Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers are giving the people what they want: More Pazzi.
On August 14, Instagram dropped a brand new episode of their Close Friends Only podcast featuring one of basketball’s most dynamic duos. During the episode, Fudd and Bueckers discussed their favorite WNBA players, Fudd’s tendency to steal from Bueckers’ wardrobe, and offered even more insight into their close dynamic…kind of.
According to Bueckers, they “adjust to each other’s compliments.” Don’t know what that means? Don’t worry, I asked Fudd myself.
“She’s more outgoing, I’m quieter. She’s a little more feisty, I’m a little more calm and even-keeled,” she tells Glamour on a Zoom call from San Francisco. “It’s not always natural, but we can adapt and be what the other person needs in that moment.”
For those who are new here, Bueckers and Fudd were teammates long before their UConn days, meeting at tryouts for the USA Women’s Under-16 National Team in 2017 (they both made it—and won gold—of course). At Bueckers’ behest, Fudd eventually joined her at UConn, where they led their college team to a National Championship in 2024.
Now, for the first time in four years, the duo are’t wearing the same jersey: Because as of June, Bueckers entered her first season in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings and is set to join Unrivaled, the player-run 3×3 league, in January. Meanwhile, Fudd will play one more year with UConn as she finishes up her master’s degree in business and releases more episodes of her new podcast, Fudd Around and Find Out.
And yet, fans have yet to really feel that distance. Aside from attending multiple Wings games this summer, Fudd posted a series of soft-launches on social media before Bueckers went ahead and hard-launched their relationship at the WNBA All-Star game in July. Don’t say they never gave you anything!
During a Zoom call with Glamour, the 22-year-old guard answered some burning questions left over from their Close Friends Only episode, shared what fans should keep to their group chats, and discussed the possibility of playing with—or against—her longtime teammate in the WNBA. They don’t call her the People’s Princess for nothin’.
Read moreA Timeline of Paige Bueckers’s Relationship With ‘D1 Girlfriend’ Azzi Fudd
Bueckers seemingly confirmed the relationship during WNBA All-Star Weekend.
Glamour: During your Close Friends Only episode with Paige, you both agree that you adjust to each other’s compliments. What does that mean?
Azzi Fudd: Wait, we said what? We adjust each other’s compliments?
More precisely, you had said that you complemented each other perfectly. Then Paige said, “I would say we don’t complement each other perfectly, but we adjust to each other’s compliments.”
I stand by what I said. I still think that we complement each other pretty well, but I think she’s more outgoing, I’m quieter. She’s a little more feisty, I’m a little more calm and even-keeled. But I feel like we’re not naturally opposites in those things. I feel like we know what the other person needs in moments and we adapt to make sure we can be there for them or balance them.
Sounds to me like you were right the first time—you complement each other perfectly.
Yeah. I guess what she meant was, like, it’s not always natural. But we can adapt and be what the other person needs in that moment.
In the episode, you also spoke about wearing Paige’s clothes. What item do you steal the most?
Oh, my gosh, I take everything from her. Literally everything. We’re not the same size. Like, obviously, she’s a little skinnier than I am, but she wears her stuff baggy, so it fits me perfectly. So, I steal anything from jeans to sweats to hoodies to sweaters, her bags…literally everything except for her shoes. I wish I could take her shoes.
What’s something you haven’t given back?
I have a few of her jeans. I Have a couple sweaters. I don’t think I have any hoodies, but I definitely have a few of her jeans. And she’s like, “Wait, are those mine?” And I’m like, “Yeah, don’t you remember telling me I could have them?” Fully knowing that she didn’t say that.
You two haven’t been separated for too long since Paige left UConn, with you attending a bunch of her WNBA games. How do you plan to keep communication going when you’re back at school and she’s still in the WNBA season then Unrivaled?
I feel like Close Friends [on Instagram] is a great way that I can keep in touch. I’m not a great texter—I text her, obviously—but with my other friends, I’m not a great texter. I don’t love texting, but I do love scrolling through stories and looking at what my friends are posting and what they’re doing. I love using Close Friends to kind of check in on them without actually having to bother and put in the work…that sounds kind of bad.
