Paige Bueckers has never hidden how much she cares for Azzi Fudd, and that affection extends to Fudd’s family too. Over the weekend, she made sure to show it online.
On Sunday, Fudd’s brother, Jose, posted a series of photos with his girlfriend, Tallulah Belle, along with a heartfelt caption on Instagram. His tribute quickly drew love in the comments — including a simple heart emoji from Bueckers, who’s been publicly dating Fudd since June.
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The two stars have shared plenty of highs and lows since their UConn days. Bueckers lost her junior season to a torn ACL, while Fudd had her own injury setbacks that limited her to just 42 appearances across three years. Still, they fought through it and last season carried the Huskies all the way to the national championship. Bueckers’ return to form earned her the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft, landing with the Dallas Wings.
Fudd, meanwhile, opted to run it back in Storrs for one more year. She was healthy last season, starting 34 games and averaging 13.6 points while shooting nearly 44% from deep. She’s expected to headline the 2026 WNBA Draft class once her final season wraps.
“Almost immediately”: Azzi Fudd opens up on how she and Paige Bueckers clicked
Beyond basketball, Bueckers and Fudd recently gave fans a glimpse into their relationship on the August 14 episode of Instagram’s Close Friends Only podcast. Both reflected on when they knew their connection was special.
“Almost immediately. I remember the plane ride home to Minnesota and talking to you and really liking you,” Fudd recalled.
Bueckers remembered it a little differently, pointing first to the way they meshed as teammates.
“We had this on-court chemistry, but you didn’t remember me off the court,” she said with a laugh.
The pair first crossed paths back in 2017 as members of USA Basketball’s U16 team before later reuniting at UConn. Now, with Bueckers already adjusting to life in the pros and Fudd gearing up for one last college run, their paths are set to split temporarily. But if all goes as expected, WNBA fans won’t have to wait long before they see the two sharing the same court again — this time as opponents.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
