UConn women’s basketball fans got an uncomfortable feeling of deja vu on Tuesday night when former Huskies star Azzi Fudd was ruled out of the Dallas Wings home opener against the Atlanta Dream with a right knee injury.

On Monday night before the matchup against Atlanta, Fudd appeared on the Wings’ injury report listed as probable with a right knee injury, but she was downgraded to out an hour before Tuesday’s game. Fudd was selected No. 1 overall by Dallas in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Injuries plagued Fudd throughout her five seasons with the Huskies, and her right knee in particular has been a point of concern dating back to high school. Fudd tore her right ACL and MCL in 2019 while competing in a 3-on-3 tournament hosted by USA Basketball, and she tore the same ACL and her meniscus two games into her junior season at UConn in 2023. The star guard also missed 11 games with a foot injury her freshman year, then 22 as a sophomore with a left knee injury. The 2023 ACL tear kept her out of the first three games of the 2024-25 season, and she suffered a sprain in her right knee five games after returning to the court that sidelined her for another three.

Fudd came back from the sprain to help lead UConn to the 2025 NCAA championship, earning the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award. She played the first complete season of her college career this past season and was named a consensus first-team All-American.

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Fudd played in Dallas’ season opening win over the Indiana Fever on May 9, but after starting in both of the team’s preseason games, she came off the bench in her WNBA debut and played just 18 minutes. She was the first No. 1 overall pick to come off the bench in their first game since Kelsey Plum in 2017, and her three points were the fewest scored in a top pick’s debut since Janel McCarville in 2005.

Wings coach Jose Fernandez declined to comment on whether Fudd’s knee injury was connected to her limited playing time in the opener. The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday that the rookie guard began experiencing swelling around her right knee after Dallas’ second preseason game against the Las Vegas Aces on May 3.

“I’m not going to get into the minutes situation on the opening night,” Fernandez said pregame Tuesday. “I’m not going to discuss anything medically in regards to her, what she has done in practice, what she hasn’t done in practice. She’s a big part of this team, there’s a reason we drafted her No. 1, and she’s going to have a great season for the Wings.”

Fernandez said the decision to hold Fudd out against Atlanta was “out of an abundance of caution,” suggesting that the issue was not expected to have long-term ramifications. Fernandez also there “weren’t any concerns whatsoever” about Fudd’s health while going through the scouting process ahead of the WNBA Draft.

“The most important thing for her is, it’s a long season, and she just finished playing a long (college) season,” Fernandez said. “We have to put her in the best position to be successful.”

The Wings lost 77-72 to the Dream on Tuesday, falling to 1-1 on the season after opening on a 107-104 victory in Indiana. Fudd’s next opportunity to get on the court could come Thursday when Dallas hosts the Minnesota Lynx and No. 2 draft pick Olivia Miles.

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