STORRS, CT — Azzi Fudd was inducted into the UConn women's basketball Huskies of Honor on Sunday, Nov. 8 at Gampel Pavilion.
"Thank you to UConn Nation, thanks to my teammates and coaches for making this happen," Fudd said. "To the best fans in the country. To share this moment with Gabby Williams, who’s name is up there, too, who helped recruit me, and is now a WNBA champion."
Williams, who recently helped the Golden State Valkyries win the WNBA championship, was standing courtside and Fudd gestured for her to come out. The crowd cheered for the pair, who both won national titles with the Huskies.
"This is a surreal moment I only could have dreamt of when I committed to UConn," Fudd said.
The No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, Fudd dealt with foot
and knee injuries at UConn. In November 2023, Fudd tore her right ACL and medial meniscus and played only two games her junior season. She returned for her senior season in 2024-25, helping lead the Huskies to the 2025 NCAA National Championship and winning Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
"There’s a lot of things that happened to her that could have derailed the whole thing, but she’s a tough kid," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said. "She’s been dealing with this since high school, you know, she had to do it in high school too. And I’m really happy for it, really proud of her. It took a lot of determination, and I want to be back. I want to be back. And so she’s back."
Fudd tore the ACL and MCL in her right knee in high school. But worked her way back to become the nation’s No. 1 overall recruit.
Fudd returned for a fifth season and led the Huskies to a perfect regular-season record. UConn advanced to the Final Four before being eliminated in the national semifinals by South Carolina.
Fudd finished her career with 1,687 points (21st in program history), 292 3-pointers (fifth), and a program-best 92.5% career free-throw percentage.
What it takes to make the Huskies of Honor
Fudd is the 25th player to enter UConn Huskies of Honor program. Players in the group must earn a bachelor’s degree from UConn and be a consensus first-team All-American.
Fudd earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication. She returned for a fifth season and earned a Master of Business Administration in May 2026. Fudd was an All-American last season, averaging a career-high 17.3 points per game and led the country with 117 3-pointers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Azzi Fudd, flanked by Gabby Williams, enters UConn women's basketball Huskies of Honor
