UConn Stars Reunite as Fudd Goes No. 1 in WNBA Draft

Two UConn champions are teaming up again, and this time they're making history in the pros.

Azzi Fudd heard her name called first at Monday night's WNBA draft in New York, selected by the Dallas Wings to join her former college teammate Paige Bueckers. The 5-foot-11 guard becomes the seventh UConn player ever to go No. 1 overall.

"I'm not really sure I have words to describe the feeling," Fudd said after the announcement. "I don't think it's fully sunk in."

The moment was extra special because Bueckers, who was Dallas's top pick just last year and won rookie of the year honors, watched from the sold-out crowd at the Shed in Manhattan. The duo led UConn to a national championship last season, with Fudd earning Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four.

This draft marked a turning point for women's basketball. Thanks to the league's new collective bargaining agreement, Fudd will earn about $500,000 as the top pick, more than six times what Bueckers received in the same position a year ago.

UCLA also celebrated a historic night, setting a record with five first-round selections just eight days after winning their own national title. The Bruins' Lauren Betts went fourth to Washington, Gabriela Jaquez fifth to Chicago, and Kiki Rice sixth to the expansion Toronto Tempo.

The Ripple Effect

The surge in rookie salaries represents years of advocacy by players and supporters who believed women's basketball deserved better compensation. Now, top draft picks can earn life-changing money right from day one, reflecting the sport's explosive growth in popularity and viewership.

The Dallas Wings are building something special with their UConn connection. Adding two championship-tested guards who already know each other's game creates instant chemistry that takes most teams years to develop.

Monday's draft featured 45 selections across three rounds, with international talent from Spain, France, Japan, Hungary, China, and Australia showing the sport's global reach. Women from six continents now have a clear path to professional basketball's highest level.

Two friends who cut down nets together in college are about to chase championships in the pros.