For the second consecutive year, the Dallas Wings have drafted a UConn star guard as the No. 1 overall selection.
Azzi Fudd was picked No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, 10 days after her college career ended with a loss in the Women’s Final Four to South Carolina. She will join last year’s top selection and former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers in the Wings’ backcourt.
Though Fudd, 23, did not win a second consecutive national championship, she had a dazzling final season for UConn. She was the Huskies’ second-leading scorer, averaging 17.3 points per game. The 5-foot-11 guard also led the nation in 3-pointers made, sinking 117 of 262 attempts (45%). That earned her first-team All-American honors.
If she maintains a 40% shooting touch from long range, Fudd will be the Wings’ best outside shooter and make an ideal complement to Bueckers in the team’s backcourt.
In four full seasons at UConn, Fudd averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game, while shooting 42% on 3-pointers. (She played only two games during the 2023-24 season after suffering a torn right ACL in practice.)
During the Huskies’ national championship run in 2024-25, Fudd scored 17.5 points and three steals per game, shooting 44% on 3s. She was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points with five rebounds and three steals in UConn’s win over South Carolina.
The Wings won the WNBA Draft Lottery and the No. 1 overall pick for the second straight year after tying for the league’s worst record at 10-34. Bueckers led the team in scoring, averaging 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
So far this offseason, Arike Ogunbowale re-signed with Dallas, agreeing to a multi-year deal. The Wings also acquired Rayah Marshal in a trade with the Connecticut Sun and signed Alanna Smith, last season’s co-Defensive Player of the Year.
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