Fudd was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in Monday’s WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings, an achievement for which the Huskies sharpshooter said she had “no words.” With a couple of days to process, Fudd was able to expound upon her experience a bit more on the ABC morning show with host and former New York Giants star Michael Strahan. 

“Surreal. I was super grateful,” Fudd said. “It’s been something I’ve been dreaming about since I was younger. So to live out that dream and have that come to life, it was amazing.”

It’s been a year and five days since Fudd made her previous appearance on “Good Morning America,” where she celebrated winning the Final Four Most Outstanding Player Award. Alongside Paige Bueckers and Sarah Strong, Fudd’s shooting helped the Huskies win the 2025 national championship, the program’s first title in nearly a decade. 

This season, Fudd instead was masterful in the regular season — she set career highs with 17.3 points per game on nearly 45% shooting from 3-point range —  but struggled come tournament time, shooting just 12-39 from the floor in UConn’s final three March Madness games as the Huskies suffered an upset loss to South Carolina in the Final Four. Fudd had held off Spanish center Awa Fam Thiam as the No. 1 overall pick in the eyes of most WNBA Draft prognosticators throughout the season, but this NCAA Tournament slump saw TCU guard Olivia Miles threaten to surpass her ahead of draft day. 

“Like a dream come true, I really don’t know how else to describe it,” Fudd said about being selected No. 1 overall. “I had goosebumps, my heart was beating out of my chest. I really don’t know how else to describe it.”

As the No. 1 overall pick, Fudd will earn $500,000 in 2026, the highest wage of this year’s historic rookie class, which is the first to benefit from the league’s newly negotiated collective bargaining agreement that has resulted in skyrocketing salaries across the league. Fudd will also reunite with Bueckers, who was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s WNBA Draft by the Wings and cruised to Rookie of the Year honors in her debut season.

“Like you said, we know how to win together and know how to play together, so I’m super excited to get another chance to play with her and play with the other women on the team. It’s going to be incredible, I’m so excited.”