Ezzie Fudd taken first overall in WNBA draft by Dallas Wings at UConn reunion with Paige Bueckers | wnba

Ezzie Fudd was selected by the Dallas Wings with the first pick of the WNBA Draft on Monday night, capping a 12-month climb from NCAA champion to top overall pick and setting up a reunion with former University of Connecticut teammate Paige Bueckers.

The 5-foot-11 guard, who led UConn to a national title last year and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, is the program’s seventh player to be ranked No. 1. Bueckers, the top pick by Dallas in the 2025 draft and the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year, watched as Fudd’s name was called by a packed crowd at The Shed, a $500 million cultural center at Hudson Yards. West Side of Manhattan.

“I’m not really sure I have the words to describe that feeling, what it means,” Fudd said. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. I really don’t have words.”

Fudd’s selection comes at the beginning of a reshaped draft landscape, with rookie salaries significantly increased by the league’s new collective bargaining agreement. The top pick is set to earn nearly $500,000, a significant increase from last season and six times more than the amount Bueckers received as the No. 1 pick last year.

Unlike last April, when Bueckers was the obvious choice, there was no unanimous top pick in this year’s draft. Fudd distinguished herself late in the process as Dallas addressed its frontcourt needs during the condensed free-agency period following lengthy CBA negotiations, adding two experienced post players in defensive stars Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard.

Minnesota selected Texas Christian guard Olivia Miles with the second pick after returning for an additional college season, transferring from Notre Dame and leading the Horned Frogs to their second consecutive Elite Eight appearance. Seattle ranked Spanish center Awa Pham Thiam third, while Washington ranked UCLA’s Lauren Bates fourth.

Chicago moved into the top five with UCLA guard Gabriela Jacquez, and the expansion Toronto Tempo selected fellow Bruins guard Kiki Rice at No. 6, increasing UCLA’s presence at the top of the draft eight days after their national title.

Golden State selected Louisiana State guard Floja Johnson with the No. 8 pick, but later agreed to the first trade of the draft, sending his rights to Seattle in exchange for the No. 16 overall pick, TCU forward Marta Suarez, along with a 2028 second-round selection.

The Bruins’ celebration continued throughout the night. Washington added another UCLA player, Angela Dugalic, at No. 9, and Connecticut selected Gianna Neepkens with the 15th and final pick of the first round, giving UCLA five selections in the first round – setting a record for the most ever by a single program.

UCLA accomplished another feat for most players selected in the same draft when the Connecticut Sun took Charlize Leger-Walker in the second round, bettering the previous record of five shared by South Carolina (2023), Notre Dame (2019) and Tennessee (1997, 2008).

Dallas enters the season looking for a change after consecutive losing campaigns and significant roster turnover. Fudd joins a backcourt that includes Bueckers and All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale as the Wings attempt to re-establish themselves after an extended dry period that has included only one playoff series win since 2010.

Fudd’s arrival also extends a relationship that predates the draft. Fudd and Bueckers spent four seasons together at UConn. Last year it was confirmed that they were in a relationshipA dynamic that adds an extra layer of familiarity as the Wings draft two No. 1 picks.

Fudd said of her pairing with Bueckers, “Our time at UConn was full of injuries – either I was playing and she wasn’t playing, or she was playing and I wasn’t playing.” “We didn’t really get a chance to play together until last year, and even then it wasn’t a full season. So I think there’s still a lot left on the table, a lot of unknowns, a lot of possibilities — not only with him, but with the entire Dallas Wings roster.”

The draft also reflected broader changes throughout the league. Expansion franchises Toronto and Portland continued to build their rosters, with several teams adding additional first-round picks following offseason trades and expansion-related moves, while salary increases and additional roster spots under the new labor deal are expected to improve the chances of incoming players making the opening-day team.

Historically, roster spots have been scarce, with only half of the drafted players making the final team. That pressure is expected to ease somewhat as the league expands to 18 teams over the next five years, with Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia set to join by 2030.

Other UConn players to go No. 1 overall are Bueckers, Breanna Stewart (2016), Maya Moore (2011), Tina Charles (2010), Diana Taurasi (2004) and Sue Bird (2002).