News for Queer Women, Lesbian Sports

Azzi Fudd Goes No. 1 In WNBA Draft, Now Headed To Dallas Wings

April 14, 2026

Azzi Fudd became the seventh number one pick in the WNBA Draft to come from UConn, joining her girlfriend and former teammate Paige Bueckers on the Dallas Wings.

Featured Image: Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images

UConn guard Azzi Fudd, also known as ‘the people’s princess,’ has officially gotten the fairytale ending to her college basketball career. With the first pick in the WNBA draft, the Dallas Wings selected Fudd, making her the seventh No. 1 pick to come from UConn, joining legends Breanna Stewart, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Diana Taurasi, Sue Bird and, of course, Paige Bueckers.

Fudd is headed to Dallas, where she will be reunited with last year’s first pick, her former teammate and current girlfriend, Paige Bueckers. Lesbians, this is the sports romance storyline we’ve all been waiting for! Sure, off the court, the duo is adorable, but it’s their chemistry on the court that was simply too good to pass up for the Dallas team. Bueckers and Fudd have been playing together since their early teen years and led UConn to a National Championship win in 2025.

“I’m excited to play again with Paige. I mean, she’s an incredible person, incredible player, and it’s gonna be a lot of fun,” Fudd blushingly told reporter Holly Rowe as Bueckers watched. “Our time at UConn was just full of injury, either I was playing she wasn’t or she was playing I wasn’t, it wasn’t ’til last year that we really got a chance to actually play together and even then it wasn’t a full season so I feel like there’s still so much left on the table and…so much potential,” she later said.

While Bueckers took home the honor of being the first draft pick last year, she did not go home with nearly as much money as Fudd. Due to the newly signed CBA agreement, Fudd will make over six times as much as previous first draft picks—$500,00 in her first year and a total value of $2,238,360 at the end of her contract, compared to Bueckers’ $78,831 starting and $348,198 total value.

Fan reaction to Fudd’s draft position has been varied. Up until the moment of the first draft pick, there was contention about who would be picked. Fans of other draftees have been alleging that Fudd was only drafted to the Wings because of her relationship with Bueckers. Wings general manager Curt Miller rebutted, citing that Fudd ranked number one in number of three-pointers made—a huge plus for the Wings, who ranked 12th out of 13 teams in three-point percentage last year, finishing in last place overall for the season.

While Bueckers was in the audience to see Fudd walk across the stage, the couple played it cool in front of the cameras, with some fans speculating they didn’t want their relationship to overshadow Fudd’s accomplishment. Pazzi sleuths took videos of the two interacting, and it’s confirmed, they are still adorable. Also in the crowd was the entire UConn women’s team, whose cheers reverberated through the room when Fudd’s name was called.

With the Dallas Wings social media team already posting edits, posts, and easter eggs about Fudd, it’s clear that she’s been their pick for a while. Wings fans also seem to be excited, having already sold out Fudd’s jersey in one night.

The rest of the draft was wildly different from the order sports writers were predicting. While Olivia Miles was still obviously picked second by the Minnesota Lynx (let’s go lesbians), the following draft picks were shocking. Lauren Betts, the UCLA star who has made a legendary appearance on RuPaul’s Drag Race, went 4th to the Washington Mystics, followed by her UCLA teammate Gabriel Jaquez, who surprisingly went 5th to the Chicago Sky, officially befuddling the predictions that had been made. Other immediate post-draft trades occurred and further cemented that this league is nothing if not chaotic.

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