Azzi Fudd’s Historic Victory in WNBA All-Star Weekend

Azzi Fudd put on a remarkable performance during her first WNBA All-Star weekend. The Dallas Wings guard made history by winning the 3-point contest on Friday night, marking the first time a rookie has claimed this title in league history.

Fudd completed the first round with an impressive 30 points, only 10 points shy of the maximum score possible. Bridget Carleton, representing the Portland Fire, was eliminated after scoring 19 points in the same round. In total, Fudd attempted 27 shots, missing only six, to secure the win.

Fudd expressed feeling a bit nervous during the event. She commented, “You saw ‘only’ six shots, but I felt that was quite a few. Honestly, I was really nervous, but excited as well.”

“It’s fun to do because… I don’t want to sound arrogant, but it’s easy for me, just the set shot. Taking the ball from the rack feels like muscle memory. It’s what I learned from a young age,” she added.

Going into the All-Star break, Fudd averaged 2.2 shots from beyond the arc this season and has made 53 total 3-pointers during her rookie year. Despite injuries impacting her college career, Dallas saw her potential and picked her as the first selection in April’s WNBA Draft.

Fudd revealed that her injury setbacks turned out to be beneficial in an unexpected way. The repetitive shooting during her rehabilitation helped sharpen her shooting form and establish the rhythm needed to excel in the 3-point contest. “That involved a lot of chair shooting and stationary shots, so it made me adept at shooting from a standstill and focusing on consistency,” she stated.

Before the 3-point contest, a new All-Star event, the Shooting Stars competition, debuted in Chicago. Replacing the previous skills challenge, this featured teams of three players, including a legend, a current player, and a rising star. Team Washington triumphed over Team Seattle to win the inaugural competition.