Azzi Fudd got a warm welcome to Dallas after being selected first overall by the Wings earlier this month. <\/p>\n
The former UConn star threw out the first pitch at Tuesday’s Texas Rangers game. She was joined on the mound by a handful of her teammates, including Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n
Dallas sports fans hope Fudd can help turn things around for the Wings after their recent struggles. The Wings went 9-31 in 2024 and 10-34 in 2025, missing the playoffs in both seasons. The team has made it out of the first round just one time since moving to Dallas in 2016.<\/p>\n
The good news is that their rough few years have landed them back-to-back No. 1 picks, which they used to select Bueckers and Fudd, respectively. Bueckers won WNBA Rookie of the Year after posting 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game last year, and Fudd will look to repeat that success in her first professional season.<\/p>\n
Fudd, who won a national championship alongside Bueckers in 2025, had a phenomenal final season with the Huskies, putting up 17.6 points per game.<\/p>\n
Along with their top draft pick, the Wings added reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith and brought in Jessica Sheppard from the Minnesota Lynx.<\/p>\n
The Wings will play a pair of preseason games against the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces this week before opening up their regular season on May 9 against the Fever.<\/p>\n