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By Megan Armstrong
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The Dallas Wings selected Paige Bueckers out of UConn with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft. After a rancid 2025 season, ending with a league-worst 10-34 record, the Wings were positioned to draft Azzi Fudd out of UConn with the No. 1 overall pick in April.
Bueckers and Fudd took eerily similar paths to Dallas. They met as teenagers at USA Basketball and were teammates at UConn, winning a national title. They've both overcome devastating knee injuries.
But Bueckers is jealous of Fudd over one key difference.
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"I don't think she's in a regular No. 1 [pick] role," Bueckers said on the latest episode of Sue Bird's "Bird’s Eye View" podcast. "I don't think she's on a regular No. 1 pick team. We're an entirely different team than we were last year, and she's come in and she's bought into her role. She wasn't asked to be the savior on a losing team. It's just not a regular circumstance."
Bueckers continued, "I told her I would much rather be her this year than me and the 10-win season last year. Like, you're on a winning team. You're on a team that has great pieces, great depth, great vets, great young pieces. It's a team that's, in a matter of months, kind of building and not a No. 1 pick team anymore."
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Bueckers, the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, commended Fudd for "running her own race" and not getting caught up in the high expectations and intense pressure that comes with being a No. 1 overall pick. "She's perfect for what we needed," Bueckers said, noting the offensive spacing she creates and defensive impact she makes.
The Wings are 18-9, the fourth-best team in the WNBA, at the All-Star break, and have emerged as legitimate contenders.
Recent WNBA history suggests a championship is in Dallas' near future. The Seattle Storm drafted Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart at No. 1 overall in 2015 and 2016, respectively, and won WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020. The Las Vegas Aces took A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young at No. 1 overall in 2018 and 2019, respectively, and have won three of the past four championships.
Bueckers leads the team with 20.9 points per game and 6.2 assists per game, while Fudd is averaging 13.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 rebounds.
Bueckers and Fudd are both in Chicago for 2026 WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Fudd became the first-ever rookie to win the 3-Point Contest on Friday, July 24. Bueckers will appear in her second straight All-Star Game on Saturday, July 25.
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