Here’s Why Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd’s Relationship Is Landing The WNBA And Dallas Wings In Hot Water

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd. Credit: Scott Rausenberger-Imagn Images

Here’s Why Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd’s Relationship Is Landing The WNBA And Dallas Wings In Hot Water

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Orlando Silva | Last updated Apr 16, 2026 1:13 PM ET

The Dallas Wings paired up Paige Bueckers with Azzi Fudd, two former UConn teammates who are also a romantic couple. Bueckers went to Dallas with the No. 1 overall pick last season, and Fudd followed in her footsteps on Monday.

Fudd led the Huskies to the national championship in 2025, but failed to move past South Carolina in this year’s Final Four. She averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, while shooting 46.9% from the floor.

While there’s nothing that suggested Fudd didn’t deserve to at least be a top-three pick in this year’s draft, a longtime journalist took issue with the Wings’ decision. Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman shared a TikTok video criticizing the Wings.

Journalist Calls Out Dallas Wings Over Paige Bueckers-Azzi Fudd Pairing

Paige Bueckers (Image Credits: Imagn)

Pearlman said Fudd’s selection was the biggest story that many people are ignoring at the moment. He claimed that the WNBA made people stay silent about it.

“Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are in a long-term relationship, and nobody’s mentioning it. And the WNBA clearly has asked people not to mention it. And it’s very journalistically confusing to me,” he said.

“Like, it is fascinating that these two people who have been dating for a long time, dating back to college, would be the starting backcourt for a team. To me, that is actually the number one piece of this story. It’s not just that they drafted Azzi Fudd, they drafted Azzi Fudd to play with her longtime partner, Paige Bueckers.”

@jeffpearlmanauthor Why is the media not covering Azzi Fudd and Page Bueckers in a journalistic manner? #wnba #azzifudd #pagebueckers #dallaswings ♬ original sound – Jeff Pearlman

He said that the ESPN draft broadcast avoided mentioning the fact that they are a couple, and ESPN’s website, The Athletic and the Dallas Morning News acted the same.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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