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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
3 rookie WNBA All-Stars grateful, even for Mystics forward who had early lesson from Sophie Cunningham
INDIANAPOLIS — Call it adrenaline, 'excitement,' Kiki Iriafen made a loud introduction to the WNBA on the Gainbridge Fieldhouse floor, drawing a roar of boos from Indiana Fever fans. Sophie Cunningham had won position for an offensive rebound and, as she corralled it, Iriafen's right arm stretched across Cunningham's chest. The ball bounced free and their momentum carried them to the floor with Cunningham having an assist via Iriafen. When Cunningham popped up, she went up to Iriafen and said, 'You don't (expletive) do that.' It did two things: Showed Iriafen wasn't afraid of the moment in her first game but also served as a valuable lesson. Her rookie season has turned out fine. Iriafen is one of three rookies named WNBA All-Stars alongside Washington Mystics teammate and former Notre Dame star Sonia Citron and former UConn star Paige Bueckers, of the Dallas Wings. 'I think I was just really excited that game. There was no (malicious) intent or anything (it was) my first ever WNBA game,' Iriafen said of the preseason opener, Cunningham's introduction to Fever fans. 'For me, I think I just learned to settle down a little bit, 'slow is pro,' and kind of just getting a taste of what the pace is in the WNBA. 'I think the biggest thing that I learned about myself is that I'm a competitor and I just give it my all in everything that I do.' The Mystics are just 11-11 but the two rookies and fellow All-Star Brittney Sykes have had a surprise start to the season. Iriafen is averaging 11.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and has seven double-doubles, four of which came in her first five games. Her rebounds averages are fourth best in the league. Citron, who averages 14.1 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, and her classmates echoed the biggest challenges of transitioning to the WNBA from college, which includes rolling straight into their professional careers in a month's time. 'Just the schedule and really learning how to take care of your body and your mind,' Citron said. 'Playing every other day, the volume of games that we have, that's one thing that really took getting used to.' Though Iriafen, a star at Stanford who played one season alongside Lexie Hull before transferring to USC and playing alongside JuJu Watkins, was also reflective about what's next for her. 'I think the biggest challenge for me is I'm guarding the best players in the world, the best players in the league, so you can never really have an off night defensively because they'll really exploit that and just kind of stepping up my basketball IQ,' she said. 'I feel like the greatest players have tremendous basketball IQ, so I feel like that's the next area of growth for me.' Bueckers was the clear-cut first pick in April's draft, and the Wings star hasn't disappointed. Her 18.4 points per game ranks eighth in the WNBA. She adds 5 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game. The 23-year-old star suffered a torn ACL that caused her to miss the 2022-23 season at UConn, and the year prior tore her meniscus and had tibial plateau fracture. She's simply thankful for the ability to still be playing. 'It's super crazy to think about my whole life's journey up to this point,' she said. And it isn't lost on the Minnesota native she was picked to play alongside former UConn star Napheesa Collier, her team captain, whose Lynx coach, Cheryl Reeve, will also be on her bench. Video circulated of Bueckers trying to defend Collier during practice Friday morning. 'Being the little girl that looked up to the Minnesota Lynx, just wanting to be everything that they were and now being coached by Cheryl in the All-Star Game and playing with the best players in the world, it's just a crazy experience that I'm extremely thankful for,' said Bueckers, who is also teammates with former Huskie Breanna Stewart. 