Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, teammates on the Dallas Wings, have confirmed that they broke up more than a year ago, dispelling rumors that suggested their split occurred more recently. The clarification came during their joint appearance on the "Fudd Around and Find Out" podcast.
"We’re not together anymore. It’s been, for everybody wondering — even though we don’t have to share — it’s been a while. Like, over a year," Bueckers stated on the podcast. She added that the breakup predated Fudd's WNBA draft, emphasizing that Fudd's selection as the first overall pick was based on merit. "She was not drafted because she was my girlfriend, she was drafted because she deserved it. She’s an amazing human, amazing basketball player."
Fudd echoed these sentiments, stating, "We know you guys are curious and probably have a ton of questions, but we’ve addressed everything that we need to, and the rest will stay with us."
Both players acknowledged that they remain friends and professional teammates. "We played an entire season together. We’re the utmost professional, we care about basketball, and we’re still friends, we’re still cool," Bueckers said. "Sometimes in life there’s just seasons. And sometimes in life, two people are just at different points of their life."
Bueckers and Fudd were college teammates at UConn before Fudd was drafted by the Dallas Wings. Their reunion as teammates in the WNBA had sparked speculation about their relationship status, which they had previously downplayed.
The WNBA has seen other notable player relationships, including the marriage of Courtney Vandersloot and Allie Quigley, who played together on the Chicago Sky.