Advertisement<\/p>\n
Did Dallas select Bueckers’ girlfriend as a favor to their star player?<\/p>\n
![\"Aug](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/b59e93906595de7a7e6a80fa60fcb648.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Aug 8, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) looks on during the first half against the New York Liberty at College Park Center. Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Among those calling out the WNBA is former Sports Illustrated reporter Jeff Pearlman, who shared a video on his TikTok account<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pearlman called Dallas’ selection of Fudd at No. 1 overall the biggest story no one is talking about right now.<\/p>\n WNBA gets called out over the relationship<\/p>\n Pearlman is accusing the WNBA of asking people not to talk about it.<\/p>\n \u201cAzzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are in a long-term relationship, and nobody\u2019s mentioning it. And the WNBA clearly has asked people not to mention it. And it\u2019s very journalistically confusing to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cLike, 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\u2019s not just that they drafted Azzi Fudd, they drafted Azzi Fudd to play with her longtime partner, Paige Bueckers.\u201d<\/p>\n Pearlman pointed out that Fudd’s relationship with Bueckers wasn’t mentioned by ESPN\u2019s draft broadcast, or in print write-ups about the Wings\u2019 pick from\u00a0ESPN.com<\/a>,\u00a0The Athletic,\u00a0or the\u00a0Dallas Morning News.<\/p>\n The longtime sports reporter is continuing to ask questions.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n \u201cEither the agents of these players or the league itself is telling reporters, if you want access, do not mention this. Don\u2019t bring it up,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually think it\u2019s more of an unfair judgment of women, not to mention it. Like, why is this taboo? Why are two women in a relationship even remotely taboo in 2026? It shouldn\u2019t be at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIs that a sign of the times, is that the political world we live in? I don\u2019t understand. But to me \u2026 it\u2019s the number one story, that the Wings have taken this roll-of-the-dice on this. Hopefully it\u2019ll work. What happens when you have two people, you reunite them together, they\u2019re in the same backcourt, but they also date, and they love each other, and blah, blah, blah, young love. It\u2019s an amazing, amazing story.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n WNBA fans, meanwhile, are defending it.<\/p>\n “WNBA is a business, relationships are personal. Hope this helps!” one wrote.<\/p>\n “Paige and Azzi have intentionally not been seen\/posting as a couple since after (I believe) WNBA All-star. Azzi will occasionally mention Paige on her podcast. The amount of attention these young ladies received was so over the top and overwhelming,” one fan added.<\/p>\n “They’ve been playing together since HS. Their relationship has nothing to do with their chemistry. It also wasn’t the story for them in college so it really shouldn’t be the driving focus,” one fan added.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Wings, meanwhile, are scheduled to open the regular season on May 9 against Indiana.<\/p>\n This story was originally published by The Spun<\/a> on Apr 16, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA<\/a> section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n