CHICAGO — A casual bystander might never guess by looking at her expression that Azzi Fudd netted a historic 3-point shooting contest.
The Dallas Wings guard scored 30 points in the final round to oust Portland Fire forward Bridgeton Carleton and become the first rookie to win the All-Star competition title. She took the court first in the one-on-one face-off, missing only six shots and hitting a back-breaking money ball.
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“You say only missed six shots, and that feels like a lot,” Fudd said. “I should have made more.”
Few things get Fudd too high or low, bagging a record $60,000 in prize money when combining the increased $20,000 from the new collective bargaining agreement and a $40,000 commitment from Aflac. A family vacation could be in the works. She is also the first UConn player to win the competition, a mind-boggling footnote given the talented Huskie pipeline.
Veteran teammate Alysha Clark wore her No. 35 Wings jersey, Jessica Shepard showed support after her Shooting Stars challenge, and Wings front office personnel watched from the opposite corner of the Wintrust Arena court. Wings staffers helped her prepare this week by frantically rebounding balls and resetting racks since they only had two.
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When her final bucket swished with plenty of time to spare, Dallas’ executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller delivered a singular, collected first-pump. CEO Greg Bibb high-fived everyone around him, including head coach Jose Fernandez.
But this was no over-the-top show of elation. Fudd sinking buckets is old news to those in the gym with her daily. And it’s another example of what they have known all along, which others can’t help but question despite the evidence. No one should be surprised anymore.
The group selected Fudd as the heavily debated No. 1 overall pick in April’s collegiate draft. All four lottery picks jumbled until the final minutes. Fernandez kept her on the bench the first few games, spurring speculation and conversation about why Dallas took her at all.
In Minnesota, No. 2 overall pick Olivia Miles has solidified her place as a legend-in-the-making, and at the All-Star mark sits as an MVP favorite. She’s averaging historic numbers in head coach Cheryl Reeve’s system, approaching the game with a professional ease that belies her years.
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Miles will play in the All-Star Game at the United Center on Saturday as the only 2026 All-Star rookie selection. She joins Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Kelsey Mitchell as starting guards. Bueckers (2025) and Clark (’24), along with four-time All-Star Aliyah Boston (’23), all earned All-Star rookie status as No. 1 overall picks.
It was an unprecedented three-year stretch. Consider that Boston became the eighth player in WNBA history, and the first since Shoni Schimmel in 2014, to start a WNBA All-Star Game when she did so in the league’s 27th season.
Fudd snapped the streak. Yet, she still staked her claim to All-Star status.
She will forever be measured up to Miles, because that’s how this goes when you’re two stars of the same class. Elena Delle Donne, one of the three winners of a three-generation Washington Shooting Stars team on Friday, spent her shortened career compared to Brittney Griner. Griner and Delle Donne were drafted first and second, respectively, in 2013. They each carved out championship-winning and Hall of Fame-worthy careers.
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Though overshadowed three months into the campaign, Fudd has been nothing short of what the Wings wanted and needed. Her defensive tenacity on the perimeter can change games for them. And her offense is showing up; she’s averaging three 3s per game and shooting 38.8% from the perimeter.
It’s her greatest power as the game’s crispest shooter. Her movements are fluid, a carbon copy of her mother, WNBA draft pick Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd. She wastes no movements. The muscle memory dug deeper than even most 23-year-olds when forced to put up stationary shots amid multiple knee injuries over her high school and five-year Connecticut career.
She doesn’t want to say this was easy, per se. But this was easy.
Everyone in Wings gear knew as much. Winning was no fluke. The reps were there when they drafted her, and she’s put in more since.
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The shooter with the prettiest release secured the first of what can be many titles under the banner of Chicago Sky champion Allie Quigley, a record four-time 3-point contest winner. She won her first late in a career that began as a player who barely saw floor time. Her final crown in 2022 came in the same city — Chicago hosted All-Star, but held the competitions without fans in the nearby convention center.
When asked if she was looking forward to wherever it is held next year. Fudd looked to the side at the WNBA personnel in the room.
“I mean, if they’ll have me, I’d be honored to be here again,” Fudd said.
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With the same even-keeled demeanor as she delivered with the winning basket, she said she hasn’t thought about the fact that she could overtake Quigley. However, she has mulled over taking on another 3-point champ and good friend, the one who put her on the map with praise for her shot mechanics. She calls on NBA champion Stephen Curry.
“Steph, if you’re listening, I’ve been asking for a rematch since high school,” Fudd said. “This is our time to figure out a time and a place.”
