In Chicago on a Friday night, Azzi Fudd became the first rookie in WNBA history to win the All-Star 3-point contest — a milestone that speaks not only to exceptional talent, but to the quiet, patient work that transforms adversity into mastery. The Dallas Wings guard, selected first overall in the draft, found that the repetitive shooting drills born of injury rehabilitation had prepared her, almost unknowingly, for exactly this moment. History, it turns out, is often made in the hours no one is watching.
Azzi Fudd Makes History as First Rookie to Win WNBA 3-Point Contest
It's easy to me, just the set shot. It's what I've been doing since I was young.
Mark
When you watch someone make 30 of 40 shots in a contest like that, is it mostly just talent, or is there something else happening?
Mimi
With Azzi, it's the repetition. She spent so much time in rehab doing stationary shooting—the same spots, the same motion, over and over. By the time Friday came, she wasn't thinking anymore. Her body just knew what to do.
Mark
But she's only averaging 2.2 three-point attempts a game in the regular season. That's pretty low for someone who can clearly shoot like that.
Mimi
Right, and that's the interesting part. She's a rookie on a team still figuring out how to use her. The contest showed what's possible if they start letting her shoot more. It's a signal.
Mark
Did the nerves affect her performance at all, or did she settle in quickly?
Mimi
She felt them—she was honest about that. But once she started, the muscle memory took over. That's what all those rehab hours bought her: the ability to perform even when the pressure is on.
Mark
What does this win mean for the league, beyond just the novelty of a rookie winning?
Mimi
It's a statement about what's coming. Fudd's going to be a scorer in this league. This contest was just the first time people really saw it clearly.
Der Puls
- A rookie stepped into one of basketball's most pressure-filled showcase formats and outshot every veteran in the field, finishing with 30 of a possible 40 points.
- The nerves were real — Fudd admitted to feeling the weight of being watched and being first — yet her body moved on instinct, bypassing anxiety through sheer repetition.
- Portland's Bridget Carleton, scoring 19, never had a chance to close the gap as Fudd's rhythm proved nearly unbreakable across 27 attempts.
- The victory reframes her cautious rookie season — just 2.2 three-point attempts per game — as a slow burn with a very visible ceiling.
In Chicago on a Friday night, Azzi Fudd became the first rookie in WNBA history to win the All-Star 3-point contest — a milestone that speaks not only to exceptional talent, but to the quiet, patient work that transforms adversity into mastery. The Dallas Wings guard, selected first overall in the draft, found that the repetitive shooting drills born of injury rehabilitation had prepared her, almost unknowingly, for exactly this moment. History, it turns out, is often made in the hours no one is watching.
Azzi Fudd stood at the line in Chicago and did something no rookie had ever done: she won the WNBA All-Star 3-point contest. The Dallas Wings guard was nearly flawless in the opening round, converting 30 of a possible 40 points and missing only six attempts — enough to eliminate Portland's Bridget Carleton and claim the title outright.
Afterward, Fudd was candid about the nerves. The pressure of being watched, of being first, had been building all night. But once she got going, the mechanics took over. What looked effortless from the outside had been built over years of quiet, unglamorous work. During college, repeated injuries had kept her off the court — but rehabilitation gave her something unexpected. Hours of stationary, repetitive "chair shooting" from fixed spots had made her form automatic. When she arrived at a contest built around racks of balls and set positions, she was stepping into a format she had essentially been rehearsing for years without knowing it.
The Wings had taken Fudd first overall in April's draft, betting on her talent despite the injury history. Her rookie season has been measured — just 2.2 three-point attempts per game — but she has converted 53 of them. Friday night suggested what a higher volume might look like. "It's easy to me, just the set shot," she said, careful not to sound arrogant. "It's what I've been doing since I was young."
All-Star weekend in Chicago also debuted the Shooting Stars competition, a new team event blending league legends, current players, and rising talent. Team Washington won the inaugural contest. But the evening's defining image was a rookie, calm at the line, turning years of rehabilitation into a moment no one in WNBA history had reached before her.
Azzi Fudd stood at the line Friday night in Chicago and did something no rookie had done before in WNBA history: she won the All-Star 3-point contest. The Dallas Wings guard finished the opening round with 30 points out of a possible 40, her shooting so clean that she missed only six of her 27 attempts. It was enough to eliminate Portland's Bridget Carleton, who scored 19, and enough to claim the title outright.
After the final shot fell, Fudd acknowledged the weight of the moment. She'd felt the nerves building all night—the kind of pressure that comes with being watched, with being first. "You saw 'only' six shots, but I feel like that was a lot," she said, her voice carrying both relief and something like disbelief. "But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited." What struck her most, though, was how natural the whole thing felt once she got going. The mechanics, the rhythm, the repetition—it was muscle memory made visible.
That muscle memory didn't arrive by accident. Fudd had spent her college years battling injuries that limited her time on court, but those setbacks came with an unexpected gift. During rehabilitation, she spent countless hours doing what she calls "chair shooting"—stationary, repetitive work from the same spots, over and over, until her form became automatic. "You get really good at shooting off of a rack and being stationary and robotic and having to knock your shot down," she explained. When the 3-point contest arrived, with its racks of balls and fixed positions, she was stepping into a format she'd essentially been training for all along.
The Dallas Wings selected Fudd first overall in April's WNBA Draft, betting on her overall talent despite the injury history. So far in her rookie season, she's been cautious with her volume from distance, averaging just 2.2 three-point attempts per game. But she's made 53 of them. The contest suggested what might be possible if that volume increases. When asked about the ease with which she'd just made 30 shots, Fudd was careful not to sound arrogant, but the confidence was there. "It's fun to do because... and I don't want to sound cocky... but it's easy to me, just the set shot," she said. "It's what I've been doing since I was young."
The All-Star weekend in Chicago also introduced a new competition to the league's showcase events. The Shooting Stars competition replaced the traditional skills challenge, bringing together four three-person teams, each mixing a league legend, a current player, and a rising young talent. Team Washington won the inaugural event, defeating Team Seattle. But the night belonged to Fudd—a rookie who'd turned her injury rehabilitation into precision, and precision into history.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
You saw 'only' six shots, but I feel like that was a lot. But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited.— Azzi Fudd
It's easy to me, just the set shot. It's what I've been doing since I was young.— Azzi Fudd
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