The Latest: UConn’s Azzi Fudd goes No. 1 to Wings, reuniting with Paige Bueckers

The WNBA draft is underway, as the league welcomes its newest rookie class on Monday night.

With the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, the Dallas Wings opened the night by selecting Azzi Fudd, reuniting the 5-foot-11 guard with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers.

Follow along for live updates.

Who is Chicago getting?

Name: Gabriela Jaquez

School: UCLA

Stats: 6-foot guard, averaged 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds

Strength: Good shooter and better at the free-throw line with active hands defensively

Weakness: Keeping composed

The Chicago Sky take UCLA guard Gabriela Jaquez at No. 5 overall

Missing coach

UConn coach Geno Auriemma was not at the WNBA draft to see Azzi Fudd get taken No. 1.

He is attending services for the husband of UConn program assistant and former player Peggy Myers. Her husband, Norm, died last month from brain cancer.

Who is Washington getting?

Name: Lauren Betts

School: UCLA

Stats: 6-foot-7 center, averaged 17.1 points, 8.8 rebounds

Strength: Consistent scorer inside with the ability to pass and block shots

Weakness: Free-throw shooting

The Washington Mystics select UCLA center Lauren Betts with the fourth overall pick.

Who is Seattle getting?

Name: Awa Fam Thiam from Spain

Team: Valencia Basket Club

Stats: 6-foot-4 center, averaged 9.2 points, 5 rebounds

Strength: Scorer and rebounder with size

Weakness: Just 19 and needs time to develop

The Seattle Storm have taken center Awa Fam Thiam from Spain with the third pick overall

Yet another UConn player goes No. 1

Azzi Fudd becomes the seventh UConn player to be selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft.

That list: Sue Bird (2002), Diana Taurasi (’04); Tina Charles (’10); Maya Moore (’11); Breanna Stewart (’16); Paige Bueckers (’25) and Fudd (’26)

Who is Minnesota getting?

Name: Olivia Miles

School: TCU

Stats: 5-foot-10 guard, averaged 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists

Strength: True scorer whether at the rim or from 3-point range who can spread the ball around

Weakness: Defense

The Minnesota Lynx select Olivia Miles with the No. 2 overall pick

Who is Dallas getting?

Name: Azzi Fudd

School: UConn

Stats: 5-foot-11 guard, averaged 17.3 points, 3.1 assists

Strength: Improved shooting efficiency each season and nearly automatic at the free-throw line

Weakness: Struggled scoring in final three NCAA Tournament games

The Dallas Wings select Azzi Fudd of UConn with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft and she’ll earn $500,000 as top choice

More than just basketball players

LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson hopes to hear her new song “Woah” play when she hears her name called during the WNBA draft. TCU forward Marta Suarez has a purse she painted to commemorate the night signed on one side by her fellow members of the 2026 draft class.

Johnson has been creating music for a long time and dropped her new song Monday. She says it means so much to her to show that she can both perform and play basketball. Johnson said she hopes to show young girls not to put themselves into a box.

Suarez says painting is her love language and everyone can have their own interpretation of her art. But she saw the chance to paint her purse as part of her introduction to the WNBA and make sure people get a sense of who she is.

Got a new ’do

Raven Johnson debuted a bob on the orange carpet in a quick change from the long hair the South Carolina guard tied back in a ponytail at the Final Four only a week ago.

Johnson says she partnered with Coach for an outfit designed to look rich and elegant: a gray and black jacket-style dress along with a black clutch, and a diamond necklace and earrings.

Nod to Hollywood glamour

Ta’Niya Latson brought a bit of the 1960s mixed with old Hollywood to the WNBA orange carpet.

The South Carolina guard had a swoop of hair over her forehead to go with a black sequined gown. She showed off her Christian Louboutin black pumps, lifting a foot to show off the red sole. Latson also wore sheer elbow-length gloves and carried a black clutch handbag.

Latson says she wanted to go with something different.

Dressed for business

A pair of players from the Southeastern Conference arrived at the WNBA draft dressed for business.

Cotie McMahon of Mississippi and Madina Okot of South Carolina both wore suit jackets with each taking their own approach.

McMahon wore a longer pinstriped jacket with matching tie that showed off her legs down to white socks with black high-heeled shoes. McMahon says it feels like the look just fit her down to leather gloves.

Okot went with a waist-length jacket and matching pinstripe pants and tie. Okot says her motivation came from how former South Carolina teammate Kamilla Cardoso dressed up for her draft day. Okot says she had to look for the same stylist who handled Cardoso’s look for her own night.

An orange carpet moment

Los Angeles Sparks guard Erica Wheeler gave her stylist less than 12 hours to help outfit her to walk the carpet at the WNBA draft.

Definitely a special moment for a guard who, in 2019, became the first undrafted player to be named the All-Star Game MVP. Wheeler says she was on vacation when she alerted her stylist she wanted to dress up and hit the WNBA draft.

