Azzi Fudd scored three points in her WNBA debut Sunday, the fewest ever by a No. 1 overall pick, as the Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 107-104, according to WNBA records.
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench. Wings coach Jose Fernandez addressed the rookie after the game, saying, “Keep doing what she’s doing, it’s her first year in the league. We got five really talented backcourt players.”
The Wings’ backcourt also includes last year’s top pick Paige Bueckers, 2023 draftee Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and guard Odyssey Sims.
Kelsey Plum previously held the low-debut mark for a No. 1 pick, scoring four points after being selected first overall by the San Antonio Stars in 2017, WNBA records show. Plum later earned All-Rookie honors, has been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Las Vegas Aces.
The Wings’ selection of Fudd with the No. 1 pick drew scrutiny over whether a personal relationship with Bueckers influenced the decision. Bueckers denied that claim in April, saying, “Azzi Fudd was the 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 as a basketball player,” according to ESPN. Neither player has publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft, ESPN reported. The Wings host the Atlanta Dream in their home opener on Tuesday.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