'I just never want to take it for granted what I get to do here and be a part of this. I'm just trying to enjoy this as much as I can.' She's a seasoned vet, having long been in a spotlight similar to Fever star Caitlin Clark. When they met on July 13, Bueckers had 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals, making 9 for 15 shots. Clark had nine points but 13 assists as the Fever won 102-83. The Mystics teammates are both 21. Citron competed in Friday night's 3-point challenge, a 36.5% 3-point shooter in her first 22 career games. She scored just 19 points in her first round, last among the five shooters. But that didn't take away from her weekend. Sabrina Ionescu, who won the 3-point contest, said afterwards she was going to give half of her winnings, valued at 30% of her salary or $62,418 per Spotrac, to Citron (so, she'll get $31,209 if an even split), who said she was nervous and for having the guts to be the only rookie to participate in Friday night's events. "I told Sonia that I would give her half if I won when we were sitting on the bench," Ionescu said, "being the only rookie, and she was nervous; I was nervous for her. I obviously have to hold up my end of the bargain, so half will go to her. I've got to text her and let her know that I'm giving her half of it just for participating. That takes a lot of courage to be able to do that as a rookie, and what she did, and I was really proud of her. Then the other half will go to my foundation to continue to be able to give back to communities that mean a lot to me." Said Citron: 'It's amazing to feel that people are seeing the work that I'm putting in and acknowledging that. I definitely wasn't expecting it but I'm just really grateful for it,' Citron said Friday morning. And now they're each 1-for-1 in All-Star game appearances.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Inside Paige Bueckers' net worth, girlfriend reveal and road to WNBA glory
Image: Paige Bueckers is officially living her best life on and off the court. The reigning 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year is bringing style, swagger, and serious game to the Dallas Wings. But the buzz is that she's now confirmed a romantic relationship with none other than her former UConn teammate and fellow star guard, Azzi Fudd. That reveal came during All-Star Weekend in July 2025 on WAG Talk's orange-carpet quiz titled 'How well do you know your D‑1 girlfriend?' When asked to name who she was dating, Bueckers grinned and said, 'Azzi Fudd' — officially ending months of speculation sparked by viral hints like Fudd's phone case declaring 'Paige Bueckers' Girlfriend', matching necklaces, cozy selfies, and public outings together. Their connection goes way back—they first bonded at USA Basketball camps as teenagers, played side by side at UConn, and helped lead the Huskies to their 2025 national championship. With Azzi set to return to college in 2025–26 and eyeing the WNBA in 2026, the duo is shaping up to be one of women's basketball's most compelling 'power couples.' Born October 20, 2001, in Edina, Minnesota, Paige Madison Bueckers grew up in nearby St. Louis Park. . Her dad, Bob Bueckers, is a software engineer who coached her youth basketball teams. Her mom, Amy Fuller (Dettbarn), was a college-level cross‑country and track athlete and later became a dental-equipment specialist. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo As of mid‑2025, reports suggestPaige Bueckers is estimated to have a net worth of roughly $1.4 to $1.5 million. This isn't your typical pro-athlete payday — she built most of that fortune during college due to Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) deals that set new benchmarks for female athletes. Her NIL earnings are estimated at around $1.4 million in 2024–25 alone. Now that she's been drafted No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings, her four‑year rookie WNBA contract is worth about $348,000 total, starting at around $78,800 in 2025 and increasing modestly each year through 2028. Key achievements Won the 2021 Naismith College Player of the Year as a freshman, a first in NCAA history. Led UConn to another national championship in April 2025, ending a nine‑year title drought In 2025, she was unanimously voted AP first‑team All‑American and earned multiple top awards including the Wade Trophy, Nancy Lieberman Award, and Big East Player of the Year Averaged approximately 19.8 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals per game, shooting around 54.5% from the field during her senior season Paige Bueckers is already a generational talent — on the court, off the court, and on your timeline. At just 23, she's smashing records, redefining what NIL can do for women's sports, and handling fame with an impressive mix of grace, honesty, and humor. She's building her legacy one trademark, one endorsement, and one clutch bucket at a time.
