"Why take a pay cut to go to the WNBA": Fans react as Olivia Miles takes unprecedented decision to forgo 2025 WNBA draft

Olivia Miles, the projected number two pick of the upcoming 2025 WNBA draft, has opted to play in the final year of her college career next season. Shams Charania reported that Miles declined her participation in the draft last minute. The WNBA draft is set to take place on April 14, 2025.

Miles, the 22-year-old talent from Notre Dame, has achieved several accolades in her college career. She was named to AP's All-American second team and USBWA's All-American third team in the 2022-23 season. This season, she's averaged a college career-high of 15.4 points per game. The statistics show that she's more than ready to play in the WNBA.

However, with Olivia Miles opting to play one more year in college, we won't see her in the WNBA until 2026. Fans on social media expressed their thoughts on Miles' career move.

Here's what some fans said on X, formerly Twitter:

"Makes sense to me. Why take a pay cut to go to the WNBA when you can sell your NIL rights to the highest bidder."

"why not just enter the draft💔😭"

"Wow. Women ballers find more value in staying in NCAA than going for WNBA. That’s a huge issue," one said.

"Anyone really surprised? She’s smart, good and worth a stack of cash to a UConn, LSU, SoCar, USC, Texas, etc. powerhouse flush with cabbage," another said.

"yeah this wasn’t on my bingo card. I knew staying for another year but entering the transfer portal definitely came out of left field 🤯," one tweeted.

"Like… I get waiting the draft out to see what happens with the CBA… but the portal," one questioned.

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Olivia Miles expected to play in another college in final NCAA year

While it was already shocking enough to learn that Olivia Miles decided to skip the 2025 WNBA draft, it's even more surprising to find out that the Notre Dame star will opt for the NCAA's transfer portal for her final year in college.

Miles played a total of four seasons at Notre Dame. She averaged 14.2 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. The numbers she put up made her worthy to be the projected second pick in this year's draft.

However, due to unknown reasons, Olivia decided to stick around another year in college. There's a chance that her NIL deal could be more attractive compared to what the WNBA has to offer.

While it's uncertain where Olivia Miles will land next season, one thing is clear: if all goes well in her final year of college, she'll be ready for the WNBA by 2026.