Name a worse injury lore (or luck, since we’re counting COVID too) than Azzi Fudd’s and you win. A torn ACL and MCL at just 16. A junior year cut short and a senior high school season wiped out by the pandemic. Missing games as a freshman in college, playing only 15 as a sophomore due to another knee injury, and just two as a junior after another ACL tear. Yet somehow, despite barely touching the court over four years, when people talk about the face of women’s college basketball, the name still comes up. That’s called influence.

The same influence brands have trusted since forever, and now, there’s one more name joining that growing list. And this one is super personal. “Something I’m proud of,” as Fudd puts it. It’s student-athletes’ favourite energy drink, Celsius! “I’ve been a Celsius fan for a while,” she said with a laugh. “My mom actually loves it, that’s where it started.”

Although the partnership was recently finalized, the brand has been a part of Azzi Fudd’s life for nearly a year now. The UConn star shared how she and her teammates would split one before every game, and soon, the energy drink became a staple in her daily routine! So naturally, this collaboration had her genuinely excited.

​​“Your days are so long and they’re tiring, but it’s a grind,” Fudd said. “You’ve got to wake up and do it all the next day. [It’s huge] being able to have Celsius with me, to drink that and just power me through and keep me energized for workouts, for class, for everything my day throws at me.” 

And this is just one of many. The UConn guard already boasts deals with major brands like SC30 Inc. (Stephen Curry’s brand), DoorDash, Chipotle, Bose, Nespresso, and Optimum Nutrition. This year, she chose to return for a fifth year, a decision shaped by both reason and a few key influences, and built an even more impressive brand portfolio, signing with Unrivaled, and most recently, joining NFL star Travis Kelce’s “Tru Kolors” collaboration with American Eagle.

With all that, her valuation now sits between $750,000 and $1 million, per reports. But those aren’t the only numbers Fudd’s putting up. Once she steps on the court, she’s filling up the stat sheet too.

The defending champ picked up right where she left off last year (Final Four MOP), scoring 20 points, along with two rebounds and three assists. The Huskies took down Louisville 79-66 in their season opener, leading by as many as 28 points. Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong powered the way with a combined 41 points, while junior KK Arnold (13) and USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel (14) rounded out the attack. 

And yet, even after bagging both on and off the court, the ever-humble Fudd still can’t quite believe that this is her life!

Azzi Fudd’s summer of realisation

This is the year Azzi Fudd feels the healthiest she’s ever been at UConn, and that alone says everything about the adversity she’s fought through. Yet, rather than dwelling on it, she embraces every setback like it’s shaped her into who she is now: stronger, steadier, and never taking a single moment for granted.

She didn’t waste her offseason either. If she wasn’t recording her podcast, she was lighting up red carpets. If not there, she was running camps for the next generation. The UConn star even traveled to China to help NBA legend Stephen Curry run the CurryCon portion of his first-ever basketball camp in Chongqing.

And even in the shadow of Curry’s global fame, the college star drew her own crowd. Campers 7,000 miles away from Storrs showered her with gifts and requests for autographs, the moment that finally made her realize the magnitude of her reach.

“Sometimes, I do sit back and I’m like, ‘How is my life real?’” Azzi Fudd told ESPN. “I am so blessed, so lucky.”

There was one moment that stood out when a line of fans stopped Fudd as she tried to check on her mom in the hotel gym. Her mother, Katie, calls that the turning point. “It was just this aha moment of, ‘Wow, maybe I am a little popular,’” Katie said. “To me, that’s a blossoming of realizing how good she actually is.”

But Azzi, being Azzi, is not letting any of it get to her head. This year is about one thing: “embracing the hard” and stepping up as a leader to guide UConn toward another title run.