Dallas Wings’ top pick Azzi Fudd to undergo season-ending knee surgery

Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd, the top pick in the 2026 WNBA draft, will miss the rest of the season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on her right knee, the team announced Wednesday. The surgery, which the Wings said will address ongoing knee pain, is scheduled to begin next week in Connecticut.

The UConn product first felt soreness in his right knee during warmups before Dallas’ Aug. 7 game against the Golden State Valkyries. The Wings ruled her out of that game “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a statement at the time, but she missed the next five games before the season-ending procedure was announced Wednesday.

Fudd was in workout gear on Wednesday and could be seen working out with weights on the side. The Wings’ announcement came after coach Jose Fernandez addressed reporters after team practice. Asked specifically about Fudd’s potential return to the lineup, he replied, “I don’t have anything new to share.”

On a recent Friday, before a game against the Indiana Fever, Fudd ran through her entire hitting matrix in what seemed like full speed, no holds barred. Fernandez said at the time that he thought Fudd was even ahead of All-Star forward Jessica Shepard (ankle) on the road to recovery.

This is not Fudd’s first knee injury. She tore her right ACL and medial meniscus in college, missing most of the 2023-24 season. She also suffered ACL and MCL tears in her right knee in April 2019 and missed most of the 2022-23 season with knee injuries.

“The most important thing is her health in her return to the game and her longevity,” Fernandez said on August 12.