Dallas Wings Rule Azzi Fudd Out for Season With Knee Procedure Ahead

Dallas Wings rookie guard Azzi Fudd will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season because of soreness in her right knee, the team announced Wednesday. The Guardian reported that Fudd, the first overall pick in the 2026 draft, is scheduled to undergo an arthroscopic procedure in Connecticut early next week and begin rehabilitation immediately afterward.

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Dallas said it plans to issue another update after the procedure. The announcement did not provide a timetable beyond ruling Fudd out for the balance of this season, and it did not specify what the procedure is expected to address. That leaves the next stage of her recovery dependent on the findings and the medical update that follows.

Fudd last played on August 5, when Dallas faced the Washington Mystics. According to The Guardian, she was held out of the next game after feeling soreness during warmups and subsequently missed five consecutive contests. Her absence will now extend through the rest of the regular-season schedule and any postseason games Dallas might play.

The 23-year-old appeared in 30 games as a rookie and averaged 13.1 points, 1.8 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 0.83 blocked shots. Those numbers placed her first among WNBA rookies in steals per game, second among first-year players in blocks and third in scoring. Her scoring average was also the third highest for a rookie in Wings franchise history.

Dallas selected Fudd at No. 1 after her five-season college career at UConn. She helped the Huskies win the 2025 national championship and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four. Her latest right-knee issue follows earlier serious injuries: she tore the ACL and MCL in that knee in high school, then missed the rest of the 2023-24 college season after tearing the ACL and medial meniscus during practice.

The Wings entered their Thursday home game against the Indiana Fever with a 20-16 record and in eighth place in the league standings, The Guardian reported. Dallas had eight regular-season games remaining after that matchup. With Fudd unavailable, the team loses one of the strongest defensive playmakers in the rookie class as it tries to secure its postseason position.