Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd (left) and Paige Bueckers talk during practice at College Park Center on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, in Arlington.
Elías Valverde II/The Dallas Morning News
Her WNBA career will officially tip off Saturday in a highly anticipated clash with the Indiana Fever, but Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd has already made history.
When the Wings selected her No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA draft last month, the UConn product secured a $500,000 salary and became the highest-paid rookie in the league’s 30-year existence.
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Fudd and other young stars around the league, such as Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, represent the new era of the WNBA. Their rise in popularity, which has corresponded with the rise of name, image and likeness, has given women’s basketball players more visibility than ever before.
Used to the money and exposure
Fudd, who in 2025 won a national championship alongside fellow UConn product Bueckers, enters the league having already earned six figures. She started college in 2021 — right at the dawn of NIL — and has built a sponsorship portfolio that includes Celsius, Geico, Jordan Brand and Paula’s Choice.
“I didn’t get to experience college without NIL, which is insane,” Fudd told The Dallas Morning News on Thursday after practice in Arlington. “When I was there, it was brand new. No one knew what they were doing.
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“… To see how much it’s evolved and how much people are really investing into women and women’s college athletes has been incredible to see.”
The Wings’ popularity has surged thanks in part to the star power of Bueckers and Fudd, the latter of whom already had fans lining up for her autograph when she attended a Dallas game last season. Fans hoped they could see a Bueckers-Fudd reunion in 2026, and that’s exactly what they got.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35), forward Alysha Clark (32), and guard Paige Bueckers (5) head to the bench during a timeout against the Las Vegas Aces in a WNBA preseason matchup in Austin, Texas on Sunday, May 3, 2026. Dallas won 101-84.
Brendan Maloney/Hearst Newspapers
The team, which landed partnerships with Geico and CVS in 2026, announced after the draft the organization sold out season tickets for a third straight year. With 36 scheduled national TV appearances, the Wings will have the second-most nationally televised games in the league after Clark’s Fever.
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“It’s great for the organization,” Wings coach Jose Fernandez told reporters after a recent practice in Arlington. “I think anytime you’re able to be a part of the national audience and how the WNBA’s grown, it’s a great opportunity to showcase our team and showcase our franchise.”
More eyes on the expanding league led to milestones such as the new collective bargaining agreement, which created millionaire athletes for the first time in the WNBA. But that exposure has also led to polarizing online discourse.
“I don’t think you can have the growth in the game that we’ve had without the exposure and the media, so it’s kind of like that double-edged sword, at least for someone like me who doesn’t love the media,” Fudd told reporters during Wings media day on April 27.
An ever-raising profile
Bueckers, in just her second season, has already become one of the faces of the league. The Wings finished 10-34 in 2025, when she averaged 19.2 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists.
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Year-to-date as of September 2025, the Wings had more engagements per follower on social media than any other major pro sports team, according to an analysis by Blinkfire.
That explosive growth can be tied to the April 2025 arrival of Bueckers, who boasts an ever-growing sponsorship portfolio that includes Gatorade, Nike, Verizon and DoorDash, and wore a custom suit designed by partner Coach at this year’s Met Gala.
Paige Bueckers departs The Carlyle Hotel prior to attending The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Costume Art” exhibition on Monday, May 4, 2026, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP
Bueckers’ media savvy, along with her on-court skill, is part of her appeal.
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In an annual survey, 33% of WNBA general managers picked Bueckers over Clark (20%) and reigning league MVP A’ja Wilson (20%) as the player they would start a franchise with.
“It’s really cool just to have that mutual respect amongst people who live in this space and who really understand the game,” Bueckers said Wednesday after practice in Arlington. “There’s so many amazing basketball players to choose from. … For them to think that highly of me, I’m very grateful, very blessed.”
In the first half of the offseason, before she starred in Miami-based 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled and for Team USA in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament, Bueckers attended professional sporting events across Dallas-Fort Worth and abroad, only growing her visibility.
But as her profile raises, she doesn’t plan on changing.
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“I just want to remain relatable and remain one within the community and not feel like I’m on a pedestal or I’m untouchable just because I play basketball,” Bueckers said.
Looking ahead
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Still, there’s no denying the star power Bueckers and Fudd bring to the sport and the relevancy they’ve given the Wings, who have struggled since moving to North Texas in 2016.
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The Wings have been picked by general managers around the league as the team that will be most fun to watch in 2026.
That’s just the Bueckers-Fudd effect.