On Monday evening, the Dallas Wings picked Azzi Fudd as the number one choice in the WNBA draft. This selection marks her rapid rise from winning an NCAA championship to becoming the top draft pick, and it reunites her with Paige Bueckers, her ex-teammate from the University of Connecticut. The 5-foot-11 guard guided UConn to the previous year’s national championship and earned the Most Outstanding Player award in the Final Four. She becomes the seventh athlete from that school to be selected first overall.
Bueckers, who was the top pick by Dallas in the 2025 draft and the current WNBA Rookie of the Year, observed the announcement from a full house at the Shed, a $500 million arts facility in Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s west side. Fudd expressed that the moment felt overwhelming and had not fully registered yet.
This draft occurs amid changes from the league’s updated collective bargaining agreement, which boosts starting salaries for newcomers. The first overall selection will now make around $500,000, a major increase from past years and over six times what Bueckers earned as the top pick last year.
Unlike the prior draft where Bueckers was the obvious choice, this year’s event lacked a definitive frontrunner. Fudd emerged as the standout late in the evaluations. Dallas strengthened their interior lineup during a shortened free agency window after extended labor talks, signing veteran bigs Alanna Smith, known for defense, and Jessica Shepard.
Minnesota took Texas Christian guard Olivia Miles second after her extra year in college, a transfer from Notre Dame, and leading her team to back-to-back Elite Eight showings. Seattle picked Spanish post player Awa Fam Thiam third, Washington selected UCLA’s Lauren Betts fourth, and Chicago chose UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez fifth. The new Toronto Tempo franchise drafted UCLA guard Kiki Rice sixth, emphasizing UCLA’s strong showing just over a week after their NCAA title victory.
Golden State picked LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson eighth but soon traded her rights to Seattle for TCU forward Marta Suárez, the 16th pick, plus a 2028 second-rounder. This marked the draft’s initial trade.
The evening continued with more UCLA selections: Washington added Angela Dugalić ninth, and Connecticut chose Gianna Kneepkens 15th, giving UCLA a record five first-round picks. UCLA also set a new benchmark for total draftees in one year when the Connecticut Sun selected Charlisse Leger-Walker in the second round, surpassing the old record of five held by South Carolina in 2023, Notre Dame in 2019, and Tennessee in 1997 and 2008.
Dallas aims to reverse fortunes after two straight losing seasons and major roster shifts. Fudd bolsters a guard group featuring Bueckers and All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, as the team seeks to regain form after a long stretch with just one playoff series victory since 2010.
Fudd and Bueckers shared four years at UConn and revealed last year they are dating, bringing extra chemistry to the squad built around two top picks. Fudd noted their college time was disrupted by injuries, limiting their shared play until last season, which was incomplete. She sees untapped possibilities with Bueckers and the full Dallas team.
The draft highlighted league-wide shifts. New teams in Toronto and Portland assembled their lineups, with several clubs gaining extra first-round choices via trades and expansion rules. Higher pay and more roster positions from the labor agreement should help more draftees secure spots on opening rosters. Traditionally, only about half of picks make the cut, but this may improve as the league grows to 18 teams by 2030, adding Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia.
Other UConn alumni picked first overall include Bueckers, Breanna Stewart in 2016, Maya Moore in 2011, Tina Charles in 2010, Diana Taurasi in 2004, and Sue Bird in 2002.
