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Paige Bueckers Missed Azzi Fudd Wings Press Conference to Visit Ex-Teammate

Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers was with her former UConn teammate Nika Muhl instead of attending Azzi Fudd's introductory press conference.
Grant Young|
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers
Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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UConn HuskiesDallas Wings

When the Dallas Wings selected Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, it was hard not to wonder how Fudd's relationship with Wings star Paige Bueckers factored into this decision.

Dallas selected Bueckers with the first pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, just a few weeks after she and Fudd led the UConn Huskies to their first national championship in nearly a decade. Fudd was sitting next to Bueckers at the draft, and the two embraced before Bueckers hugged anyone else after the Wings called her name.

Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Paige Bueckers (5)
Connecticut Huskies guard Azzi Fudd (35) and Paige Bueckers (5) | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

There have been questions about Bueckers and Fudd's relationship before this point. And in the weeks afterwards, the two made it very clear that they were indeed in a romantic relationship.

The two were seen together throughout the summer of 2025, but stopped being seen in public and posting about each other on social media shortly after. This made some wonder whether the two were still together.

Fast forward to when Fudd was selected by the Wings on April 13. Bueckers (and many other Wings players) were present at the draft, but Bueckers wasn't sitting with Fudd.

Of course, it's nobody's business what Bueckers and Fudd's relationship standing is. But the fact that they're now teammates on the Wings means there are team and professional implications. And this came to a head when a Dallas-based reporter asked Azzi about her and Bueckers' relationship during Azzi's introductory press conference on April 16.

A Wings PR representative stepped in and said Azzi won't be answering personal questions at that time. But this entire exchange turned Fudd and Bueckers' relationship into an even bigger story than it already was.

Paige Bueckers' Reason For Not Being at Azzi Fudd's Press Conference Revealed

Many Wings players were at Fudd's introductory press conference on Thursday, but Bueckers was nowhere to be found.

And the reason why was revealed in an April 17 Instagram post: She was in Croatia, visiting her close friend Nika Muhl. The post was captioned, "A trip needed for the soul 🫶🏻 can confirm they have sharks in the Croatian Sea ☺️".

Muhl (who also played with Fudd and Bueckers at UConn) just tore the ACL in her knee for the second straight year, and Bueckers was likely there to show love and support amid what's surely a trying mental time.

Therefore, Bueckers had a very good excuse for not being at Fudd's presser, regardless of where their relationship stands.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.

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