Paige Bueckers' Azzi Fudd Dig Is Good Sign After Scary Collision in Wings-Sparks Game

Dallas Wings star guard Paige Bueckers had a scary collision with Los Angeles Sparks forward Nneka Ogwumike during their game against each other on Sunday, which the Wings won 90-82.

After the game ended, Wings coach Jose Fernandez said, “[Bueckers is] upset at Azzi [Fudd] because she said Azzi tripped [Nneka] and took away P’s charge," per an X post from Drake Keeler of The IX Basketball.

Bueckers is right about how the collision was caused. Ogwumike was dribbling down the court in the fourth quarter when she was tripped by Azzi Fudd.

This caused Ogwumike to crash forward into Bueckers' legs, who was preparing to pick her up on defense. The two remained on the ground for a moment before both getting up, embracing each other, and heading to the locker room.

Nneka Ogwumike and Paige Bueckers left the Sparks-Wings game after an inadvertent collision with each other. pic.twitter.com/faDGHCVaD4
— espnW (@espnW) July 19, 2026

Why Paige Bueckers' Joke Suggests She's Doing Fine After Wings Win vs. Sparks

The good news is that while Fernandez didn't have any specific update on Bueckers, he did note that she was in good spirits after the game, which suggests there isn't anything too serious to worry about in terms of a potential injury.

The fact that Bueckers is cracking jokes about the play, specifically calling her teammate Azzi Fudd out for what happened, is further proof that Bueckers dodged a serious injury in the exchange. And this should be seen as a good sign regarding her status moving forward, even though there might not be a more concrete update for at least a few hours.

Ogwumike also doesn't seem to have been too hurt, although there isn't a definitive update on her status either at this point.

Of course, there's always going to be worry whenever Bueckers might have suffered an injury, especially when it might have to do with her legs. This is because Bueckers suffered a torn ACL during her time with the UConn Huskies. Even without this injury history, Bueckers' head appeared to hit the floor so that is surely something that will be evaluated by the Wings' medical staff as well.

Fudd also suffered a torn ACL during her UConn Huskies tenure, and would have felt horribly if her accidentally tripping Ogwumike played an inadvertent role in either of them getting hurt.

Bueckers knows this, so the fact that she's willing to joke at Fudd's expense is yet another good sign that she could be healthy for the Wings' next game, which is against the New York Liberty on July 20.

Then again, since this is the second game of a back-to-back, Dallas might exercise caution and keep Bueckers sidelined. Either way, Paige's status for Monday's game should be monitored over the next day.

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