No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd ready to hype playoff-bound Wings after season-ending knee surgery

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Azzi Fudd is ready to do what she can for the playoff-bound Dallas Wings while rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery that ended the rookie season for the WNBA's No. 1 overall draft pick.

“I'm going to try to be the best cheerleader I can on the side, the best teammate,” Fudd said Tuesday, about three weeks after the procedure. “I'm going to try to be their hype woman.”

Fudd averaged 13.1 points in 30 games, the first six off the bench before becoming a full-time starter for the Wings. Her last game was Aug. 5, just two weeks after being the first rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest.

“Obviously not how I wanted my season to end. I was definitely a little frustrated at first, but feel like I’ve handled this one really well, been in a great place mentally,” Fudd said. “Just knowing that this was the right decision gave me peace of mind.”

Fudd had surgery in Connecticut, where she starred for UConn before becoming the Huskies’ second consecutive top overall pick by Dallas. She said she had knee soreness early in the season that initially went away.

“Then it came back up and we tried to manage it, and it wasn’t manageable,” Fudd said.

The Wings (24-16), who have a four-game winning streak and four games left in the regular season, have already clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2023. Dallas is home Thursday against Los Angeles for its first game since the FIBA Women's World Cup break.

Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers was the No. 1 pick last year. Bueckers and Fudd won the 2025 national championship together at UConn before Bueckers was drafted by the Wings.

Asked what she was most proud of about her season, Fudd said it was how she felt she handled everything and adjusted to the WNBA, along with her defense.

“Your rookie season is a lot, it's a lot all at once,” she said. “Being at UConn, you have lots of alums you get to talk to and pick their brains, but I feel like no matter how much you learn and know before going in, there’s nothing that can fully prepare you. So I think it was definitely different coming in and experiencing it and being here for myself.”

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