Azzi Fudd Gave Honest Assessment of WNBA Officiating After Preseason Game

WNBA officiating made plenty of headlines last season with players and coaches calling out its “inconsistencies.”

Azzi Fudd called out the WNBA’s officiating after her second preseason game. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

With Azzi Fudd having two WNBA preseason games under her belt, you’d think she’d be more settled into the W and all the league entails. However, after Sunday’s Wings vs. Aces matchup, the No. 1 pick admitted she’s “more confused” than before she arrived in the league.

The confusion stems solely from the WNBA’s officiating. She feels like more fouls are being called than what she expected. Here’s the answer she gave in her post-game press conference.

“Honestly, I’m more confused,” Fudd said. “I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul. So I’m not really sure whether to be physical, whether to—I don’t know. I’m still figuring that out.”

Azzi Fudd had her teammates laughing when she was asked about how she’s adjusting to the physicality in the WNBA:

“Honestly I’m more confused. I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul.”

Jessica Shepherd and Aziaha James joked that she… pic.twitter.com/HfzC7yGNkT

— Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) May 4, 2026

This response sparked laughter in the media room, including from her teammate Aziaha James who patted her shoulder and shook her head. After Fudd’s response, her Dallas teammate Jessica Shepard dropped a funny line: “Yeah, you’re still figuring [press conferences] out, too. You may get hit with [a fine].”

Luckily for Fudd, a source told Front Office Sports that the rookie isn’t expected to be fined for her comments on Sunday. But, she may want to be more careful in the future if she doesn’t want to pay a fine. The league notoriously handed out quite a few fines last season when players or coaches criticized officiating in any capacity (even if they did so on social media).

WNBA officiating made headlines last season

Officiating is controversial in every sport, but it has especially been a hot topic of conversation in the WNBA the past year. After the Lynx’s season ended, Napheesa Collier went on an iconic rant calling out the league’s officiating by saying how inconsistent it is. Collier’s coach, Cheryl Reeve, received a hefty fine and a suspension in last year’s playoffs after she said the league's decision to assign a specific officiating crew was "f---ing malpractice.”

Reeve wasn’t the only coach to receive fines for criticizing officiating last postseason. Fever coach Stephanie White and Aces coach Becky Hammon both earned fines for agreeing with Reeve’s comments and doubling down on the take.

Some of the league’s biggest stars called out officiating last year, too. Caitlin Clark made a comment on social media, saying "Refs couldn't stop us" even though she was out for the year and watching from the bench. The league still fined her $200 for that comment. Fudd’s Wings teammate Paige Bueckers hasn’t been fined by the league, but she has shown her frustration on the sideline regarding officiating. Like Collier, Kelsey Plum criticized the league for having inconsistent officiating. Angel Reese also called for officiating to be improved.

The Fever’s Sophie Cunningham is no stranger to criticizing the officials as she did so on multiple occasions last season. Here’s one comment she made that went viral last season about Bueckers:

“I love Paige to death, do not get me wrong. I think she’s a hell of a player and would love to play with her one day, but those refs were giving her every whistle last night,” Cunningham said on her podcast, Show Me Something. “You literally couldn’t touch her, couldn’t touch her. That s— is so annoying to me. And if you’re going to do that, then to give it to our guards. I just hate the inconsistency.”

What WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said about officiating last season

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert addressed the players’ concerns with various topics, including officiating, after the season ended last October. She decided to create a multi-stakeholder task force filled with players and stakeholders to improve the league in different areas, including officiating.

“I think it’s pretty clear that we’re misaligned currently on what our stakeholders want from officiating,” Engelbert said at the time, via The Athletic. “We have heard loud and clear that we have not lived up to that needed alignment, and that attention and change is needed to serve the WNBA to the level of excellence that is not currently being met in the various stakeholders’ eyes.

“We owe it to the players, our fans, and the next generation to keep building a movement that not only showcases the best athletes in the world, but also inspires millions who dream of following in their footsteps.”

We’ll see if there are more improvements made in officiating when the WNBA officially tips off its 2026 season this weekend.

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