Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd Were Good Friends Before They Started Dating
The basketball pros started out as teammates before college.
Updated April 14 2026, 12:55 p.m. ET
When Paige Bueckers joined the Dallas Wings in 2025, it marked the first time in years that she and longtime friend, eventual girlfriend, and teammate Azzi Fudd were apart. They went public with their relationship, and now, they are back together as professionals on that very team. But for those who are unfamiliar with the WNBA powerhouses, what is Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd's relationship timeline?
The pair started out as sports besties. Long before they openly shared their relationship with fans, though, people suspected there was more to their bond than a strong friendship. However, to be fair, that's where it all began for the two. And, over the course of their respective college basketball careers, they have essentially become the dream team for the Dallas Wings.
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd's relationship timeline began before college.
According to the blog for the University of Connecticut, Paige and Azzi met in 2017 when they were trying out for a USA basketball team. It was before they had even gone to college and become roommates. And, Azzi joked to the school, she didn't view Paige as competition. She later learned, after they both made the team, that she was wrong.
"We both made the team, I realized that she's actually one of the best players I've ever seen play," Azzi admitted. "She's deceiving ... I was like, 'OK, I guess I was wrong about her.'"
They eventually formed a bond and became close friends.
Azzi and Paige became teammates at the University of Connecticut in 2021.
Paige was the first of the two of them to get accepted at UConn for the school's women's basketball team. She rallied for Azzi to join her and, in 2021, they became teammates again. The top-tier players continued to thrive together both on and off the court. According to Yahoo Sports, they also lived together at college.
They were posting about each other a ton in 2022.
As Paige and Azzi shared details about their college sports careers on social media, the amount of content they made of and with each other was noticeable. There may have been rumors about the two of them dating, but they hadn't yet gone totally public with the details of their relationship.
In one 2022 post on Instagram, Azzi shared what she wrote in the caption was a "Paige appreciation post / dump." She also wrote, "Sending lots of love and prayers for the beginning of this new chapter in your amazing story."
In 2025, Azzi and Paige confirmed the dating rumors.
Paige confirmed their relationship in July 2025. In a TikTok from a WNBA event in which WAG Talk speaks with Paige on the red carpet, the interviewer asks, "How well do you know your D1 girlfriend?" Paige answers the questions without revealing Azzi's name, but her answers make it clear who she is talking about. You can also hear Azzi off-camera approving of the answers, so there's that.
Azzi joined Paige with the Dallas Wings.
In April 2026, CBS Sports reported that Azzi joined the Dallas Wings, where Paige already plays. Azzi was the number one overall pick for the 2026 draft. The year before, Paige was in the same position.
"I mean, Paige is an incredible player," Azzi said, per the outlet. "Everybody knows that she's someone that makes playing basketball with easy, and so I think just the prior experience knowing how to play with her, play off of her will only help going to this."