On Monday night the Dallas Wings made Connecticut Huskies star Azzi Fudd the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Fudd’s selection made it a record seven former UConn Huskies taken with the top pick in the draft. It’s also the second consecutive former Huskies player selected No. 1 overall after her former college teammate and now WNBA teammate Paige Bueckers was the top choice in last year’s draft.
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Azzi Fudd Is Daughter Of Hoops Legend Katie Smrcka-Duffy-Fudd
Fudd, the former St. John’s College High School legend and 2021 No. 1-ranked recruit enters the WNBA as arguably the best shooter the league has ever seen. Fudd’s basketball talent didn’t come by accident, she’s the daughter of former N.C. State and Georgetown star Katie Smrcka-Duffy-Fudd who amassed over 2,000 points in her collegiate career. For her efforts Duffy-Fudd was taken by Sacramento Monarchs with the 62nd pick of the 2001 WNBA Draft.
Duffy-Fudd Career Cut Short
After one season at N.C. State earning ACC Rookie of the Year, Duffy-Fudd transferred to Georgetown where she earned three consecutive All-Big East selections while scoring 1,671 of her 2,072 career collegiate points.
Although her WNBA career was cut short just two weeks after being drafted due to a chronic knee injury, in a full circle moment she got to see her daughter Azzi walk the orange carpet in New York as the top pick in the WNBA Draft.
In the aftermath of being drafted Fudd told SELF Magazine this:
“To be drafted would be a dream come true. If you draft me, you get a really good shooter. You’re gonna get someone who can score at all three levels. You’re gonna get a really great defender. I’m taking pride in that.”
Wings Excited To Add Fudd To Roster
Leading up to the draft selecting Fudd was a possibility for the Wings, but most believed they’d go a different route and draft 2026 Final Four MOP and UCLA Bruins star Lauren Betts or Spanish sensation Awa Fam Thiam. But, the team added much-needed size in free agency by acquiring the services of veterans Alanna Smith, the reigning co-DPOY, and Jessica Shepard.
And according to Wings EVP and GM Curt Miller, Fudd was their choice from the onset.
“Azzi Fudd is one of the best shooters in our game today. She has a lightning-quick release and her movement off the ball is elite. She competes hard defensively and is an efficient, unselfish player who knows how to win. In an outstanding draft class, she stood out to us not only with her basketball skills but with her intangibles. She is a great teammate and has outstanding basketball IQ. Azzi brings to the Wings the type of character that we want in our locker room. We are ecstatic to add her to our Wings family.”
Fudd Fits Seamlessly With Wings
Adding a shooter like Fudd to a backcourt that already features the aforementioned Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale is almost unfair. The playmaking and scoring prowess of Bueckers, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, along with the pure scorer ability of Ogunbowale, one of the toughest shot makers in the league, is already tough for any defense. Now the Wings add a player that can shoot from anywhere to that duo.
Wings head coach Jose Fernandez is elated to add Fudd to the team and he says her presence will help in a variety of ways.
“[Fudd] brings what this team needed in terms of her spacing, her quick release, her 3-point shooting,” Fernandez said. “She’s coming from a program that’s great in the locker room, and they know how to win — and that’s what we want here in Dallas.”
The Wings were 12th out of 13 teams last year in team 3-point shooting (30.4%). Fudd will immediately become the team’s best 3-point shooter and plug that leak for Dallas.
Wings Will Benefit Mightily By Drafting Fudd
The immediate areas that Fudd will impact with the Wings is her elite shooting (45 percent on an NCAA-leading 117 makes this past season). Her reunion with Bueckers immediately opens up driving lanes and eases the defensive attention on Ogunbowale who is arguably the toughest shotmaker in the league.
An underrated aspect of Fudd’s game is her defense and versatility, which she doesn’t get enough credit for.
The addition of Fudd along with Smith and Shepard should position the Wings for a playoff spot this season. It’s something her mother never got to experience, but now she can via her daughter, the No. 1 overall pick.
