguars won the game, 19-17 . (Nathan Ray Seebeck, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 8 / 37 NFL Week 5 highlights, standout performances and reactions Week 5: The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders perform before the "Thursday Night Football" game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2026 in Arlington, Texas. (Ron Jenkins, Getty Images) 9 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 5: Singer and songwriter Lainey Wilson dances with members of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders before the "Thursday Night Football" game between the Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium. (Ron Jenkins, Getty Images) 10 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: The San Francisco 49ers Gold Rush cheerleaders take the field before a game against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium. (Darren Yamashita, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 11 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: Seattle Seahawks fans hold cutouts of quarterback Sam Darnold prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lumen Field. (Joe Nicholson, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 12 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: Houston Texans mascot Toro and Superfan pose for a photo prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Reliant Stadium. (Thomas Shea, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 13 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cheerleaders perform before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Raymond James Stadium. (Jonathan Dyer, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 14 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: A young fan of the Baltimore Ravens looks on before the start of the game against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. (Tommy Gilligan, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 15 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 4: Washington Commanders mascot Major Tuddy holds a camera during the second quarter of the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. (Kirby Lee, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect) 16 / 37 Cheerleaders, celebrities, fans and mascots at NFL games during 2026 season Week 3: Denver Broncos cheerleaders perform during the "Sunday Night Football" game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High.
Week 3: The Maracanã Stadium gets set to host the International Series game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Week 3: Corgi dog competitions take place during halftime of the game between the Detroit Lions and New York Jets at Ford Field.
Week 3: A fan looks on during warmups prior to the game between the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
Week 2: Singer Taylor Swift watches the game between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
Week 2: The Canadian and U.S. anthems are sung during a pregame ceremony before the "Thursday Night Football" game between Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills at new Highmark Stadium.
Week 1: Singer Taylor Swift and actor Tom Cruise attend the "Monday Night Football" game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
Week 1: Fans arrive ahead of the NFL game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (in Melbourne, Australia. The 49ers won the first NFL game played in Australia, 27-7 .
Week 1: Kim Thayil of Soundgarden and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam perform during halftime of the 2026 NFL Kickoff Game between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots at Lumen Field.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Lynx star Olivia Miles tapped as Vikings' celebrity photographer at MNF
Source: Sports
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