Women's Fastbreak On SI

Azzi Fudd's Teary-Eyed Two Emoji Message to Paige Bueckers' UConn Goodbye Says It All

Azzi Fudd conveyed her take on Paige Bueckers' goodbye message to UConn through two telling emojis.
Grant Young|
Nov 14, 2021; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard Azzi Fudd (35) on the court against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Nov 14, 2021; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard Azzi Fudd (35) on the court against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

On April 22, UConn Huskies legend and new Dallas Wings superstar Paige Bueckers sent a powerful goodbye message to her college program with an Instagram post.

"UConn Nation, where do I even begin. These past 5 years have been some of the most rewarding, challenging and Blessed years of my life. From the relationships that will last a lifetime, memories and experiences I’ll never forget, and a growing in Faith that has changed my life. The support and love has meant everything to me and I wouldn’t have been able to make it through without it," the post's caption wrote.

"From all my sisters that I played with, to everyone in the program you are all family for life. Storrs, Connecticut will always be my second home and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’m forever indebted and all I can say is THANK YOU💙," it continued.

Bueckers' close relationship with teammate Azzi Fudd has been well documented to this point. And Bueckers' photo collage featured several photos of Fudd, including one of the two embracing after they won the 2025 national championship.

And Fudd reposted this photo from Bueckers' post on her Instagram story Wednesday, with the caption, "💗🥹".

Fudd's UConn career will continue without Bueckers next season, as she elected to return to college instead of declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft. However, given that Fudd's final college season won't begin until the fall, she'll have plenty of time to travel to Dallas and watch Bueckers play her rookie WNBA season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets 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. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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