Dallas Wings All-Star guard Paige Bueckers finally addressed her relationship with teammate and incoming rookie Azzi Fudd. But instead of giving it too much attention, she set a boundary on what they share and what other people need to know.
The reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year moved to speak about it during the Wings’ media day on Monday, after her relationship with Fudd became the focus of conversation of late, especially when Dallas selected Fudd as the top overall pick in this year’s rookie draft.
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Attention to their relationship was further fanned when the Wings declined to allow Fudd to discuss her involvement with Bueckers when a Dallas-area reporter asked about it during her introductory press conference over a week ago.
In her address, Bueckers did not go into detail about her relationship but made it clear that she and Fudd are doing well and are choosing to maintain some level of privacy and keep it separate from their WNBA campaign.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own. And what we choose to share is completely up to us,” she said.
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First teammates now a couple
Bueckers and Fudd were teammates at UConn, which they helped win the national title in 2025. Also, last year, they confirmed they were dating, but have since kept things private on that front.
While Bueckers had an outstanding rookie campaign in the WNBA, Fudd also balled on her fifth and final year with the Huskies. She posted career-high numbers of 17.3 points, 3.1 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals while shooting 44.7 percent from three to earn All-American honors while helping UConn reach the NCAA Tournament Final Four.
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Her banner year led her to being selected top overall by the Wings in this year’s draft, ahead of other notable players like Olivia Miles (second/Minnesota) from TCU, Awa Fam (third/Seattle) from Spain and Lauren Betts (fourth/Washington) from national champion UCLA.
Bueckers is excited to once again play alongside Fudd as they try to help the Wings rebound from last year’s 10-34 campaign. She said Fudd was deserving of the No. 1 selection and it had nothing to do with her playing in Dallas.
“Azzi Fudd was a No. 1 draft pick because she earned it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who she is as a human being, who she is a basketball player, her resilience, her strength and her career-best year at UConn. So, Azzi is her own great individual person, and she should be celebrated as such,” Bueckers said.
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J-Will thinks their private life should be addressed
Former NBA player and one-time champion Jason Williams sees nothing wrong with being asked personal questions, since it comes with the territory of being professional athletes who fans and observers are invested in.
“Just answer the question and move on, right? What are you trying to hide? You could be short with the answer,” Williams asserted in a recent episode of the “Hoopin N Hollerin'” podcast.
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Three-time WNBA champion Candace Parker agreed that personal questions are expected as pros, but noted that people have different ways of dealing with them.
“You can handle it the way you want to. Some people are open with their personal lives and some people aren’t,” Parker, who is married to former Russian player Anna Petrakova, shared on her own podcast.
Bueckers and Fudd will continue to deal with questions about their relationship here and there. But, like they said, their story is only theirs to tell, and it just has to be respected.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
