Dallas Wings Rookie Azzi Fudd Named To 2026 WNBA 3-Point Contest As Lone Rookie In The Field

ARLINGTON, Texas — Azzi Fudd is taking her three-point shot to Chicago. The WNBA named the Dallas Wings rookie to the WNBA 3-Point Contest field on Tuesday, making her the only first-year player among the six shooters set for Friday’s event at Wintrust Arena. Fudd joins Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire), Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm), Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream), Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo), and Janelle Salaün (Golden State Valkyries) in the field.

The selection comes a day after Dallas’ franchise-record six-game winning streak ended in a 99-98 overtime loss to the New York Liberty at College Park Center. Fudd hit a three-pointer off a Jessica Shepard assist in that game, part of a rookie season that has made her one of the WNBA’s most productive first-year shooters.

A Breakout Case

Fudd ranks tenth in the WNBA with 50 made three-pointers this season, the most among first-year players, while averaging 13.3 points and shooting 38.2% from deep. She set the Wings’ rookie record for three-pointers in a single game with 6 makes at New York on May 24. That same night she became the fastest player since Tamika Catchings in 2002 to reach 40 three-pointers and 40 steals, doing so in 23 games; Catchings needed 19.

Fudd, the first overall pick in April’s WNBA Draft, left UConn as one of the most prolific shooters in program history. She ranks fifth all-time in career three-pointers made (292), seventh in career three-point percentage (42.2%), and fourth in single-season three-pointers made (117 in 2025-26).

Paige Bueckers, Jessica Shepard Also Headed to Chicago

Fudd joins Wings guard Paige Bueckers and Shepard on the trip. Bueckers and Shepard were previously named All-Star Game starters, with Bueckers set to make her second consecutive All-Star start and Shepard earning her first All-Star recognition in her sixth WNBA season. Bueckers led all players in the WNBA All-Star Voting 2026 with 1,045,051 votes.

Fudd is the first Wings player to appear in an All-Star skills event since Arike Ogunbowale competed in the 3-Point Contest in 2023.

The recognition lands during Dallas’ best stretch in years. The Wings went a combined 19-65 over the two seasons before Fudd arrived and now sit at 17-9, fourth in the Western Conference, with three players representing the franchise on All-Star weekend for the first time since the rebuild began.

How Friday’s Contest Works

Shooters work through racks at five spots around the arc in a two-round, timed competition. Four racks carry four standard WNBA balls worth one point each and one oatmeal-colored “money” ball worth two points, a callback to the league’s original ball color. The fifth rack holds five “money” balls worth two points apiece, and each competitor chooses where on the arc that rack sits.

Two pedestals beyond the arc hold a “From the Logo” ball worth three points per make, with each one triggering a State Farm jingle and a donation to Girls Who Code Inc. The two highest scorers in the first round advance to a championship round.

Up Next

The 3-Point Contest and the WNBA Shooting Stars event tip off Friday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN, Disney+, and the ESPN App. Shooting Stars participants have not yet been announced.

The 2026 WNBA All-Star Game follows Saturday, July 25, at United Center at 7:30 p.m. CT on ABC, Disney+, and the ESPN App, with WNBA Live running Thursday evening through Saturday at McCormick Place.