Azzi Fudd wins WNBA 3-point contest; Natisha Hiedeman scores 17

Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd won the WNBA All-Star 3-point shootout in Chicago on Friday, beating Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton 30-19 in the final. Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman competed in the field but scored 17 first-round points and did not advance to the championship round.

Fudd, the 2026 No. 1 overall pick, became the first rookie to win the contest in league history. The field also included Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, and Golden State’s Janelle Salaün, according to ESPN.

Key Takeaways

• Azzi Fudd scored 30 points in the final to beat Bridget Carleton’s 19 and become the first WNBA rookie 3-point contest champion.
• Natisha Hiedeman opened the shootout for Seattle and finished with 17 first-round points, exiting before the final.
• Fudd advanced with 24 first-round points after Carleton led the opening round; Howard (20), Salaün (19), and Mabrey (18) also fell short.
• Fudd earned $70,000 for the win under new CBA prize guidelines, a sharp jump from prior All-Star payouts.
• Team Washington (Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin, and Jezelle “GG” Banks) won the inaugural Shooting Stars Challenge.

Where did Natisha Hiedeman finish in the 3-point contest?

Natisha Hiedeman was among six All-Star shooters at Wintrust Arena and led off the competition. She posted 17 points in the first round, the lowest total in the field.

That score left her outside the final two. Fudd’s 24-point opening round eliminated Hiedeman from contention, per live reporting from Yahoo Sports. Hiedeman entered averaging 2.0 threes per game at 35.2% from deep, ranking near Fudd among league volume shooters.

The Storm guard’s early exit set the tone for a stacked heat that still could not match Fudd once the final began. For fans tracking every participant, Natisha Hiedeman’s night was brief but part of a historic rookie breakthrough.

How did Azzi Fudd beat Bridget Carleton in the final?

Carleton set the pace in round one, then waited as Fudd heated up. In the championship round, Fudd scored 30 of a possible 40 points. ESPN reported she missed only six of 27 shots; The Athletic noted she made her first seven threes and finished with 21 makes.

Carleton needed 30 to force a playoff and 31 to win, but managed only 19 after missing her first three looks and struggling on the middle rack. Fudd’s 30 matched last year’s winning total from Sabrina Ionescu in one accounting and tied the second-highest final score in contest history behind Ionescu’s 37 in 2023, according to The Athletic.

Fudd said she felt nervous despite the smooth set shot. She told ESPN the set shot feels easy thanks to muscle memory. She credited her parents’ shooting form and years of stationary rehab work after college knee injuries, including a torn right ACL and meniscus in November 2023.

This season she ranks near the top 10 in threes made, averaging 2.0 per game with 53 makes entering the weekend. Wings GM Curt Miller had said he was nervous for her beforehand; courtside, former UConn teammates and Wings forward Alysha Clark — wearing Fudd’s jersey — helped fuel the crowd.

What else happened on All-Star Friday night?

Before the shootout, the league debuted its Shooting Stars Challenge, which replaced the skills event. Four mixed-generation teams of three (a legend, a current player, and an up-and-coming shooter) had 70 seconds to score from seven spots worth two, three, or four points.

Team Washington — Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne, Mystics forward Shakira Austin, and Nike EYBL standout Jezelle “GG” Banks — beat Team Seattle (Lauren Jackson, Flau’jae Johnson, and Tatianna Griffin). Banks hit decisive half-court shots as Washington closed out the inaugural event.

Delle Donne called the format fun and praised rising talent. She said it was cool to lead the next generation and see the next superstars rising.

How much prize money did the winners take home?

All-Star hardware now comes with meaningful cash — a detail worth watching if you follow athlete earnings alongside other wealth hacks and passive income stories. ESPN reported Fudd earned $70,000 as 3-point champion, including $30,000 guaranteed under new CBA guidelines. By comparison, Sabrina Ionescu’s union prize money last year was $2,575.

Yahoo Sports broke out sponsor layers in live coverage, citing appearance fees and Aflac bonuses for finalists, including additional money for Carleton and third-place Rhyne Howard. For Shooting Stars, The Athletic reported the winning side received $15,000 from the WNBA plus $85,000 from Aflac via the WNBPA partnership, with current-player participants earning $7,500 to appear. ESPN said Delle Donne, Austin, and Banks each received $22,500 and also split an $85,000 prize.

Whatever the exact split by source, Friday’s night underlined a clear trend: All-Star skills nights are paying winners far more than a few seasons ago. Fudd’s first pro trophy arrived with a five-figure payday, while Natisha Hiedeman and the rest of the first-round field still banked appearance money for competing.

Bottom line: Azzi Fudd made history as the first rookie WNBA 3-point champion, Carleton could not answer a 30-point final, and Natisha Hiedeman’s 17-point opener closed her path before the title round.