But for example, I just found out the other day that one of my old teammates got engaged and I reached out to her and said, “Wow, congrats!” Without Close Friends, I probably wouldn’t have realized that. It’s not something you just text and find out. Close Friends is great for little things like that, where you can see updates on people and not have to always check in and feel like you’re bothering them.
Have you ever posted something on your main Instagram Story that you meant to keep to just Close Friends?
I actually have, but I deleted it right away. I’ve had a couple of friends that have done that and didn’t delete it right away, and that’s one of my favorite things. It’s so funny, and obviously they don’t mean to do that, and then they’re so embarrassed, and you can laugh at ’em. I’ve been lucky to catch it right away.
Since you caught it right away, I won’t ask what it was.
It was like a comparison picture—me making fun of Paige [Laughs]. And I caught it.
What’s something you wish women’s basketball fans would keep to their Close Friends stories or group chats instead of sharing so publicly?
I feel like some of their opinions…I just feel like a lot of times they try to read into things that are not there. You know what? I’ll give it to them, because a lot of times they do read into things and they’re spot on, but they’re definitely reaching—like they have no idea what they’re talking about, and they get it right. Obviously, we don’t inform them that they’re spot on.
There’s a lot of times, too, that they will take a video of a situation and post it. No context. You didn’t hear what was being said. You didn’t see what happened before. So, sometimes their opinions are a lot. But then again, everyone has the right to their opinions.
Speaking of things that should be kept to yourself, how do you feel about the projectiles that have been thrown at some of these recent WNBA games?
I thought the first one was really funny, and it was just random. No one was expecting that. And then after that, it was kind of like, okay, the joke’s old. Also, you’re throwing something on the court where the players are—it could hit one of them, could hurt one of them. I thought the first one was super funny. After that, it’s like, at least throw something else.
Read moreThrowing Dildos at WNBA Games Has Become a Trend. We Need to Talk About It
A sex toy was thrown on the court at the Fever vs. Sparks game on August 5. This was the third time it happened in a week.
As you prepare for you finish up your college career, what do you want your UConn legacy to be?
It’s hard to have a UConn legacy in a place like UConn, where everyone is so incredibly talented and good. But I want my legacy to be about the kind of the person I was on and off the court. I was a great teammate, a great person that wasn’t one sided, one dimensional.
As the WNBA continues to grow in popularity, what are you hoping to see in the next few years?
I want to be able to see the fan engagement and fan support continue to grow. That’s been crazy to be able to watch a little bit in real time and just see how genuine and authentic—the fans really love the players, not just as players, but as people. They’re following them from college to the W, and I think that’s amazing. I want to continue to see the players get the respect they deserve, whether it’s the pay they deserve, the facilities, equal opportunities, whatever it is…I want to see that continue to rise.
You and Paige have been open about her efforts to get you to commit to UConn when you were still in high school. Obviously, a lot can happen before the next draft, but are you hoping to team back up with Paige, whether it’s in the W or Unrivaled?
Paige is the kind of teammate that everyone wants to play with because she’s so selfless. The way she plays, she gets everyone involved. She’s also just a great player, so she attracts so much attention that it makes it easier for everyone else to get good looks and opportunities on the court.
So, I definitely would love to play with her again; at the same time, I’d love to play against her. I think it’s kind of a win win. There’s no bad option.
If you were to play against her, what would you use against her?
I would just mess with her, but at the same time, when you talk trash to her or mess with her, she gets in another zone and then there’s no stopping her. So, I don’t know what I would do.
You’re also podcast host now! On the first episode of Fudd Around and Find Out, you talked about how journalists get to choose the questions, and you’re excited about having the chance to be the one in control. What’s something you wish a journalist would ask you?
I have no idea. [Laughs]
That’s fine. As long as I’m doing well, I don’t care.
Yeah, you’ve been asking some great questions! No notes for you.
Then let’s end it there before I ruin it.
The post Azzi Fudd Doesn’t Know How She’ll Play Against Paige Bueckers: ‘There’s No Stopping Her’ appeared first on Glamour.
