NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Azzi Fudd reunited with her old UConn Huskies teammate, Paige Bueckers, as the Dallas Wings took the first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night.
And Fudd comes in with a historic payday in the league.
After a new collective bargaining agreement was reached between the league and the players union last month, Fudd is set to make $500,000 in her rookie year — a massive pay bump compared to the $78,831 Buecker earned last season as the WNBA Draft’s first overall pick.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
This comes as the salary cap for WNBA teams also jumped from $1.5 million in 2025 to $7 million, also bringing in the first million-dollar contracts ever. From league veterans to draft newcomers, the game’s best get paid.
While Fudd will certainly be happy to see her paychecks, she’s also excited to make her impact with the Wings and in the WNBA.
PAIGE BUECKERS MAKES WNBA HISTORY IN OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION, SPARKS VET GETS THE LAST LAUGH
“I’m not really sure I have words to describe the feeling, what it meant,” Fudd said after being drafted, via ESPN. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. It’s not something I could have imagined. The feeling of sitting with my family with Morgan (Valley), hearing your name called, going up there. Such a surreal feeling.”
Fudd was also excited while discussing her reunion with the Bueckers.
“Paige is an incredible player, everyone knows that,” she explained. “She’s someone who makes playing basketball look easy.”
Olivia Miles poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
When Fudd was taken, the Minnesota Lynx locked Olivia Miles out of TCU – Fudd’s biggest competition for the first overall pick. But Miles won’t miss payday, as she’s slated to earn $466,913 as the second overall pick.
Center Awa Fam Thiam of Spain went to the Seattle Storm and will earn a salary of $436,016 for the 2026 WNBA season. Then national champions Lauren Betts (Washington Mystics), Gabriel Jacquez (Chicago Sky) and Kiki Rice (Toronto Tempo) rounded out the top six.
UCLA also broke UConn’s record for having four players drafted in the first round, which was set in 2002 by the Huskies. Angela Dugalić rounded out the group after Washington took her ninth overall, keeping her with Betts as they enter the league.
Another notable name was LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson, who was taken eighth overall by the Golden State Valkyries, but she was traded to the Storm for the rights to Marta Suarez from TCU. The Storm had taken her with the first pick in the second round. The Valkyries also received a 2028 second-round pick in the deal.
Lauren Betts poses with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the fourth pick in the first round by the Washington Mystics during the 2026 WNBA Draft at The Shed on April 13, 2026 in New York City. (Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Overall, each drafted player who makes a team entering the regular season will make more than any WNBA player did during the 2025 season, with a minimum salary of $270,000, up from last year’s maximum salary of $249,244.
