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CHICAGO — Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd scored 30 points in the final round to win the WNBA3-Point Contest on Friday night, becoming the first rookie to win the event.
Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, is also the first Wings player to win the contest, which has been held 13 times.
She opened the final round by making all five balls on the first rack from the left corner and hit her first six attempts. She finished with 30 of a possible 40 points and missed six of her 27 shots.
"But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited," Fudd said.
Bridget Carleton shot second in the final round and needed 30 points to force a playoff and 31 to win. The Portland Fire forward finished with 19.
Carleton led the first round with 27 points. Fudd advanced with 24 after needing at least 17 to avoid elimination, making six of her last eight jumpers.
Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard needed 24 points to reach the final round and finished with 20. Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey, who leads the league with 82 3-pointers this season, missed all five balls on her last rack and scored 18. Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün scored 19 and Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman scored 17.
Fudd's total matched the 30 points New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu scored to win last year. Ionescu, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride were invited to this year's field and declined, according to ESPN.
The contest was assured a first-time champion. Ionescu, who won in two of the previous three years, opened this season working back from an injury and was not selected as an All-Star for the first time since 2021. Four-time winner Allie Quigley is retired, and 2024 winner Allisha Gray was not in the field.
Laurie Koehn had been the winner with the least experience, taking the 2007 title in her third season.
Fudd, 23, averages 13.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range. Her 53 3-pointers lead all rookies. She shot close to 45% from beyond the arc in her final season at UConn.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez, general manager Curt Miller, and CEO Greg Bibb watched from courtside.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES: Carleton 27, Fudd 24, Howard 20, Salaün 19, Mabrey 18, Hiedeman 17.
Aflac provided supplemental prize money of $40,000 for first place, $30,000 for second, and $15,000 for third.
UP NEXT: The All-Star Game is Saturday at the United Center, where Team Coop plays Team Spoon at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 draft, is also the first Wings player to win the contest, which has been held 13 times.
She opened the final round by making all five balls on the first rack from the left corner and hit her first six attempts. She finished with 30 of a possible 40 points and missed six of her 27 shots.
"But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited," Fudd said.
Bridget Carleton shot second in the final round and needed 30 points to force a playoff and 31 to win. The Portland Fire forward finished with 19.
Carleton led the first round with 27 points. Fudd advanced with 24 after needing at least 17 to avoid elimination, making six of her last eight jumpers.
Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard needed 24 points to reach the final round and finished with 20. Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey, who leads the league with 82 3-pointers this season, missed all five balls on her last rack and scored 18. Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün scored 19 and Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman scored 17.
Fudd's total matched the 30 points New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu scored to win last year. Ionescu, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, and Minnesota Lynx guard Kayla McBride were invited to this year's field and declined, according to ESPN.
The contest was assured a first-time champion. Ionescu, who won in two of the previous three years, opened this season working back from an injury and was not selected as an All-Star for the first time since 2021. Four-time winner Allie Quigley is retired, and 2024 winner Allisha Gray was not in the field.
Laurie Koehn had been the winner with the least experience, taking the 2007 title in her third season.
Fudd, 23, averages 13.2 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 45.7% from the field and 38.7% from 3-point range. Her 53 3-pointers lead all rookies. She shot close to 45% from beyond the arc in her final season at UConn.
Wings coach Jose Fernandez, general manager Curt Miller, and CEO Greg Bibb watched from courtside.
FIRST-ROUND SCORES: Carleton 27, Fudd 24, Howard 20, Salaün 19, Mabrey 18, Hiedeman 17.
Aflac provided supplemental prize money of $40,000 for first place, $30,000 for second, and $15,000 for third.
UP NEXT: The All-Star Game is Saturday at the United Center, where Team Coop plays Team Spoon at 8:30 p.m. ET.
Continue reading...
