Fudd goes No. 1
Azzi Fudd was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2026 WNBA draft and her rookie contract carries a reported $500,000 payout (espn.com). Minnesota used the No. 2 pick on Olivia Miles, and the night included a mid‑draft trade that sent Flau'jae Johnson from the Valkyries to the Storm while UCLA placed five players in the first round, underscoring heavy college representation at the top of the board ( ).
Azzi Fudd went first overall to the Dallas Wings on Monday night, giving Dallas the top pick in the Women’s National Basketball Association draft for a second straight year. (espn.com) The Wings made the pick in New York on April 13, 2026, one year after taking Fudd’s former Connecticut teammate Paige Bueckers at No. 1. Dallas called Fudd a 5-foot-11 guard who spent five seasons at Connecticut and won the 2025 National Collegiate Athletic Association title. (wings.wnba.com) Fudd’s rookie deal will pay a reported $500,000 in base salary in Year 1, according to Front Office Sports and ESPN. That is far above the scale for recent No. 1 picks before the league’s new collective bargaining agreement reset rookie pay. (frontofficesports.com) Minnesota used the No. 2 pick on Olivia Miles out of Texas Christian University, adding a lead guard to a roster that reached the 2025 Women’s National Basketball Association Finals. Miles became the highest-drafted player in Texas Christian history. (sports.yahoo.com) The draft also turned into a trade night. Golden State picked Louisiana State star Flau’jae Johnson at No. 8 and then sent her rights to Seattle, a move reported during the first round. (nytimes.com) College programs dominated the top of the board, and University of California, Los Angeles set the pace. The Bruins placed five players in the first round, a draft-night record for one school. (sports.yahoo.com) Dallas’s pick says as much about roster building as star power. Fudd now joins Bueckers in a backcourt built around two former Connecticut guards, giving the Wings another high-profile scorer as the franchise tries to climb in the standings. (si.com) The salary figure says something bigger about the league’s economics. Fudd’s reported $500,000 first-year pay compares with Bueckers’ $78,831 base salary as the 2025 top pick under the old system, a jump tied to the new labor deal. (frontofficesports.com) For one night, the draft delivered both a familiar result and a new number: another Connecticut star to Dallas, and a rookie paycheck large enough to reset expectations for the class that followed. (espn.com)
