The Dallas Wings selected azzi fudd with the No 1 pick in the WNBA draft, ESPN reported, and the former UConn guard reacted that the moment felt surreal while sitting with family. ESPN quoted Fudd saying she was at a loss for words and that the experience did not yet feel real.
ESPN said Fudd will sign a rookie contract worth $500,000 under the new collective bargaining agreement, a jump that the report noted is nearly seven times what the previous top pick earned. The network added the new CBA also set pay levels for the No 2 and No 3 picks and raised second and third round salaries.
ESPN Research summarized Fudd’s college resume, noting she earned First-Team All-American honors and made 117 three-pointers in her final season. The research also listed career highs including 17.3 points per game, a 48 percent field goal rate, 45 percent three-point rate and 3.1 assists per game, and it credited her with 196 three-pointers over two seasons, the most in Division I during that span.
How Fudd Fits In Dallas And Team Outlook
Sporting News projected Fudd will slot into a backcourt with Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, forming a trio that could reshape Dallas’ offense. Sporting News described Fudd as a knockdown shooter and motion scorer who will be used frequently on flares, floppies and elevator screens to open driving lanes.
The same Sporting News roster projection placed Bueckers and Ogunbowale as the starting guards and listed Myisha Hines-Allen and Alanna Smith as starting frontcourt pieces, with Smith highlighted for co-Defensive Player of the Year credentials. Sporting News said the Wings added Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency and expected Shepard’s passing and versatility to be valued in coach Jose Fernandez’s system.
Sporting News cautioned that the Wings’ fortunes will hinge on the trio’s cohesion, and it suggested another strong season from Bueckers could produce MVP consideration. The outlet noted Fudd’s limitations as an on-ball creator but emphasized her immediate value as a three-and-D presence who can lift Dallas’ spacing and scoring balance.
