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A year after selecting Paige Bueckers with the first overall pick, the Dallas Wings once again had the No. 1 pick in this week’s WNBA draft, and they selected another UConn alum, Azzi Fudd.
The selection is about more than just on-field improvement, however — last summer, Bueckers confirmed that she and Fudd were a couple.
The two have been relatively quiet about their relationship, prompting Dallas Morning News columnist Kevin Sherrington to ask Fudd during his introductory press conference if they were still a topic.
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Paige Bueckers #5 and Azzi Fudd #35 of the UConn Huskies and teammates react on the bench against the UCLA Bruins during the semifinal game of the Final Four of the NCAA women’s basketball tournament at Amalie Arena on April 4, 2025 in Tampa, Florida. (Ben Salomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
At the precipice of that question, Sherrington also asked Fudd if she and Bueckers would talk to “other couples around the league about how they negotiate this dynamic as professional teammates.”
Fudd didn’t get a chance to respond, as a staff member from the Wings’ public relations team interjected.
“I understand why you have to ask this question, but we will respectfully decline to comment on the personal lives of players,” the staffer said.
Sherrington blamed the Wings in a column.
UConn student-athlete Paige Bueckers and UConn student-athlete Azzi Fudd take the stage during the Final Four champions’ victory parade and rally in front of the XL Center in Hartford, CT. (Scott Rausenberger/Imagn Images)
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“Refusing to acknowledge whether the players are still in a relationship after one of them spoke publicly about it a year ago suggests they did something wrong, fueling an ugly narrative. What are we afraid of here? What do we say when we try to hide something that’s already out in the open?” he wrote.
“If anyone is at fault here, it’s the Wings, who raised the obvious question by drafting Fudd when they had other options, then acted like they were covering up something that didn’t need to be hidden. Bueckers and Fudd didn’t deserve this. Regardless of their status from here on out, I wish them the best of luck.”
WNBA players hung out with each other as both teammates and opponents. Notably, Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley got married while playing with the Chicago Sky.
It’s unclear how long Fudd and Bueckers have been dating, but at the very least, they were teammates from 2021 until last April, when Bueckers was drafted. But they are now reunited.
UConn guards Azzi Fudd (35) and guard Paige Bueckers (5) smile at each other on the bench in the second half against Arkansas State in a first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 22, 2025, in Storrs, Connecticut. (Jessica Hil/AP)
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The duo played in two national championship games together, winning last year’s — Bueckers joined the school a year before Fudd.
