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Azzi Fudd put on a historic shooting display during her first WNBA All-Star weekend. The Dallas Wings guard won Friday night’s 3-point contest, becoming the first rookie in league history to win the event.
Fudd finished the first round with 30 points, 10 short of the maximum possible score. Portland Fire star Bridget Carleton was eliminated after scoring 19 in the round. Fudd took 27 shots and missed just six of his attempts en route to winning the coveted title.
Fudd acknowledged that she experienced some nerves Friday night. “You saw ‘only’ six shots, but I feel like it was a lot,” Fudd said. “But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited.”
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Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings poses with the trophy after winning the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge STARRY 3-Point Contest at the AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on July 24, 2026. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Fudd added: “It’s fun to do because… and I don’t want to sound cocky… but it’s easy for me, just the set shot. Take the ball off the post; it’s really muscle memory. It’s what I’ve been doing since I was young.”
Fudd entered the All-Star break averaging 2.2 shots from beyond the 3-point arc this season. She has knocked down 53 total 3-pointers so far in her rookie year.
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While injuries affected Fudd’s college basketball career, Dallas valued her overall talent and took her with the first pick in April’s WNBA Draft.
Azzi Fudd of the Dallas Wings shoots during the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge STARRY 3-Point Contest at the 2026 WNBA All-Star at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on July 24, 2026. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
Fudd also said her injury setback came with an unexpected benefit. The repetitive shooting she did in rehab helped sharpen her form and build the rhythm needed to knock down shots from the same spots in Friday’s 3-point contest.
“It was a lot of chair shooting, a lot of stationary shots, so you get really good at shooting off a tripod and being stationary and robotic and having to knock your shot down.”
Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd (35) reacts during the Kia WNBA Skills Challenge STARRY 3-Point Contest at AT&T WNBA All-Star 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on July 24, 2026. (Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images)
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Prior to the 3-point contest, the WNBA debuted another All-Star event in Chicago – the Shooting Stars contest.
The Shooting Stars competition replaced the previous skills challenge and featured four three-person teams. Each list included a former player designated as a legend, a current player and a young player on the rise. Team Washington defeated Team Seattle to win the inaugural event.
