The Olivia Miles situation was like a David Fincher movie; it was plot twist over plot twist. Skipping the WNBA Draft is gutsy. But Olivia Miles didn’t just bet on herself — she dropped a bombshell. The projected No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft wasn’t going pro just yet. Instead, she left Notre Dame and jumped to TCU — the same squad that bounced the Irish in the Sweet 16.

Miles was just behind Paige Bueckers in the expected draft picks as she averaged 15.4 points with 5.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game last season after missing the 2023-24 season with an ACL injury. “This decision has come after much thought and about my future and goals,” Miles wrote on X regarding her move away from Notre Dame. She will replace Hailey Van Lith for the Bullfrogs, who was drafted by the Chicago Sky.

The reason behind her transfer was rumored to be her strained relationship with controversial star Hannah Hidalgo. She had initially quashed the rumors, saying, “Yeah, we’re fine. We are perfectly fine, y’all.” But all is not over in the Miles-Hidalgo saga, as they were once again seen involved in a verbal battle outside of the court during the Las Vegas Aces vs. Dallas Wings preseason game. It cannot be deciphered what they were saying but things escalated as security had to step in to prevent a physical altercation.

There’s no way to know whether the two were arguing without audio. It seems the beef has ignited once again with the transfer news relatively fresh in the mind of Hidalgo. “So whatever she has going on, I wish her all the best,”Hidalgo had said with regards to the Olivia transfer news and there seemed to be no animosity towards her former teammate. But media appearances and reality might be night and day, as they could have disagreements and fights within the locker room.

We just don’t know what the reality is, with this fight in the public, it seems the disagreements have gone too far. Somebody among the two crossed a line, which caused a public episode. They were pretty careful in hiding their bad relationship but it seems now it’s out in the open. Or, the fight was solved earlier during the time of these quotes but someone had to reopen the wounds. Either way, both will part ways as Hannah Hidalgo will remain at Notre Dame, becoming a more central figure, while Miles will be the go-to player for TCU.

Why did Olivia Miles choose college ball over the WNBA?

At first glance, Olivia Miles’ shocking decision to stay in college instead of jumping to the WNBA leaves casual fans scratching their heads. Why would a projected top-2 pick pass up the chance to play against the best in the world, cash in on a pro contract, and start her professional career? On the surface, it feels like a no-brainer. But the closer you look, the clearer it gets — there’s more to this move than meets the eye, and the reasoning starts to make a lot more sense.

The eventual second draft pick, Dominique Malonga, signed a 3-year, $247,688 contract with the Seattle Storm, including an average annual salary of $82,563. Miles joined TCU, one of the most spending programs on women’s basketball in the country. Rodrigo is likely to receive north of $1 million in NIL deals for her last year. The salary already dwarfs the WNBA rookie’s salary but she has to look for the right time to go pro too.

The WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is up in the air with the player’s union in negotiation with the league. And starting in 2026, the minimum salaries could shift from about $64,000 to well in the six-figure range. So Miles will get a better contract as a rookie next year than she would get this year.

The decision of Miles further added fuel to the WNBA union as they are taking a more aggressive stance on their talks with the league. Considering all this, the decision to move to TCU was a no-brainer from Miles’ side and she will have even more time to improve and prepare for the next step. She also lost some time to an ACL injury during the 2023 regular season final, which hindered her development. So this way she gets that time back along with the financial benefits that come with it.

“I just want to be a pro without being a pro,” Miles told TNT. “Everyday on campus, I want to act and be the way a pro would be, so when I do actually go to the league.”  She is hellbent on keeping a professional attitude despite being a college athlete. These are signs that she could even be more of a cheat code by the time the 2026 draft arrives.