Peach's girlfriend arrives! The Dallas Wings select Fudd with the top pick: Connecticut's 7th WNBA No. 1 overall

On April 14, Beijing time, the 2026 WNBA Draft officially commenced. The Dallas Wings used their first overall pick to select Connecticut University guard Azzi Fudd, who becomes the seventh WNBA No. 1 overall selection to come from Connecticut University. Her rookie season salary is $500,000. Notably, Fudd is also the girlfriend of Wings' key guard Paige Bueckers; both hail from Connecticut University and together helped the team win the NCAA championship. Fudd's salary is nearly seven times Paige's rookie season earnings.

“I'm thrilled to play alongside Paige again; she's an incredible player,” Fudd said. Seeing her girlfriend join as the top pick and become her teammate, Paige smiled at the scene.

The salaries for the second and third overall picks are $466,913 and $436,016 respectively. Second-round and third-round rookies each earn $270,000—a figure that already exceeds the league's maximum salary cap under the old collective bargaining agreement.

Fudd was born in November 2002, stands 1.80 meters tall, and plays as a guard. She comes from a basketball family, with both parents being professional basketball players; her mother was selected by the WNBA Sacramento Monarchs in 2001.

On the national team level, Fudd has represented the U.S. women's basketball team, winning three gold medals in U-series competitions: the 2017 U16 Americas Championship, the 2018 U17 World Cup, and the 2021 U19 World Cup.

During her college years, Fudd played for Connecticut University starting in 2021. Her sophomore season saw her miss many games due to recurring right knee injuries, and in 2023 she suffered a torn right knee ACL, ending her season. In 2025, she helped the team win the NCAA championship and was named the Final Four MOP.