Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd speak publicly for the first time about their romantic relationship in an upcoming docuseries on Apple TV.
The three-part series, titled “The Dynasty: UConn Huskies” and set to be released Aug. 21, covers the breadth of UConn’s indomitable four-decade run under head coach Geno Auriemma. In one of the trailers Apple TV posted on its social media platforms, the former UConn stars and current teammates for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings spoke about their time in college and about their relationship that blossomed in Storrs, Conn.
In the clip, Fudd said that they never kept their relationship a secret, just refrained from sharing it publicly.
“Paige and I are a couple, and everyone close to us that was important knew, but it was kind of one of those things. … It’s just, it’s private. Not a secret, but it’s private,” Fudd said.
They make a good team.
The Dynasty: #UConnHuskies — Streaming August 21 pic.twitter.com/dIYi1gDCA2
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) August 18, 2026
Bueckers arrived at UConn in 2020 as the nation’s top recruit, and Fudd came a year later, also as a top-rated freshman.
“It kinda just meshed as soon as we met,” Bueckers said. “She’s sweet, she’s genuine, she has a huge, caring heart.”
By the time Fudd got to UConn, Bueckers was already the reigning AP Player of the Year and a first-team All-American. During the duo’s tenure at UConn under Auriemma, both lost seasons to torn ACLs, with Fudd also tearing her meniscus. Bueckers missed all of 2022-23, while Fudd endured her season-ending injury two games into the 2023-24 season.
The players bonded through their shared hardships on their journeys to the pinnacle of collegiate women’s basketball.
“We kind of felt a spark a little bit different than what would just be considered a normal friendship,” Bueckers said.
Both chosen No. 1 in the WNBA Draft by the Dallas Wings — Bueckers in 2025, Fudd in 2026 — they were rumored to be dating before Bueckers confirmed their romantic relationship during an interview in July 2025. Earlier, Fudd had posted a selfie to social media that showed her phone case had the message “Paige Bueckers’ girlfriend” on it.
When Fudd was asked about their dating status at her introductory press conference in Dallas before the 2026 season, a member of the Wings public relations staff shut down the question and Fudd didn’t answer. Bueckers later read a statement addressing the topic, clarifying their desire for privacy.
“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.”
Their on-court relationship proved fruitful for UConn once both players had become veterans and became healthy enough to share the court in 2024-25. In Fudd’s fourth year at UConn, which was Bueckers’ fifth and final season under Auriemma, the Huskies went 37-3 and capped their season with an 82-59 rout of South Carolina in the national championship game.
It was the Huskies’ first championship since 2016 and ended the program’s longest title drought since 1995.
Bueckers was named a first-team All-American for the third time and went on to become the No. 1 pick in 2025 to Dallas. She then won WNBA Rookie of the Year, averaging 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in her first season without Fudd as a teammate since 2020-21.
Fudd stayed at UConn for another year, averaging a career-high 17.3 points per game. She was named a first-team All-American in 2025-26. Fudd teamed with AP Women’s Player of the Year Sarah Strong to lead UConn to a 38-1 record before the Huskies lost to South Carolina in the Final Four.
The Wings then drafted Fudd No. 1 in the 2026 WNBA Draft, reuniting her with Bueckers.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Dallas Wings, Connecticut Huskies, WNBA, Sports Business, Women’s College Basketball
2026 The Athletic Media Company
Discover more from NAIRAVOICE.COM.NG
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
