Azzi Fudd heard her name called first on draft night, capping a stunning rise that took her from a quiet tournament finish to the top of the 2026 WNBA draft. The UConn guard, selected by the Dallas Wings, becomes the seventh Husky to own that distinction.
Fudd will reunite with fellow UConn product Paige Bueckers, creating a three-guard core alongside four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale in Dallas. The pairing marks a rare moment for the two teammates, who despite spending four seasons together at UConn overlapped on the court in limited fashion due to back-to-back ACL injuries.
"I don't think it's fully sunk in," Fudd told reporters, her voice catching with emotion. "I don't really have words. Hearing your name called, being able to walk up there, it's such a surreal feeling."
The No. 1 overall position came with a major financial boost. Fudd will earn a base salary of $500,000 in her first season, a dramatic jump from last year's top pick Paige Bueckers, who made $78,831. The salary increase stems from the new collective bargaining agreement finalized last month, which reshaped rookie compensation across the league.
Minnesota grabbed TCU's Olivia Miles at No. 2, followed by Seattle selecting Spanish phenom Awa Fam at No. 3. The 19-year-old center, standing 6-foot-4 and a professional since age 15, brings the highest ceiling of any prospect in the draft class. Washington Mystics rounded out the top four with UCLA's Lauren Betts, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.
UCLA dominated the opening round in historic fashion. Five Bruins heard their names called in the first round alone, shattering the previous record of four. The school's championship roster produced Betts at No. 4, Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5, Kiki Rice at No. 6, Angela Dugalic at No. 9, and Gianna Kneepkels at No. 15.
"It's unfortunate we didn't get to see UConn and UCLA face off this college season," one analyst noted, "because the shooting matchup between Azzi Fudd and Gianna Kneepkels would have been one for the books." Fudd shot 44.7 percent from three-point range while Kneepkels, a Utah transfer, connected on 42.9 percent of her attempts for the Bruins.
Jaquez's rise proved one of the draft's biggest surprises. She was not projected as a top-five pick by any of nine major mock draft outlets surveyed before the tournament, with four predicting her at No. 8. Her championship performance, which included 21 points and 10 rebounds in the finals, vaulted her into the top tier.
Betts, meanwhile, may have deserved an even higher selection. The defensive anchor of UCLA's title run shot 60 percent from the field during tournament play and produced one of the draft class's most dominant defensive moments when she blocked Madison Booker in the Final Four.
A mid-draft trade reshaped Seattle's haul. The Storm acquired LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson at No. 8 in a deal with Golden State, sending the Valkyries Spanish forward Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick in return. Johnson, who also released music under Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, will join fellow first-rounders Fam and Duke's Taina Mair in Seattle.
Johnson addressed speculation about her draft position before the trade announcement. "I don't think there's any pressure for me," she said. "I'm a rookie. I've got to learn. You compete and you try to be the best, and you go out and put your best foot forward."
The Washington Mystics built a formidable arsenal, using six total picks including four in the first two rounds. They selected Betts, Angela Dugalic, Notre Dame's Cassandre Prosper, Texas's Rori Harmon, Baylor's Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, and Cotie McMahon, who fell in the first round after UCLA's tide lifted everyone.
McMahon's stock cooled slightly as the Bruins dominated, but the Mississippi State transfer still posted career-best numbers with 19.5 points per game after transferring from Ohio State. The Mystics can develop her as a bench player while she works on a career 28.6 percent three-point shooting mark.
South Carolina's Raven Johnson joined the Indiana Fever at No. 10, bringing elite credentials. The 6-foot-6 center averaged 12.8 points and 10.6 rebounds for the Gamecocks and carries one of the most remarkable backstories in the draft class, having not touched a basketball until age 16 as a Kenya native.
Connecticut Sun selected Nell Angloma at No. 12, bringing in a French league prospect who averaged more than 15 points with nearly six rebounds in 20 games this season. The Sun hired French coach Rachid Mezaine in 2025, providing a cultural connection for the young guard.
The draft order was shaped by new league expansion. Toronto Tempo and Golden State Valkyries, both new franchises, received top-six picks at No. 6 and No. 8 respectively. The top five were determined by lottery, while the remainder followed inverse order of previous season records.
The WNBA will kick off May 8 with a triple-header: Connecticut Sun versus New York Liberty, Washington Mystics versus Toronto Tempo, and Golden State Valkyries versus Seattle Storm. For the first time under the new CBA, second- and third-round picks will earn at least $270,000, up dramatically from prior minimums of $66,000 to $69,300.
Historically, making a WNBA roster remains far from guaranteed for even elite college stars. Only about half of drafted rookies sign with teams by the first day of the season, with cuts not uncommon for national players of the year and All-Americans alike.
Author James Rodriguez: "UCLA's dominance felt inevitable in hindsight, but five first-rounders from a single school is a stunning statement about the depth of that championship roster."
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