 Fudd withUConn in 2025 | |
| No. 35 – UConn Huskies | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | Big East Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2002-11-11)November 11, 2002 (age 23) Arlington, Virginia, U.S.[1] |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Career information | |
| High school | St. John's College (Washington, D.C.) |
| College | UConn (2021–present) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Medals | |
Azzi Jazlyn Fudd (/ˈeɪzi/AY-zee; born November 11, 2002) is an Americancollege basketball player for theUConn Huskies of theBig East Conference. She attendedSt. John's College High School inWashington, D.C., where she was ranked as the number onerecruit in her class byESPN and won national player of the year honors. Fudd was on theUConn team that reached the2022 national championship game as a freshman, and won the2025 national championship game as a junior.
In 2019, Fudd was named theGatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year after putting up averages of 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, becoming the first sophomore ever to win the award.[2][3] She led her team to a 35–1 record and captured theDistrict of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament title.[4]
Prior to her sophomore year, Fudd became one of the first girls ever to attend the SC30 Select Camp, an elite offseason training camp run by two-timeNBA MVPStephen Curry, and won the camp'sthree-point shooting competition. Shortly after that season, while playing in the final of the U.S. under-183x3 championships, held to determine the country's representatives to that year'sFIBA U18 3x3 World Cup, shetore theACL andMCL in her right knee.[5] Because of the nature of her injury, her knee reconstruction required two separate surgeries.[5]
While still undergoing rehabilitation, Fudd attended Curry's camp again. Her doctor allowed her to compete in the camp's three-point contest again, but only if she could walk between the spots. Nonetheless, Fudd again won the contest.[5]
Fudd returned to the St. John's team in January 2020, averaging 19.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists for St. John's while still recovering from her injury before her season was prematurely halted byCOVID-19. St. John's did not play an official schedule in 2020–21 for the same reason; the team played some unofficial exhibitions as the D.C. Cadets, with Fudd, who was the student body vice-president at the time, personally lobbying the school's principal for this arrangement.[5]
Fudd averaged 25.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals during an abbreviated senior season.
Fudd was a five-star recruit and was ranked number one in the class of 2021 byESPN. She received her first scholarship offer in sixth grade fromMaryland. On November 11, 2020, Fudd announced her commitment toUConn. She chose the Huskies over offers from Maryland,UCLA,Louisville,Oregon,Kentucky,Texas, andNotre Dame.[6] She became the 12th number-one recruit to sign with UConn since 1998 and joined her now-girlfriend[7] and former number-one recruitPaige Bueckers.
.jpg)
Fudd was selectedBig East Preseason Freshman of the Year.[8] On November 21, 2021, Fudd made her collegiate debut for UConn, scoring seven points, and three rebounds in a 95–80 win overArkansas.[9] After playing in the first four games of the season, she missed 11 games due to a foot injury.[10] On February 6, 2022, in Fudd's first collegiate start againstrivalTennessee, she finished with a career high 25 points, along with four rebounds, and four assists.[11] The following game, Fudd finished with a season high 29 points againstVillanova in a 72–69 loss.[12]
During the Elite Eight, Fudd helped UConn in a 91-87 double-overtime victory overNC State scoring 19 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while playing a team high 49 minutes. She andChristyn Williams were named Bridgeport All-Region Team for their performances.[13] She finished her freshmen year averaging 12.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists.
