Dallas Wings fan Ally Pleckaitis celebrates holding a photo of UConn guard Azzi Fudd alongside Josh Dewey after Fudd was announced as the Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Kenzie Etzler had a feeling the Dallas Wings would take UConn star Azzi Fudd No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA draft.
And that’s exactly what happened on Monday night, as Etzler and other Wings fans gathered for a draft party at Happiest Hour in Dallas and celebrated their team’s newest star.
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“I’ve been watching Paige [Bueckers] and Azzi for 2-3 years now, so I’m just excited that they’re going to be playing on the same team again,” Etzler said after the Wings made the pick that reunited the former UConn teammates. “I always knew it was going to be Azzi. I had her picked since Paige got drafted last year.”
But in a year where there was no consensus No. 1 pick, some fans thought the Wings could go in another direction by drafting TCU’s Olivia Miles or 19-year-old Spanish center Awa Fam Thiam. Along with Fudd, both had topped mock drafts.
Shortly before the Wings made their pick, Nick Angstadt said Dallas should take Fam Thiam for her potential.
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“She could be the MVP of the league in like four years,” Angstadt said.
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But when he weighed the Wings’ 3-point shooting struggles over the last several seasons, Fudd made sense.
“Bring [Fudd’s shooting], the vibes, the passing. Give me all of that,” Angstadt said.
Dallas Wings players, from left, Shyanne Sellers, JJ Quinerly, Maddy Siegrist, Aziaha and James applaud after UConn guard Azzi Fudd was announced as the Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Wings fan Ally Pleckaitis celebrates holding a photo of UConn guard Azzi Fudd alongside Josh Dewey after Fudd was announced as the Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Members of the Dallas Wings Flight Crew warm up the crowd during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Dallas Wings fan Ally Pleckaitis celebrates holding a photo of UConn guard Azzi Fudd alongside Josh Dewey before Fudd was announced as the Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Maddy Siegrist of the Dallas Wings is interviewed after UConn guard Azzi Fudd was announced as the Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas, Texas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
A vendor shows off a Dallas Wings jersey for Azzi Fudd after the UConn guard was announced as the Dallas Wings selection with the first overall pick during a 2026 WNBA draft party at Happiest Hour on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Dallas.
Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News
Colton Green said he was a believer in Miles.
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“I think she’s the best player in the draft. I think when you have pick No. 1, you should go for the best player in the draft,” Green said minutes before the Wings were on the clock. “I don’t know if a 3-and-D will slot in the best right now.”
Darius Tse and Erin Curry, who shared the same table with Green at the Happiest Hour draft party, countered his opinion.
“I do think we should take Azzi Fudd,” Tse said. “Because we do have a lot of defense. But we’re going to need more defense.”
“And we had the worst 3-point shooting percentage last year in the league,” Curry added. “And Azzi Fudd’s a 3-point shooter. Seems like a natural fit to fill a need.”
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But Tse did agree that Miles was the best player in the draft, noting her six triple-doubles at TCU this season.
Green said he thought a lot of bad discourse surrounding who should go No. 1 came as a result of “box-score watching.”
“All these people, they’re not really watching EuroLeague. Some people are, but people speaking on Awa Fam, I don’t think they’re actually watching it,” Green said. “And I think [with] stan culture, people want their favorites to go to their favorite team. I don’t blame them, but I think that has not been good for discourse.”
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The discourse is moot now that the Wings have made their pick. Fudd is headed to Dallas, which also made big moves in free agency.
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Before it became official, Teresa Solano figured that the Wings would take Fudd and said she’s excited for the team.
“I think it’s going to be a really great season,” Solano said. “They’ve gotten some great [acquisitions] so far.”