Wings' No. 1 Pick Azzi Fudd Out for Season With Knee Surgery

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd, this year's No. 1 overall draft pick, will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery on her right knee next week in Connecticut, the team said Wednesday.

Fudd, who starred at UConn before being selected by Dallas, has been sidelined for the past five games with knee soreness. She becomes the Huskies' second consecutive top overall pick to join the Wings, following reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers last year.

Fudd was eased into the rookie lineup, coming off the bench for her first six games before scoring 24 points in the sixth and becoming a full-time starter. She posted a season-high 26 points in a June win over Seattle and averaged 13.1 points over 30 games this season.

The soreness first surfaced before an Aug. 7 home game against Golden State, when Fudd went through warmups but was held out "out of an abundance of caution," according to the team. The issue did not improve, leading to the decision for surgery.

Fudd and Bueckers won the 2025 national championship together at UConn before Bueckers was drafted by Dallas. The Wings are 3-8 since a six-game winning streak, the franchise's longest since relocating to Texas 10 years ago, but remain in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023. Dallas plays Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday night at the home of the Dallas Mavericks.