Azzi Fudd Dealing With Knee Swelling: Report
The Dallas Wings selected former UConn star Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13. The outpouring of fan support for Fudd flooded Dallas, and fans had their first chance to formally welcome her when the Wings hosted the Atlanta Dream for their home opener on Tuesday night.
College Park Center was deflated before tip when Wings head coach Jose Fernandez confirmed that Fudd wouldn’t play. Fudd had been listed as probable with a right knee injury.
“Out of an abundance of caution and her long-term health, we're keeping her out tonight,” Fernandez said, per Drake Keeler.
According to USA Today’s Meghan L. Hall, Fernandez was asked whether Fudd’s knee had been flagged as a potential issue before the draft, and Fernandez downplayed it: “I’m sure the front office and strength and conditioning and sports medicine, everybody does their due diligence, right? But there weren’t any concerns whatsoever.”
The Wings lost to the Dream, 77-72, to drop to 1-1 on the season, but Fudd’s knee remained the primary topic of discussion after the game.
“A Wings source indicated that after playing 21 minutes in Austin in Dallas' second pre-season game in which she had 12 points in a win over Las Vegas, Fudd had some swelling around her knee,” Tim Cowlishaw of The Dallas Morning News reported. “She had major surgery on her right knee in high school and major surgery on her right knee at UConn. But there were no real indications she had suffered any kind of setback, and it's entirely possible she's out here playing Thursday night when the Wings host the Minnesota Lynx.”
Fudd came off the bench in the Wings’ 107-104 season-opening win in Indiana. She scored 3 points on 1-for-2 shooting from the floor in 18 minutes. Fans were upset that Fudd didn’t start, but regardless of her knee’s status or her status as the No. 1 overall pick, cracking a starting five already featuring Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and Odyssey Sims was never a given for Fudd.
For Fudd’s sake, of course, the hope is that her reported knee swelling is temporary and not indicative of a longer-term issue. But the Wings hope that, too.
It’s cartoonishly early to start weighing whether Fudd was the right pick at No. 1 overall - to start speculating over her viability in a league in which she’s played one game would be so disingenuous - but it is an interesting contrast to how Olivia Miles, the No. 2 overall pick, has seamlessly fit in with the Minnesota Lynx.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 12:00 PM.