Azzi Fudd Shines at WNBA All-Star Weekend with Historic Win

Azzi Fudd delivered an impressive performance during her first WNBA All-Star weekend. As a guard for the Dallas Wings, she made history by winning the 3-point contest, a first for a rookie in the league’s history.

In the contest’s first round, Fudd scored 30 points, just 10 points shy of the perfect score. Portland Fire’s player Bridget Carleton was eliminated after securing 19 points. Fudd took 27 shots in total, missing only six, which clinched her the title.

Reflecting on her performance, Fudd mentioned feeling nervous, saying, “You saw ‘only’ six shots, but I feel like that was a lot. But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited.”

Fudd expressed her enjoyment of the contest, stating, “It’s fun to do because… I don’t want to sound cocky… but it’s easy to me, just the set shot. Take the ball from the rack; it really is muscle memory.”

Throughout the season leading up to the All-Star break, Fudd averaged 2.2 shots from beyond the arc, successfully making 53 three-pointers during her rookie year.

The Dallas Wings valued Fudd’s talent, selecting her first in April’s WNBA Draft, despite past injuries affecting her college basketball career.

Fudd noted that her injury setbacks had an unexpected positive side. Her rehabilitation involved repetitive shooting, which improved her form and rhythm for the 3-point contest. “That was a lot of chair shooting, a lot of stationary shots,” Fudd said, explaining how this practice honed her skills.

Before the 3-point contest, the WNBA introduced a new All-Star event, the Shooting Stars competition, in Chicago. This event replaced the traditional skills challenge and featured teams of three, including a former legend, a current player, and a rising young talent. Team Washington emerged victorious against Team Seattle in the debut event.