WNBA star and reigning Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers has been in the headlines since the Dallas Wings selected former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft.
Bueckers and Fudd previously announced that they were in a relationship on social media, which led to several questions about how their relationship could impact any dynamics on the court.
During Fudd’s introductory press conference, she was asked about her relationship with Bueckers, and the Wings’ PR team immediately shut down the question.
MORE: Azzi Fudd-Paige Bueckers dating convo stifled by Dallas Wings PR
On Monday, Bueckers addressed the situation and made it clear that she would no longer entertain questions about her personal life with Fudd and will be keeping her focus on discussing basketball.
“There is something that I wanted to address, and I only plan on addressing it once. So if we continue to get asked about it, we will refer to this moment in time, or we will use this time to deflect and talk about our teammates,” Bueckers said. “Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own. And what we choose to share is completely up to us.
“But as media members, I understand you guys have a job to do. And you guys have to ask questions about the basketball aspect of it. So that’s what I will be addressing today. Me and Azzi have always been the most professional. We’ve always conducted ourselves as such. And we’ve never let anything that happens off the court carry onto the court.”
It’s going to be interesting to see if the media gets Bueckers’ message and avoids pressing her or Fudd about their relationship as the season goes on, but for now, Bueckers seems to consider the topic closed.
The Wings will kick off their preseason campaign against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Thursday, April 30, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, before returning just under two weeks later for the regular season opener.
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