Azzi Fudd was selected No 1 overall by the Dallas Wings, a pick that paired her again with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers and produced a roughly $500,000 rookie salary under the new collective bargaining agreement, as reported by ESPN and team coverage.
Fudd described hearing her name called as a surreal moment and said she sat with family and UConn assistant Morgan Valley when the selection happened, as reported by ESPN.
Her college resume at UConn includes 2026 First-Team AP All-American honors, a national championship in 2025, two First-Team All-Big East selections and five seasons at the program, according to ESPN research.
In 2025-26 she posted career highs with 17.3 points per game, 48 percent field goal accuracy, 45 percent three-point shooting and 3.1 assists per game, and she made 117 three-pointers that season, a total described as fourth most in UConn history.
ESPN noted Fudd made 196 three-pointers across the previous two seasons, the most in Division I over that span, and listed her among five Division I players who shot at least 60 percent at the rim, 40 percent in the midrange and 40 percent from three.
Her college career included notable absences for injury, as ESPN records show she missed 11 games with a freshman foot injury, 22 games with a sophomore knee injury and all but two games in 2023-24 with a torn ACL.
Fit With Dallas And Team Outlook
Coverage from The Sporting News projected Fudd as an immediate three-and-D shooting threat in Dallas, one who should open driving lanes for Paige Bueckers and veteran Arike Ogunbowale through motion scoring and off-ball movement.
The Sporting News offered a possible Dallas starting five with Bueckers and Ogunbowale in the backcourt, Fudd as a guard, Myisha Hines-Allen at forward and Alanna Smith at center, and noted the Wings finished 10-34 in 2025.
The outlet also reported Dallas added frontcourt pieces Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency, describing Smith as co-Defensive Player of the Year alongside Aja Wilson after recording 135 combined steals and blocks in 2025, and describing Shepard as a 2025 backup big who averaged 8.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 20.9 minutes.
Sporting News listed supporting players who could feature for the Wings, including Grace Berger, Tyasha Harris, JJ Quinerly, Aziaha James, Maddy Siegrist, Awak Kuier and others, and concluded the team’s success will hinge on the chemistry of Bueckers, Ogunbowale and Fudd.
