Azzi Fudd Doesn’t Know How She’d Play Against Paige Bueckers: ‘There’s No Stopping Her’

Speaking of things that should be kept to yourself, how do you feel about the projectiles that have been thrown at some of these recent WNBA games?

I thought the first one was really funny, and it was just random. No one was expecting that. And then after that, it was kind of like, Okay, the joke’s old. Also, you’re throwing something on the court where the players are—it could hit one of them, could hurt one of them. I thought the first one was super funny. After that, it’s like, at least throw something else.

As you prepare to finish up your college career, what do you want your UConn legacy to be?

It’s hard to have a UConn legacy in a place like UConn, where everyone is so incredibly talented and good. But I want my legacy to be about the kind of the person I was on and off the court. I was a great teammate, a great person that wasn’t one-sided, one-dimensional.

As the WNBA continues to grow in popularity, what are you hoping to see in the next few years?

I want to be able to see the fan engagement and fan support continue to grow. That’s been crazy to be able to watch a little bit in real time and just see how genuine and authentic—the fans really love the players, not just as players, but as people. They’re following them from college to the W, and I think that’s amazing. I want to continue to see the players get the respect they deserve, whether it’s the pay they deserve, the facilities, equal opportunities, whatever it is…I want to see that continue to rise.

You and Paige have been open about her efforts to get you to commit to UConn when you were still in high school. Obviously, a lot can happen before the next draft, but are you hoping to team back up with Paige, whether it’s in the W or Unrivaled?

Paige is the kind of teammate that everyone wants to play with because she’s so selfless. The way she plays, she gets everyone involved. She’s also just a great player, so she attracts so much attention that it makes it easier for everyone else to get good looks and opportunities on the court.

So, I definitely would love to play with her again; at the same time, I’d love to play against her. I think it’s kind of a win-win. There’s no bad option.

If you were to play against her, what would you use against her?

I would just mess with her, but at the same time, when you talk trash to her or mess with her, she gets in another zone and then there’s no stopping her. So I don’t know what I would do.

You’re also a podcast host now! On the first episode of Fudd Around and Find Out, you talked about how journalists get to choose the questions, and you’re excited about having the chance to be the one in control. What’s something you wish a journalist would ask you?