USA Today
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
WNBA star Paige Bueckers confirms relationship with 'D1 girlfriend,' Azzi Fudd
On the heels of being named a WNBA All-Star, Dallas Wings rookie guard Paige Bueckers confirmed she is officially off the market after discussing her girlfriend in a recent interview. During an interview with WAG Talk, a popular social media brand highlighting "wives and girlfriends" of professional athletes, Bueckers was asked a series of questions about her "D1 girlfriend." At the end of the line of questioning, she identified her partner as her former UConn Huskies teammate Azzi Fudd. Bueckers and Fudd played together at UConn for four seasons, with the two winning an NCAA Championship this year. The questions asked by WAG Talk ranged from Fudd's basketball career to the text on the UConn guard's phone case, which Bueckers affectionately said reads: "Paige Bueckers' girlfriend". A trio of rookies, consisting of Bueckers and Washington Mystics guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen, are slated to play in the WNBA All-Star game on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET at the Indiana Fever's arena, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, in Indianapolis. 'We were worried for a second there' Underneath the WAG Talk interview, TikTok users flooded the comment section, with one of them calling Bueckers' announcement a "hard launch." "ok this is like THE REALL hard launch," the user commented. NaLyssa Smith, a forward for the Las Vegas Aces, commented underneath the interview: "awwwwww my baby's all grown up." Gatorade, which named Fudd its 2018-19 National Player of the Year, also chimed in on the fun in the comment section, writing, "We were worried for a second there," seemingly joking about how long it took Bueckers to answer some of the questions in the video. Jonathan Limehouse covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at JLimehouse@
Time of India
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Paige Bueckers makes it official with long-rumored girlfriend Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers makes it official with long-rumored girlfriend Azzi Fudd (Image Via X) A surprising confession came on Thursday night, July 17, during the 2025 AT&T WNBA All‑Star weekend in Indianapolis. Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers, 23, paused a light‑hearted WAG Talk interview on the orange carpet to answer questions about her 'D1 girlfriend. ' The playful quiz suddenly took a serious turn when Paige Bueckers replied with a name and confirming long‑standing rumors. The crowd buzzed as fans realized this was more than a tease. What started as an entertaining moment turned into a public acknowledgment of a relationship that fans have speculated about for months. Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd confirm their relationship During the interview, the host asked, 'How well do you know your D1 girlfriend?' Paige Bueckers smiled and confidently answered questions about Azzi Fudd and details like her high school, awards, ranking, dad's college team, even what her phone case said. The phone case, a viral moment, read 'Paige Bueckers' Girlfriend.' When the host prompted, 'Girlfriend reveal—it's…?' Paige Bueckers answered simply: 'Azzi Fudd.' This was her moment of confirmation, under bright lights and live cameras. Fans celebrated online. On social platforms, one wrote, 'GIRLFRIEND, we've come a long way,' while another added, 'She's cheesing mad hard too, that's her girl fr.'. The Backstory and Clues of Paige Bueckers & Azzi Fudd ralationship Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd were first teammates at UConn, where they helped win the 2025 NCAA Championship. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo After Paige Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft for the Dallas Wings and Azzi Fudd stayed at UConn for a fifth college season, their off‑court bond grew public. In April, Azzi Fudd shared a selfie showing her phone case saying 'Paige Bueckers' Girlfriend,' fueling speculation. In July, they appeared holding hands at a Wings road game, wore matching 'A' and 'P' necklaces, and attended the 2025 ESPYs together. Paige Bueckers posted Azzi Fudd's photo from the ESPY red carpet on her Instagram story with heart‑eyed emojis. Also Read: Paige Bueckers Posts Heartfelt Mid-Season Update As Azzi Fudd Stands By Her Side Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Fox News
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
WNBA phenom Paige Bueckers confirms she's dating former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd
Paige Bueckers has confirmed the rumor circulating around the No. 1 pick of this year's WNBA Draft said for the first time publicly that she is dating her former UConn teammate, Azzi the red carpet for the WNBA All-Star break, WagTalk did a Q&A segment with Bueckers, dubbed "How well do you know your D1 girlfriend?" The Dallas Wings rookie revealed at the end it was HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON The outlet asked Bueckers numerous questions about Fudd, including which high school she attended, what college her dad played for and what Fudd's phone case said ('Paige Bueckers' girlfriend).The outlet then implored Bueckers to do a "girlfriend reveal," and she said it was duo have been rumored to be in a relationship for several weeks, which speculation beginning shortly after they won the national championship back in CLARK DECIDES TO FORGO WNBA ALL-STAR FESTIVITIES AFTER SUFFERING INJURYIt's unknown how long Fudd and Bueckers have been dating, but at the very least, they were teammates from 2021 up until this past April. Fudd was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player and is in the conversation to go No. 1 overall next averaged 13.6 points per game in her first full season since her freshman year. She injured her knee in her sophomore year, restricting her to 15 games. Then, in the next season, she tore her ACL in practice, forcing her to miss all but two games. In an ironic twist, Bueckers tore her ACL before the 2022-23 season playing pick-up duo played in two national championship games together - Bueckers joined the school one year prior to opted to stay in college for one more season, while Bueckers was taken by the Dallas Wings with the first pick just a week after winning the national Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
