Sports Illustrated has live coverage of the 2026 WNBA draft.
The biggest question of the 2026 WNBA draft has been answered.
With the No. 1 pick, the Wings selected UConn guard Azzi Fudd, meaning Dallas is adding the sharpshooting guard to its frontcourt. It also means Fudd is reuniting with her former college teammate Paige Bueckers, who the Wings drafted No. 1 overall just one year ago.
After just a few seconds of showing Fudd hug her family, the ESPN cameras panned right over to Bueckers, who had a big smile on her face. Bueckers looked right into those cameras and continued to applaud.
Paige Bueckers reacts to the @DallasWings selecting Azzi Fudd 👏 pic.twitter.com/LGOYMnhTIr
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 13, 2026
Fudd and Bueckers were teammates at UConn for four seasons from 2021-22 to 2024-25. They both led the Huskies to the 2025 NCAA championship, with Fudd dropping 24 points and Bueckers adding 17 to beat South Carolina 82–59 in the national title game.
The two have a history dating, as well. In July 2025, Bueckers confirmed in a TikTok video that the two were dating. They have been quieter about the status of their relationship since then, which of course, they have every right to be. But now they are teammates on the basketball court once again.
“I’m excited to play again with Paige,” Fudd said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the ESPN broadcast. “She’s an incredible person and an incredible player. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Before the draft, Fudd also addressed the possibility of teaming up with Bueckers once again.
“Obviously, that’d be amazing,” Fudd said to Sports Illustrated’s Claudette Montana. “I’m so grateful to wherever I’d get picked and whatever that looks like. If that is with Paige, I’d be super excited. If it’s not, then wherever I go I’ll be super excited for what that future holds.”
Right before the draft, Azzi Fudd discussed how special it would be to reunite with Paige Bueckers.
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 13, 2026
Now, it's official! pic.twitter.com/Rk3uNUpsZV
Bueckers has yet to directly address the Wings’ selection, but she did say this at the 2026 Final Four about the possibility that Dallas could select Fudd:
"That would be exciting," Bueckers said. " I don't know all what I can say or what the future holds, but obviously we've had a lot of games together under our belt and we won a national championship together, so I think there's great success in that. But I guess time will tell."
The Wings will be looking to turn the corner as a franchise after a couple of ugly seasons. Dallas fired coach Latricia Trammell after going 9–31 in 2024, only to go 10–34 and finish in last place in ‘25 with Chris Koclanes leading the bench. The Wings fired Koclanes in September and turned the page to Jose Fernandez, the longtime South Florida women’s basketball coach.
Now, Fudd will be turning the page to the next chapter of her basketball career—with Paige, of course.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
- Why Caitlin Clark Might Want to Apologize to Raven Johnson, Who the Fever Took No. 10 in the WNBA Draft
- Valkyries GM Raises More Questions Than Answers With Mid-Draft Flau'jae Johnson Trade
- SI:AM | A Very Interesting WNBA Draft
- How Much Money Will No. 1 Pick Azzi Fudd Make in Rookie Contract Under New CBA
- Dawn Staley Was Extremely Excited to See Raven Johnson Be Drafted to Fever
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Reacts to Wings Selecting Azzi Fudd With No. 1 Pick in 2026 WNBA Draft.
