When UConn’s Azzi Fudd became the No. 1 overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday, reuniting with former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers in the Dallas Wings’ backcourt was notable.
However, one aspect of the two becoming teammates again that wasn’t mentioned prominently in media coverage was that Fudd and Bueckers made a romantic relationship public last July. They haven’t spoken about it publicly since then, though Bueckers was in attendance on draft night.
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Perhaps that topic wasn’t immediately pertinent on draft night, with Fudd’s fit with the Wings viewed from a basketball standpoint amid the other prospects being selected. But with Fudd meeting the local press for the first time on Thursday, her relationship with Bueckers became a topic. And the team’s PR shut down the potential conversation immediately.
“Paige announced last year on TikTok that y’all were a couple,” asked Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m wondering if that’s still the case and if so, if y’all have talked to other couples in the league about how they negotiated that dynamic.”
Whether or not Fudd intended to answer the question quickly became a moot point when a member of the Wings’ public relations staff interjected on her behalf.
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“I understand why you have to ask that question, but we’re going to respectfully decline from commenting on players’ personal lives,” the PR rep said.
Presumably, this was something that was discussed before the press conference. Fudd’s relationship with Bueckers has been a topic of conversation in WNBA circles and beyond this week, and was bound to come up during her introduction to the Dallas media corps and fan base. However, it’s obviously not something Fudd or the team wants to address publicly.
Still, as Sherrington alluded to, relationships are hardly unprecedented in the WNBA player ranks.
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Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot kept her relationship with former teammate Allie Quigley private before they got married in 2018. Phoenix Mercury players Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner have been public about their relationship. Former Mercury teammates Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor married after Taylor retired from the WNBA, but they kept their relationship private before that. Natasha Cloud and Isabelle Harrison dated before the two became teammates on the New York Liberty last season. Harrison is now with the Toronto Tempo.
Last season, Wings players NaLyssa Smith and DiJonai Carrington made their relationship public. However, Smith ended up being traded to the Las Vegas Aces, while Carrington was dealt to the Minnesota Lynx. They have since broken up, as Carrington said she was single late last year.
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Though the Wings may hope that the matter won’t be discussed from here on out, it will likely be raised again with training camp beginning Sunday and the regular season starting on May 8.
