NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
The WNBA’s highly anticipated 30th season began Friday with three games, including the first contest of the Toronto Tempo expansion.
Action continued Saturday with a full schedule, including the return of Caitlin Clark after an injury-plagued second season.
Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup between the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outlasted the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by the disappointing debut of Azzi Fudd, the most recent top pick.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers react during the first half of the Fever’s season opener at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on May 9, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points, the lowest ever by a No. 1 overall pick in a WNBA debut.
Wings coach José Fernández commented on Fudd’s performance after the game and encouraged the rookie to: “Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s your first year in the league. We have five really talented defensive players.”
FORMER WNBA STAR CRITICIZES SKY ROOKIE HAILEY VAN LITH, BELIEVES POPULARITY PLAYED A ROLE IN DRAFT SELECTION
In addition to Fudd, Dallas’ backcourt features last year’s No. 1 draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season’s No. 12 overall pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.
Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the lowest-scoring debut by a No. 1 pick. Selected first overall by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, she scored just four points in her debut. The Stars moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and were subsequently renamed the Aces.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd warms up before the game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9, 2026. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Despite the slow start to his first season in the league, Plum finished the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, she has been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.
The Wings’ decision to select Fudd with the first overall pick sparked controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers’ personal relationship with her influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month that was not the case.
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed in New York City on April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 pick in the draft 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,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.
Neither Bueckers nor Fudd have publicly updated their relationship status since the April draft.
“Frankly, I think the personal relationship between Azzi and I is nobody’s business but ours,” Bueckers also said in April. “And what we decide to share is completely up to us.”
Next up, the Wings will play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.
