Paige Bueckers And Azzi Fudd: A Comprehensive Relationship Timeline
A recent speculated “hard launch” between Bueckers and Fudd has left the lesbian internet in shambles. Here’s everything you need to know.
Do you remember what it felt like when you were convinced that US Women’s National Soccer team stars Christen Press and Tobin Heath were dating? Remember how thrilled you were when you found out that they had, in fact, secretly been together since 2016? Well, we have a new rumored friends-to-lovers sports ship for all #preath truthers to get invested in—women’s basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
UConn Husky basketball stars Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd have an unforgettable chemistry that has had the sapphic internet in shambles. Even off the court, the two have always been attached at the hip. From partnerships together with Oreo cookies, a SLAM Magazine cover, a Madison Reed Hair Color campaign, to their own merchandise, their close friendship is extremely apparent.
While their on-court chemistry has been visible for years, now that they are no longer teammates—as Bueckers was the No. 1 draft pick in the recent WNBA Draft—the duo has begun to open up about their long-rumored relationship off the court. Here is a comprehensive timeline of all the moments leading up to their recent (alleged) hard launch.
2017
Bueckers and Fudd’s friendship goes back to their high school days in 2017 at a USA Basketball camp, where they both were trying out for the same position on the U16 USA National Team. Fudd was originally unimpressed by Bueckers, telling SLAM, “This white girl got nothing on me, I don’t need to worry about her. I quickly realized that I was wrong.”
It wasn’t until they ended up sitting next to each other on a flight back from a USA game in Argentina to Minnesota that they first clicked. “Yeah, I mean, when you sit alone on a plane next to Azzi, it’s just a whole lot of chattin’, so I kinda sorta entertained it and I think our friendship sort of bonded from there,” Bueckers said.
Fudd remembers that flight a little differently, telling SLAM, “I remember I was really shy, so when we were on the plane, I was kind of forced to talk to her. But then when we got back with my grandparents, she was just with us a lot. We would go to the gym. I had, like, a new workout partner, and I loved working out with her. Then from there, she just tagged along with my family. She was a part of us.”
2018-2019
From then on, the duo was inseparable. Family trips, training sessions, high school tournaments, and trips to watch each other play—they were joined at the hip.
In 2019, at the USA Basketball 3×3 Tryouts, Fudd was bumped by a defender and tore her ACL. Bueckers and other players quickly rushed to Fudd’s side. “She came over and put her hand on me and prayed over it. It almost looked like she got hurt, too,” Fudd said.
“I was heartbroken for Azzi. Seeing her on the floor had me in tears,” Bueckers recalled. Bueckers continued to support Fudd throughout her recovery journey, sending her a bouquet after surgery.
“Through that whole thing, she came and visited me before my surgery. After surgery, she was the first one to call. She was always texting me, checking up on me, and making sure that my spirits were high throughout the whole thing,” Fudd said.
2020
Before even playing a single game for UConn in 2020, Beuckers made her first assist by helping UConn recruit Fudd for the next season. She tweeted “#GetAzziToUConn” and even admitted to persuading Fudd into playing at UConn. “I’ve had those conversations with her on how successful I think we could be knowing how hard we both work and how well we played together,” Beuckers told UConn Report. “That was always a conversation and definitely the main thing that I tried to use to get her to come here.”
In November of 2020, Fudd announced her commitment to UConn. Fudd admitted to SLAM that when it came to her decision, she had to pull the ultimate prank on Bueckers first. After telling Bueckers she committed, Fudd said, “Tricked ya!” Beuckers got up and left the table because she was so upset at the disappointing news. “And then when she finally came back, one of my parents had recorded the conversation with the coaches, so I showed it to her and that’s when she knew I had committed for real. I think she did cry tears of joy,” said Fudd.
UConn Era – The Shipping Begins
Once Bueckers had convinced Fudd to join the team, the duo was looking forward to three full seasons of playing together; however, two torn ACLs later, they missed out on two of those seasons. In Bueckers’ last season, 2024-25, the friends finally got to take the court together and got their fairytale ending—a national championship, Fudd as Most Outstanding Player and Bueckers drafted as the first pick to the Dallas Wings.
Throughout their time at UConn, fans started to pick out “evidence” that led them to believe that the two players may be more than just friends. We’ve compiled a list of that evidence—let’s see if you’re convinced by it too.
Eye Contact
One of the duller sides of being an athlete is having to do media. While talking to the press, fans clocked that after the two did some interviews together where their close relationship was on display, they were almost never allowed to do press alone, or even sit next to one another.
Even with someone positioned in between them, the two were consistently making eye contact, causing whoever was sitting next to them to react in turn. (The TikTok below is actually insane. Why did it happen every time someone was sitting between them?)
Y’all—the heart eyes in this video?
