Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd will undergo knee surgery and miss the remainder of the 2026 season.
The Dallas Wings have announced that rookie guard Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.
Fudd will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address ongoing right knee soreness, per the team. She will have the procedure done next week and immediately begin rehab.
The 23-year-old hasn't played since Aug. 5. Her rookie season now comes to a premature end as the Wings battle for playoff positioning.
Dallas has struggled in her absence over the past couple of weeks, playing to a 1-4 record as she's been sidelined. Now, the team will have to find a way to move forward without her.
This unfortunately isn't the first knee injury of Fudd's career. She tore her ACL and MCL in her right knee in 2019, missed time in her sophomore season at UConn due to more injury trouble with her right knee and then tore her right ACL and meniscus the following season.
The injury she is currently dealing with is once again to her right knee, continuing a worrisome trend.
Fudd was working on a strong rookie season with the Wings. She will finish the campaign averaging 13.1 points per game on 45.6 percent shooting from the field and 39.7 percent shooting from long range.
It didn't take her long to crack the starting lineup as a rookie. She came off the bench in her first six appearances this season before being in the starting lineup in every other game she played.
She had five games with at least 20 points and was the team's fourth-leading scorer on a per-game basis this season.
The Wings, at 20-16, are in the postseason mix and still have a pretty comfortable cushion despite their recent slide. They are currently the last team in the playoff field but have a 4.5-game lead over the next-closest team.
Dallas has eight games remaining in the regular season and simply needs to avoid a total collapse in order to keep its spot in the playoff field.
The WNBA regular season will be on hold from Aug. 31 through Sept. 16 for the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. If the Wings are still sliding by the time the break comes, it could be a good chance for the team to reset.
Fudd's absence will make it harder for Dallas to make some noise in the playoffs, but her recovery has to be prioritized as she hopes to have a long career ahead of her in the WNBA.