Fudd made her season debut on November 10, 2022, recording 26 points and 4 assists in a 98–39 win againstNortheastern.[14] On November 14, Fudd scored a career high 32 points and four assists in an 83–76 win against number three rankedTexas. The 56 points scored by Fudd set a record for the most points ever scored by a UConn player in the first two games of the season, beating the previous record held byDiana Taurasi. The 32 points scored against Texas tied a record held by Taurasi for the most points scored by a UConn player against a top-five opponent.[15][16] On December 4, against rivalNotre Dame, Fudd suffered a right knee injury after a teammate fell on her knee. Fudd was expected to miss three to six weeks.[17] On January 11, 2023, Fudd returned for the Huskies againstSt. John's after missing the previous eight games. She came off the bench, scored 15 points, and only played 20 minutes due to minutes restrictions.[18] Fudd missed more time after re-injuring her right knee againstGeorgetown, one game after she had returned from a 5-week absence from the initial injury.[19] During Fudd's absence, UConn lost two consecutive games for the first time since March 1993 and suffered multiple losses to unranked conference opponents for the first time since2003–04.[20] After missing 14 games, Fudd made her return in the Huskies' 69–39 Big East tournament quarterfinal win over Georgetown, scoring 10 points in 17 minutes.[21] Despite Fudd's return, the Huskies fell short toOhio State in the Sweet Sixteen.[22] Fudd finished her sophomore season averaging 15.1 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
Fudd made her season debut on November 8, 2023, notching 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 102–58 win againstDayton. On November 22, 2023, it was announced that Fudd had torn her right ACL while practicing, ending her season.[23]
After missing the first couple games due to her ACL injury, Fudd made her season debut on November 20, 2024, in a 85–41 win againstFDU. She finished the night scoring four points and one rebound in a limited 12 minutes.[24] On February 12, 2025, Fudd scored a career-high 34 points againstSt John's in a 78–40 win. She also become the eighth player in program history to score eightthree pointers in a game.[25]
At the end of the 2025 regular season, Fudd was named to the All-Big East First Team, along with teammates Paige Bueckers andSarah Strong.[26] On March 25, 2025, she announced she would be returning to UConn for her final season despite being eligible for theWNBA draft.[27] On April 6, 2025, Fudd won her first national championship scoring 24 points, and 5 rebounds and also winningMost Outstanding Player honors for her performance.[28] She finished her senior season averaging 13.6 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Fudd made her season debut on November 4, 2025, in a 79-66 win againstLouisville recording 20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists. On November 21, 2025, Fudd scored 31 points and 5 rebounds in an 72-69 win against AP No. 6Michigan in the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase.
She has represented the United States internationally, winning gold medals at the2017 FIBA Under-16 Women's Americas Championship in Argentina, the2018 FIBA Under-17 Women's Basketball World Cup inBelarus and2021 FIBA Under-19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Hungary.[29]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
| APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
| * | Denotes seasons in which Fudd won anNCAA Championship |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | UConn | 25 | 17 | 27.9 | 45.7 | 43.0 | 91.2 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 12.1 |
| 2022–23 | UConn | 15 | 10 | 28.2 | 45.6 | 34.0 | 88.2 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 15.1 |
| 2023–24 | UConn | 2 | 2 | 30.5 | 32.0 | 28.6 | 1.000 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 11.0 |
| 2024–25* | UConn | 34 | 30 | 26.4 | 47.4 | 43.6 | 91.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.0 | 13.6 |
| Career | 76 | 59 | 27.4 | 46.1 | 40.7 | 91.0 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 13.3 | |
| Statistics retrieved fromSports-Reference[30] | |||||||||||||
Both of Fudd's parents were basketball players. Her mother, Katie, played atNC State andGeorgetown before being drafted by theSacramento Monarchs in the2001 WNBA draft, while her father, Tim, played atAmerican University.[29] Her father was suspended during the 1996 season for "flagrant unsportsmanlike conduct"[31] during a basketball game at East Carolina. She has two younger brothers, Jon and Jose,[32] whom her parents adopted in 2011,[5] and an older brother named Thomas.[33]
She was named afterJennifer Azzi, a player whom her mother admired.[5]
As of 2025, Fudd confirmed that she is dating former UConn teammate andDallas Wings starterPaige Bueckers.[7] The pair have been close friends since they were 16 and competing against each other for starting point guard on the U16 USA Basketball national team.[34]
In September 2021, Fudd signed aname, image, and likeness (NIL) deal withChipotle, as an ambassador for their "Real Food for Real Athletes" platform.[35] In November 2021, she became an equity partner for sports drinkBioSteel Sports Nutrition.[36] In December 2021, Fudd signed withGolden State Warriors starStephen Curry's SC30 Inc. brand for "multidimensional" partnership, which includes a sponsorship deal and personal mentoring from the four-time NBA champion.[37] Fudd has recently signed deals withBose,Nerf, andBuick.[38][39]
On July 21, 2025,Unrivaled, a3x3 basketball league, announced the signing of 14 of the best women's college basketball players, including Fudd and herUConn teammateSarah Strong, to groundbreaking NIL deals as part of "The Future is Unrivaled Class of 2025", building on the league's commitment to investing in and cultivating the future of the game.[40] Fudd could play in Unrivaled as early as 2027.[41]
On August 7, 2025, Fudd released her own podcast featuring Ashanti Plummer called “Fudd Around and Find Out”, a reference to a t-shirt Fudd's mother wore in the NCAA Tournament. The podcast is presented byiHeartRadio Women's Sports and co-produced bySteph Curry's Unanimous Media.[42] "This podcast is a space where I can bring my full self, athlete, storyteller, budding entrepreneur, and a fan of the game, and highlight the voices that deserve to be heard," Fudd said in a press release.[43]