Wheeler was decked out in a jacket and wide capri pants with yellow chunky shoes. She also wore a matching bandana.

She said she felt fulfilled and happy to be able to be at this draft, enjoying a great time right now for the WNBA as it supports the incoming players.

Draft drama

The No. 1 overall selection in the WNBA draft has been a foregone conclusion in recent years.

This draft should continue that trend.

The Dallas Wings have the top pick for a second straight season after the lottery last November. The Wings made the obvious choice taking guard Paige Bueckers from UConn last April.

Now Dallas has options. Guard Olivia Miles was expected to be a top draft pick last year before choosing to stay in college, transferring from Notre Dame to TCU. Or the Wings could go with size with 6-foot-4 center Awa Fam Thiam.

Then there’s UConn guard Azzi Fudd. She has been the popular No. 1 selection for months and should hear her name called first.

Potential record-breaking Bruins

UCLA is looking to make history with potentially five Bruins taken in the first round of the WNBA draft. The record is four, set by UConn in 2002. The NCAA champions had five players invited to the draft with Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Angela Dugalic all invited to draft night.

Charlisse Leger-Walker joined her teammates in New York for the draft. If all six UCLA players get taken, the Bruins would top the mark of five from one team drafted first by Tennessee in 2008, then Notre Dame in 2019 and South Carolina in 2023.

For those thinking there might need to be an asterisk if the Bruins do get five players taken in the opening round, think again. The 2002 draft had 16 picks with the UConn quartet going within the first six picks.

Hey, it’s the Empire State Building

No trip to New York is complete without a stop at the Empire State Building.

That’s where the WNBA prospects went to kick off draft day, visiting Monday morning. The players threw the lever lighting up the historic building in honor of the draft.

They also made sure to take plenty of photos and selfies.

First look and another selfie

The UCLA Bruins made sure to do a fit check together before hitting the WNBA draft’s orange carpet.

Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens and Angela Dugalic all are attending the WNBA draft expecting to hear their names called in the first round.

The Bruins got together to compare outfits in their floor-length gowns — four of them taking the classic black dress approach.

Then they joined the other players in this draft onstage for a 2026 class photo before heading to the orange carpet.

Ready for the big night

The WNBA has 15 top prospects in New York City to walk the orange carpet for the draft.

Center Lauren Betts has plenty of company with her from the national champion UCLA Bruins. Teammates joining her at the draft include Kiki Rice, Angela Dugalic, Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens.

Other draft prospects also have company with Olivia Miles and Marta Suarez from TCU and Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson from South Carolina.

Making money

There will be a big payday for all the draft picks who make rosters this season. The new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month greatly increase the rookies salaries.

The top pick will earn $500,000 her first year with the second and third picks making $466,913 and $436,016. Second and third-round picks will make $270,000 — which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.

International presence

The WNBA has its own international presence for this draft.

Four top prospects on hand for the draft are from outside the United States.

Center Madina Okot from Kenya played at South Carolina

Spanish forward Marta Suarez played this season at TCU.

Nell Angloma of France is a forward attending the draft.

Awa Fam Thiam from Spain, a 6-foot-4 center, played at Valencia Basket.

A total of 23 international players from 15 countries were taken last June in the NBA draft.

Welcome to the WNBA Toronto and Portland

A pair of expansion teams make their WNBA draft debut.

The Toronto Tempo make their first selection at No. 6 overall followed by the Portland Fire at No. 7.

After Dallas makes its selection, Minnesota picks at No. 2 with Seattle at No. 3, Washington at No. 4 and Chicago selects fifth overall.

Dallas Wings pick first (again)

It’s the second straight year Dallas has had the No. 1 overall pick.

UConn guard Azzi Fudd is a frontrunner for the top spot. But the Wings could instead take 6-foot-4 center Awa Fam Thiam from Spain or UCLA center Lauren Betts to complement a talented roster led by last season’s No. 1 pick, Paige Bueckers.

Bueckers and Fudd were teammates at UConn and helped the Huskies win the national championship in 2025.

Fam Thiam, who is 19, is a talented Spanish player currently playing in her country’s domestic league.

Betts is one of six UCLA players in the draft. The 6-foot-7 center helped the Bruins win their first national championship earlier this month.

A $500,000 payday awaits the No. 1 WNBA pick

Whoever the Dallas Wings choose at No. 1 will see a huge salary bump her first year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month. That’s nearly seven times what last season’s No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers made. The No. 2 and No. 3 picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.

Second- and third-round picks will make $270,000 — which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.

How to watch the 2026 WNBA draft

ESPN is televising the draft starting at 7:30 p.m. through 9:30 p.m. EDT.

A countdown show will be available starting at 7 p.m. EDT on the ESPN app, and the WNBA has its own “Orange Carpet” starting at 5:30 p.m. EDT for draft prospects showing off their own style and fashion before the big night.