Bueckers addressed her relationship with teammate Azzi Fudd once, firmly, and on her own terms.
Before a single basketball question could be asked, Paige Bueckers walked into Dallas Wings media day on April 27 with something to get off her chest. She was not called on. She was not prompted. She simply decided it was time to speak, and she made sure everyone in the room understood it would be the only time.
The subject was her relationship with Azzi Fudd, her former UConn teammate, close friend and now fellow Wings player. The two have been romantically linked since last summer, when both acknowledged their relationship publicly. Since then, they have stayed largely quiet about where things stand, and that silence has fed weeks of speculation heading into the 2026 WNBA season.
One statement, delivered once
Bueckers opened her media availability with a prepared comment, telling reporters she planned to address the topic once and once only, and that any future questions on the matter would be redirected back to this moment. She made clear that their personal relationship belongs to them alone, and that whatever the two choose to share publicly is entirely their own decision to make.
She also separated the personal from the professional with precision. The two, she said, have always conducted themselves with professionalism and have never allowed anything outside the court to affect what happens on it. She described their shared history as an asset, noting that years of playing alongside each other at UConn have given them a foundation most teammates simply do not have. That experience, she said, will translate directly into their work with Dallas.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own.”
Paige Bueckers addresses Azzi Fudd’s addition to the Dallas Wings. pic.twitter.com/Krm56M6B74
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 27, 2026
Fudd earned her spot, full stop
One of the more pointed moments in Bueckers‘ statement came when she addressed speculation that Fudd’s arrival in Dallas had anything to do with the two of them being together. Bueckers was direct: Fudd was selected with the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft because she earned it, not because of any personal connection between them. She called Fudd a great individual and insisted that Fudd deserves to be celebrated for exactly who she is as a player and as a person.
It was a notable moment of public advocacy from one star on behalf of another, particularly given the noise surrounding both of them since draft night. Fudd had already faced the question herself during her introductory press conference on April 16, when a Wings staff member stepped in and shut it down before she could answer. The contrast between that moment and Bueckers choosing to address it head-on on her own terms was not lost on those watching.
A question that has followed them since UConn
The speculation around Bueckers and Fudd did not begin with the draft. The two played four seasons together at the University of Connecticut, winning a national championship as teammates before both entering the WNBA. Their closeness on and off the court was well documented throughout their college careers, and when they confirmed their romantic relationship last summer, it only deepened public interest in how things would unfold once they became professional teammates.
Early reports from Wings training camp suggest Fudd has been performing well, and there is legitimate optimism around what the two could build together on the floor. Dallas opens its 2026 season on May 9 against the Indiana Fever in Indianapolis, and the on-court results will ultimately be what defines this partnership in the public eye.
Bueckers has made it clear she is not interested in providing anything else to feed the off-court conversation. She said her piece, she meant it, and she moved on to talking basketball.