When Azzi Fudd committed to UConn in November 2020, she hardly believed she would one day be among the Huskies’ greats, with a standard everyone else would be measured against. Well over a year after Fudd helped UConn hang the 2025 championship banner in Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, her alma mater has decided to put her name among those she entered the program admiring. 

The Huskies have announced that Fudd will officially be included in the Huskies of Honor later this week after qualifying for induction following last season’s honors. The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, Nov. 8, 30 minutes before the Huskies vs. Hawkeyes game at 2 p.m. at Gampel Pavilion. Fudd will join the list of UConn legends like Tina Charles (2010), Stefanie Dolson (2014), Maya Moore (2011), Breanna Stewart (2016), Napheesa Collier (2019), Diana Taurasi (2006), and her close friend, Paige Bueckers (2025), among others.

The qualification requires the player to graduate from UConn and earn First-Team All-American status. The former UConn star has not one but two degrees from UConn. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication in 2024, and two years later, she earned her master’s in business administration in 2026. 

In her senior year in 2026, Fudd was named USBWA First Team All-American, WBCA Coaches’ All-American and Associated Press First Team. The honor also included the 2026 CSC Academic All-America Team Member of the Year. Fudd was simultaneously named the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the NCAA Fort Worth Regional 1 All-Region Team.

She is ranked No. 5 in 3-point shots made (292) in ‌program history and No. 21 in total career points (1,687). But in free-throw percentage (92.5%), Fudd holds the record, creating a new standard before leaving the program.

However, Fudd’s honors and elite numbers perhaps don’t reflect her first three years at UConn when she struggled with injuries.

In her first three years, she played a total of 42 games, including just two in her junior year because of the ACL tear. However, Fudd made a remarkable comeback in her fourth year. Not only did she play 34 games, but she led UConn to a 12th national title. She won the NCAA Tournament MOP. 

After discussion with head coach Geno Auriemma, Fudd opted out of the 2025 draft and returned to UConn for her fifth season hoping to unlock her full potential. Fudd went on to play her best season in 5th year, averaging 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game. The Huskies lost to the Gamecocks in the Final Four.  

A high school visit, the grandmother talk and Kobe Bryant’s death: Azzi Fudd’s UConn decision was more than just basketball

In November 2020, Azzi Fudd posted a picture of herself holding a basketball as a kid that almost looked bigger than her. The X post was a teaser for the No. 1 player in the country that she was committing to UConn. The choice of the picture was intriguing, but when Fudd revealed why she had chosen the picture for her announcement, it all made sense. 

“I chose it because I kind of thought it was the perfect representation of, like, where I started,” Fudd said, per The Athletic.

Aside from UConn, the WNBA star had then narrowed down her choices to three other teams: UCLA, Maryland and Louisville. What factored into her decision? It all started with her first impression of watching Auriemma’s team’s practice.

“I remember I got chills watching their first practice,” Fudd added. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ Just the way they run things, as soon as you step in the gym, you can tell it’s just different, like it’s a different level of focus. So it was always in the back of my head because, I mean, it’s UConn.”

Fudd’s final recruitment decision came at home. She sat with her grandmother and listed pros and cons of each team she had narrowed down to. In the end, considering the rich history of the program and her first impression of Auriemma’s style, she realized that UConn was the place that could make her the best player she wanted to be. 

But the straw that broke the camel’s back was simply unrelated to basketball. Fudd had formed a close friendship with Paige Bueckers and Caroline Ducharme. Bueckers was already a freshman at UConn, and Ducharme was expected to join the next year. After Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi’s deaths, Fudd had started to look at life very differently. 

“Especially after this year, where I learned life is short, you can’t really take anything for granted. So I’m going to cherish these next three and four years getting to play with my best friends,” Fudd said.

Fudd and Bueckers are now teammates in Dallas. Ducharme signed a training camp contract with the Golden State Valkyries, but failed to earn a roster spot. She now plays professional basketball for Explosivas de Moca in Puerto Rico.

In five years at UConn, Fudd averaged 14.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 46.9% from the field and 42.2% from the 3-point line. 

The Dallas Wings selected her No. 1 overall in the 2026 WNBA draft. She played 30 games in the season and averaged 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals. Fudd’s season was limited after she underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and missed all the playoffs. The Wings star was named to both the WNBA All-Rookie Team and the AP WNBA All-Rookie Team. Fudd also became the first rookie in WNBA history to win the 3-Point Contest.