Dallas Wings select UConn guard Azzi Fudd with No. 1 overall pick in 2026 WNBA Draft
STORRS, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 22: Azzi Fudd #35 of the Connecticut Huskies plays against the Arkansas State Red Wolves during a first round game of the women’s NCAA basketball tournament at the Harry A. Gampel Pavilion on March 22, 2025 in Storrs, Conn
DALLAS - For the second year in a row, the Dallas Wings made a University of Connecticut star the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
Dallas Wings draft Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall
What we know:
The Dallas Wings selected UConn guard Azzi Fudd with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Fudd, a 5'11" guard, played the last four seasons at the University of Connecticut. She averaged 17.7 points per game during the 2025-26 season, earning All-American and All-Big East honors.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 13: Azzi Fudd of UConn poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the 1st pick in the first round by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. NO
In her UConn career, she ranks fifth in career three pointers made and first in overall free throw percentage.
Last month, Fudd helped lead the Huskies to the Final Four in the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, where they lost to South Carolina.
In 2025, Fudd helped the Huskies win a national championship and was named Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four in the process.
Dallas Wings draft Zee Spearman No. 31 overall
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA - FEBRUARY 26: Zee Spearman #11 of the Tennessee Lady Volunteers warms up prior to a game against the LSU Tigers at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on February 26, 2026 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Ima
The Wings' second pick of the night was Zee Spearman, a forward from the University of Tennessee. She was the No. 31 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
Spearman averaged 8.5 points per game during the 2025-26 season. She previously played at the University of Miami before transferring to Tennessee in 2024.
What they're saying:
"Azzi Fudd is one of the best shooters in our game today," said Dallas Wing Executive Vice President and General Manager Curt Miller. "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."
Wings forward Maddy Siegrist spoke to the media at a WNBA Draft watch party about Fudd's selection.
"She's just a great player. She does so many things well," Siegrist said. "Not only is she a shooter, but she's a great facilitator as well. So I think that's a good piece that she's going to add to the Wings this year."
"I think anytime you can shoot the ball as efficiently and at a clip like hers, I think it's just great. I think you're just going to spread the floor, open it up, so it will be great. It's great for everybody," Siegrist continued.
SPOKANE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 31: Paige Bueckers #5, Azzi Fudd #35 and Kaitlyn Chen #20 of the UConn Huskies walk to the bench during the second half against the USC Trojans in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Spokane
Storrs to Dallas pipeline
Dig deeper:
This is the second season in a row where the Dallas Wings have made a former UConn star the top selection in the WNBA Draft.
In 2025, the Wings chose Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick. The rookie sensation was named a WNBA All-Star and the WNBA's Rookie of the Year in 2025.
Bueckers and Fudd played in 49 games in their two seasons together in Storrs, making two Final Four appearances and winning the national championship in 2025.
The Source: Information in this story comes from the Dallas Wings and UConn's athletics website.