It’s time for Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd to run things back, this time at the WNBA level.
After the Dallas Wings selected Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA draft, they followed up by taking Fudd with the top pick in the 2026 draft. The pair were teammates at UConn and won the national championship during Bueckers’ final collegiate season and will now chase a WNBA title together.
Fudd told ESPN’s Holly Rowe (1:40 mark) there will “for sure” be a comfort level playing with such a familiar player during her rookie season.
“I’m excited to play again with Paige,” she added. “I mean, she’s an incredible person, an incredible player. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
While Bueckers was the headliner during the Huskies’ 2025 championship run, it was Fudd who took home the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. She poured in 24 points in the national championship game win over South Carolina after connecting on three triples on the way to 19 points in the Final Four victory over UCLA.
Fudd then assumed the role of go-to option for UConn during the 2025-26 campaign and was a First-Team All-American while averaging 17.3 points, 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
She also connected on a sparkling 44.7 percent of her three-point attempts, which underscores how valuable she can be for the Wings in her first season. When opposing defenses inevitably focus on slowing Bueckers and collapse on the ball-handler, it should create a number of open looks for her newest teammate on the wing.
Fudd is more than just a shooter, though, and her defensive ability and tendency to create turnovers should help the Wings on that end of the floor. She can also take some of the pressure off Bueckers on the defensive side by guarding the opponent’s best guards.
There is plenty of familiarity in place between the members of the Wings’ backcourt, and now they will look to replicate their collegiate success at the sport’s highest level.
