No. 1 overall pick Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings is set for season-ending surgery on sore knee

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd is set for season-ending surgery on a sore knee that has sidelined this year's No. 1 overall pick for the past five games.

The team said Wednesday that Fudd will have arthroscopic surgery on her right knee next week in Connecticut, where she starred for UConn before becoming the Huskies' second consecutive top overall pick by Dallas. Reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers was the No. 1 choice last year.

Fudd was eased into the lineup as a rookie, coming off the bench for the first six games. She scored 24 points in that sixth game and immediately became a full-time starter. Fudd had a season-high 26 points in a win over Seattle in June.

Fudd, who averaged 13.1 points in 30 games, went through warmups before a home game against Golden State on Aug. 7 and was held out of the game “out of an abundance of caution,” according to the team. The soreness persisted.

Bueckers and Fudd won the 2025 national championship together at UConn before Bueckers was drafted by the Wings, who are 3-8 since a six-game winning streak that was the longest since the franchise moved to Texas 10 years ago.

Dallas is still in good shape to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023. The Wings play Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever at the home of the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

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