Fudd said it's "so special" to reunite with Bueckers in Dallas
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NEED TO KNOW
- Azzi Fudd called Paige Bueckers her “best friend,” a few hours after a representative for the Dallas Wings shut down a question about their relationship in her introductory press conference
- Fudd said it’s “so special” to reunite with her former UConn teammate Bueckers in Dallas
- Fudd said there will be “a little bit of comfort” playing together in her rookie season
Azzi Fudd can't wait to share the court with her "best friend" Paige Bueckers again in Dallas.
One day after the Wings shut down a question for Fudd, 23, about her romantic relationship with Bueckers, 24, the number one overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft said it's "so special" to be reunited with the second-year player, who was the top pick for the Wings the year before.
"It’s so special. Here I am, no control in where I get drafted and I get to play with my best friend again," said Fudd during an interview with WFAA released on Thursday, April 16. "So, it really is special."
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The newest Dallas Wing — who won a national championship with Bueckers last year when they played for UConn — spoke about how "incredible" Bueckers is on and off the court. "And I want to adopt that kind of mindset," said Fudd.
She added to WFAA, "I think just that chemistry and knowing how to play with and off each other, and then also a little bit of comfort, like that's someone that I went to school with for three years, four years."
"Having someone that I already know and am close with, is going to be tremendous as I'm gonna continue to get to know the rest of my teammates," Fudd said.
On April 16, Fudd, who talked openly about dating Bueckers last year, was asked about their romance during her introductory press conference with the Wings. Before Fudd could answer, a Wings executive interrupted and said, “I understand why you have to ask that question but we’re gonna respectfully decline from commenting on our players’ personal lives."
Bueckers and Fudd are longtime friends who first met in 2017 at a USA Basketball U16 national team camp. The couple went on to play together at UConn and won a national championship together in April 2025.
Three months later, in July 2025, Bueckers confirmed the two were in a relationship during a WAG Talk interview, and the couple later spoke about their instant connection on Instagram's Close Friends Only podcast. “Almost kind of immediately,” Fudd replied when asked when she knew she and Bueckers would be "close."
“I feel like we really clicked when we met," said Fudd, telling Bueckers, “I don’t remember talking to you at all off the court, but I remember the plane ride home to Minnesota talking to you and really liking you and then that’s when I thought, like, our personality off the court, our personalities clicked.”
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