For the second year in a row, the Dallas Wings took a UConn guard with the first overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
On Monday, they selected Azzi Fudd as the first player off the board; she’ll join Paige Bueckers in the Wings’ backcourt. Fudd is the seventh No. 1 selection in the Huskies’ program history, joining Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (2004), Tina Charles (2010), Maya Moore (2011), Breanna Stewart (2016), and Bueckers (2025).
After injuries plagued the early portion of her career, the Arlington,
Virginia native finished with a flourish. She won the 2025 Final Four Most Outstanding Player award after averaging 21.5 points in Tampa as the Huskies won their first championship since 2016. This past season, Fudd stepped into a starring role, averaging career-highs with 17.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.5 steals as the Huskies ripped through the regular season undefeated.
Fudd was named a consensus First Team All-American, Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year, First Team All-Big East, and Fort Worth 1 All-Region Team. She finished with the second-most 3-pointers made in a single season in program history with 117, the fifth-most treys by a Husky all-time with 292, and 21st on UConn’s scoring list with 1,687 points.
Now, Fudd will try to help revive a Wings franchise that hasn’t experienced much success. Since moving to Dallas in 2016, the team has missed the playoffs in five of nine seasons and has only advanced past the first round once. Despite featuring the WNBA Rookie of the Year in Bueckers, the Wings went just 10-34 and have the top pick yet again. Former USF head coach — and Geno Auriemma confidant — Jose Fernandez is now in charge.
Fudd is the 51st draft pick and 30th first-rounder in UConn’s history.
