Azzi Fudd to miss rest of WNBA season after knee surgery
Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd will undergo right knee surgery next week and miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA regular season, the team announced Wednesday. The No. 1 overall pick has been sidelined since Aug. 5 while managing persistent right knee soreness, ending a promising debut that made her one of Dallas' most important players.
The Wings described the procedure as season-ending and said it is intended to alleviate ongoing soreness in Fudd's right knee. She last appeared in Dallas' 96-92 loss to the Washington Mystics on Aug. 5, when she finished with nine points, three assists and three steals in 34 minutes.
Key Takeaways
- Fudd will have right knee surgery next week and will not return during the regular season.
- In 30 games, she averaged 13.1 points and shot 39.7% from beyond the arc.
- Dallas is 19-11 with Fudd this season and 1-5 without her.
- The Wings hold the eighth playoff spot but are 2-7 since the All-Star break.
- Fudd's right knee has a documented history of ACL and MCL tears dating to high school.
What surgery is Azzi Fudd having?
According to the team's announcement, Fudd's procedure is scheduled for next week and targets right knee soreness that kept her out of the lineup for five straight games. The Wings did not release further surgical details beyond calling it a season-ending operation.
The timing ends any hope of a late-season return for a player who moved into the starting lineup in late May and quickly became a core contributor on both ends of the floor. For more breaking sports updates, see our Celebrity Breaking News hub.
How big a loss is Fudd for the Dallas Wings?
Fudd ranks fourth on Dallas in scoring and leads the team in both three-pointers and steals. She averaged 13.1 points, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals while shooting 39.7% from three-point range across 30 appearances.
The numbers underscore how much the Wings rely on her spacing. With Fudd on the floor, Dallas posts a 114.2 offensive rating and shoots 35.5% from deep, compared with 108.0 and 29.7% when she sits, per CBS Sports. The team is 19-11 with her and 1-5 without her this season.
That gap has hit Dallas at a fragile moment. The Wings are 20-16 and clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot, but they have gone 2-7 since the All-Star break. Floor spacing becomes even more valuable in the postseason, and Fudd figured to be a key piece for coach Jose Fernandez — especially in a potential first-round matchup with the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx.
What is Fudd's knee injury history?
Durability around Fudd's right knee was a concern long before she reached the WNBA. She tore her ACL and MCL in that knee during high school, then suffered another ACL tear plus meniscus damage early in her junior season at UConn.
A minor right knee sprain also sidelined her for multiple weeks during her senior year with the Huskies. In five college seasons, she completed only two fully healthy campaigns. Another right knee issue cutting her rookie year short raises larger questions about her long-term health, even though the Wings framed this procedure around managing soreness rather than a new catastrophic tear.
Can the Dallas Wings still make the playoffs?
Despite the slump, Dallas remains in the postseason picture. The Wings sit eighth in the standings with a 4.5-game cushion over ninth-place Portland and eight regular-season games remaining, according to Bleacher Report.
Paige Bueckers remains the engine, but her production has dipped since the break without Fudd and fellow key contributor Jessica Shepard, who missed time with an ankle injury before returning Monday. Dallas faces an easier remaining schedule, yet its 0-7 record against top-eight opponents during the post-All-Star skid highlights how thin the margin for error has become — now without its best three-point shooter down the stretch.