Azzi Fudd goes No 1 in WNBA Draft to Wings, reunites with Paige Bueckers with historic $500K salary

Azzi Fudd is reuniting pinch her aged UConn Huskies teammate, Paige Bueckers, arsenic nan Dallas Wings took her first wide successful nan 2026 WNBA Draft connected Monday night.

And Fudd comes successful pinch a historical payday successful nan league.

After a caller corporate bargaining statement was inked betwixt nan convention and nan players’ relation past month, Fudd is group to make $500,000 successful her rookie twelvemonth – a monolithic salary bump compared to nan $78,831 Bueckers earned past play arsenic nan WNBA Draft’s first wide selection.

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Azzi Fudd poses pinch WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected first wide by nan Dallas Wings during nan 2026 WNBA Draft astatine The Shed successful New York City connected April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)

This comes arsenic nan net headdress for WNBA teams besides jumped from $1.5 cardinal successful 2025 to $7 million, which besides brought successful nan first-ever million-dollar contracts. From convention veterans to newcomers successful nan Draft, nan game’s champion are getting paid.

While Fudd will beryllium surely happy to spot her paychecks, she’s besides excited to make her effect pinch the Wings and wrong nan WNBA.

PAIGE BUECKERS MAKES WNBA HISTORY IN OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION, SPARKS VET GETS LAST LAUGH

"I'm not really judge I person words to picture that emotion what that meant," Fudd said aft being drafted, via ESPN. "I don't deliberation it's afloat sunk in. It's thing I could person imagined. The emotion of sitting pinch my family, pinch Morgan (Valley), proceeding your sanction called, spell up there. Such a surreal feeling."

Fudd was besides excited while discussing her reunion pinch Bueckers.

"Paige is an unthinkable player, everyone knows that," she explained. "She’s personification that makes playing hoops pinch easy."

Olivia Miles poses pinch WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected 2nd wide by nan Minnesota Lynx during nan 2026 WNBA Draft astatine The Shed successful New York City connected April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)

With Fudd taken, nan Minnesota Lynx locked successful Olivia Miles retired of TCU – Fudd’s biggest title for that first wide pick. But Miles isn’t missing retired connected nan payday, arsenic she’s slated to make $466,913 arsenic nan 2nd wide pick.

Center Awa Fam Thiam from Spain went to nan Seattle Storm and will get a $436,016 net for nan 2026 WNBA season. Then, nationalist champions Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics), Gabriel Jacquez (Chicago Sky) and Kiki Rice (Toronto Tempo) rounded retired nan apical six.

UCLA besides collapsed UConn’s grounds of having 4 players drafted successful nan first round, which was group successful 2002 by nan Huskies. Angela Dugalić rounded retired nan bunch aft Washington took her ninth overall, keeping her pinch Betts arsenic they participate nan league.

Another notable sanction was LSU defender Flau’Jae Johnson, who was taken eighth wide by nan Golden State Valkyries, but she was traded to nan Storm for nan authorities to Marta Suarez from TCU. The Storm had taken her pinch nan first prime of nan 2nd round. The Valkyries besides received a 2028 second-round prime successful nan deal.

Lauren Betts poses pinch WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert aft being selected pinch nan 4th prime successful nan first information by nan Washington Mystics during nan 2026 WNBA Draft astatine The Shed successful New York City connected April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)

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Overall, each drafted subordinate who makes a squad entering nan regular play will make much than immoderate WNBA subordinate did during nan 2025 season, pinch a minimum net of $270,000 that sits higher than past year’s maximum net of $249,244.

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