The Dallas Wings have made it into the playoffs this season, but they will be entering the postseason without one of their key players, Azzi Fudd. The Wings’ first overall pick for this year, Fudd, will be cheering them on from the sidelines as she is still dealing with a persistent injury. Fudd recently opened up about the status of her injury before the WNBA heads into this year’s playoffs. 

The IX Sports journalist Drake Keeler spoke to Fudd recently and asked the Wings’ guard how she was managing the injury to her right knee on Tuesday. Fudd provided a short yet telling answer, per a YouTube video posted by the Dallas Wings of the media availability session.

“Yeah, it came a little early. It was different. I mean, everyone experiences soreness. Went away, we handled it, and then it came back up, and we tried to manage it. Wasn’t manageable.” 

Azzi Fudd played her last game on August 5 against the Washington Mystics, where she scored nine points to go with three assists and a rebound. But the persistent issues with her right knee left her unable to play further, effectively ending her rookie season after arthroscopic knee surgery had to be performed. She will now look to hype up her team as they hope to make a deep playoff run, as she said on Tuesday.

“Obviously not how I wanted my season to end. I was definitely a little frustrated at first, but feel like I’ve handled this one really well, been in a great place mentally. Just knowing that this was the right decision gave me peace of mind.” 

“I’m going to try to be the best cheerleader I can on the side, the best teammate. I’m going to try to be their hype woman,” the former UConn standout added.

The right knee injury is not an isolated incident. Fudd has previously torn the ACL and MCL in her right leg in 2019 during the USA Basketball 3-on-3 U18 nationals. Fudd then went on to miss another 11 games during her freshman season at UConn under coach Geno Auriemma. Her sophomore season was no better, as she missed another 22 games after a fellow UConn player fell on her knee during a previous game against Notre Dame.

Her junior season saw Azzi Fudd play only two games. She tore her ACL and right medial meniscus during practice and missed almost the entire season. Dallas Wings teammate Paige Bueckers, who was then on the UConn squad with Fudd, spoke about the gap Fudd left in the roster. 

“Nobody’s going to be Azzi, but we can all do stuff that contributes to filling her void and making sure that we’re accounting for her and doing all the little things.” 

But on the bright side, Fudd’s last two seasons at UConn were her best. The 2024-25 season saw her average 13.6 points while dishing out two rebounds and 1.8 assists on average across 34 games. This was also the season when Fudd and Bueckers led UConn to an NCAA Championship, and Azzi Fudd was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player. She then chose to forgo the 2025 WNBA draft and played another season for UConn, averaging a career-best 17.3 PPG and 3.1 APG across 39 games, the most she has played over her five years in college.

But it seems like her injury troubles have followed her into the WNBA. Fudd was able to play only 30 games during her rookie campaign for the Wings. While she will miss the playoffs, Azzi Fudd has had a terrific year otherwise. She became the first-ever rookie to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point Contest. Fudd has also been terrific for the Wings on offense, averaging 13.1 points along with 1.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists. She shot 45.6% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc. She also shot 82.6% from the free-throw line, making 19 of the 23 shots she attempted. 

Unfortunately for Azzi Fudd, she will not be able to perform for the Wings when they might need her the most. The Wings currently hold a record of 24-16, eighth in the league. With just four games remaining in the regular season, Paige Bueckers and the team will look to make a legitimate title charge after the humiliating record last season, albeit without Azzi Fudd.