Azzi Fudd sets the record for the fewest points scored by a No. 1 overall pick
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The highly-anticipated 30th season of the WNBA kicked off Friday with three games, including an expansion of the first-ever Toronto Tempo contest.
The action continued Saturday with a full slate, including the return of Caitlin Clark after an injury-riddled season.
Clark and the Indiana Fever hosted the Dallas Wings on Saturday afternoon in a matchup featuring the four most recent No. 1 overall picks. The Wings outshot the Fever 107-104, but the game was defined by Azzi Fudd's — the latest high pick — debut.
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Dallas Wings guards Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers react during the first half of the season opener for the Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on May 9, 2026. (Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Fudd played 18 minutes off the bench, scoring three points — the lowest total for a No. 1 pick in a WNBA debut.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez spoke about Fudd's performance after the game, encouraging the star to, “Keep doing what he's doing, his first year in the league. We've got five really talented backcourt players.”
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In addition to Fudd, Dallas' backcourt includes last year's top draft pick Paige Bueckers, last season's No. 12 pick Aziaha James, four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and starting guard Odyssey Sims.
Until Saturday, Kelsey Plum held the record for the fewest first-round games scored by a No. 1 pick. Drafted first by the then-San Antonio Stars in 2017, he scored just four points in his debut. The Stars moved to Las Vegas in 2018 and were renamed the Aces.
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd warms up before a game against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on May 9, 2026. (Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Despite a slow start to his first season in the league, Plum ended the year with All-Rookie team honors. In the years since, he has been named to four All-Star teams and won two championships with the Aces.
The Wings' decision to take Fudd with the No. 1 generally caused controversy, raising questions about whether Bueckers' personal relationship with him influenced the selection. Late last month, Bueckers said last month he did not.
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed in New York City on April 13, 2026. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
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“Azzi Fudd was the No. 1 pick in the draft because he got it, and it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with who he is as a person, who he is as a basketball player,” Bueckers said, according to ESPN.
Neither Bueckers nor Fudd have publicly updated their relationship status since the draft in April.
“Obviously, I believe Azzi's personal relationship is no one's business but ours,” Bueckers said in April. “And what we choose to share is entirely up to us.”
Next, the Wings play their home opener on Tuesday when they host the Atlanta Dream.
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