Bar Video
A clip from an Instagram Live in 2024 left the internet in a frenzy when it quickly showed Bueckers with her arms around Fudd’s waist in a bar before it panned away. Today, the clip can only be found in an edit on TikTok that has 11,000 saves and more than 47,000 likes.
Claddagh Ring
In Irish culture, one wears a Claddagh ring differently depending on their relationship status. The ring, which features two hands holding a heart, is worn on the right hand with the heart facing outwards if you’re single and facing inwards if you’re in a relationship.
Fans spotted that Fudd’s own Claddagh ring flipped inward in 2024, and I bet you can guess who they assume she’s in a relationship with.
Matching Clothes
While they’ve already admitted to sharing each other’s clothes, the two also like to match outfits. At the Wings vs Dream game on May 24, Bueckers and Fudd were both wearing pink sweatshirts. Fan accounts also love to make collages of moments where the two have matched outfits in the past.
Championship
Every college basketball team’s dream is to win the NCAA Championship. After three devastating losses, the 2025 championship was Bueckers’ last shot at the title before leaving UConn. When Fudd was asked about their chances at the tournament, she said that the team wanted to win for Paige. “But I think most of us on the team are like, we want to do it for Paige. We’ve seen everything she’s been through and everything that she does for us. … We want to reciprocate that and do anything for her, and we know how badly she wants it.”
And then, they did it. After missing seasons due to injuries and finally taking the court together one last time (for now at least), they reached the peak of college basketball. Of course, they celebrated together.
WNBA Draft – Soft Launch?
While all eyes were on Bueckers at the 2025 WNBA Draft, Fudd’s appearance alongside her stole the spotlight. On the WNBA Draft carpet, Bueckers, dressed in a sparkly tailored suit, and Fudd, dressed in a flowy black gown, had all the fans obsessed and left speculating whether this was a soft launch or not. Keep in mind, no other draft picks had “friends” sitting at their table.
When it was announced that Bueckers was the No. 1 draft pick, she stood up, and the first person she hugged was Fudd. When later returning to the table, she quickly warned Fudd she was mic’d up.
“Got a funny feeling that the relationship between Paige & Azzi will be aired on an episode of Unsolved Mysteries 50 years from now? 🤔🤔🤔” commented a TikTok user on the clip.
Their presence in New York City during the draft left everyone in a spiral. A video of the two heading into Good Morning America on TikTok, with the text “this is so gf coded,” was liked by Kamorea Arnold, their UConn teammate.
After the draft, Fudd made a TikTok post that took everyone’s delusions one step further. It was a series of photos pre-WNBA draft on film. One photo in particular broke the internet, where Bueckers and Fudd are shown sitting together, and Paige is looking down as Fudd adjusts the low-cut neckline of her dress.
“Every dang time I think that they might actually be just friends they pop out with a suspicious photo or video. They gotta be messing with us,” said a comment.
More Jewelry
So the Claddagh ring might have been too ambiguous to convince you of anything. We understand that and raise you this. While it was probably discouraged for the two to openly signal that they were dating while still playing on the same team, once the season ended and Bueckers was officially a Wing, those guidelines were gone.
At the first Dallas Wings press conference, fans noticed that Bueckers was wearing a ring with what appeared to be Fudd’s birthstone on it. They also quickly put together that a ring Fudd wore in a press appearance after the draft looked very similar to Bueckers’ birthstone. There’s nothing gayer than birthstones after all.
Now, let us present a very compelling piece of evidence. In a TikTok with Anna Frey and Suni Lee, Fudd appeared to be wearing a necklace with a heart and Bueckers’ jersey number on it. I don’t know how that can possibly be explained in a ‘just friends’ way…
Dallas Era – Hard Launch?
Fudd and Bueckers were spotted around Connecticut in the final few days before Bueckers was expected in Dallas. When Paige finally arrived in Dallas and fans made sad edits about how the two would be separated, Fudd flew out to Dallas a day later. Since then, Fudd has attended a few Wings games, even wearing some Bueckers’ merch on the sidelines.
On March 25, Fudd posted a TikTok that is being widely regarded as an official hard launch of the couple. Doing a very couple-y trend, Fudd captioned the video “Princess treatment every time I’m with her 😇💗#spoiled.”
Fudd continued to hard launch by liking a comment that joked about the Wings’ poor performance, stating, “at least Paige is winning off the court.” She also liked a TikTok in which the creator cried about how sweet the duo’s relationship was and even said, “This is so beautiful, why am I not a lesbian?” Azzi Fudd is putting out hints and the sapphic stans are eating it up
Of course, we will be waiting for an actual confirmation before we can conclude this case closed, but for now, the evidence is certainly piling up.
And, while we wait for the day a confirmation comes (which might take years if we have learned anything from Christen Press and Tobin Heath), we’ve collected some very cute edits to hold you over.
