The relationship between Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd has been a story to some degree for about a year, after the two seemed to confirm their relationship was romantic at around the time Paige was selected by the Dallas Wings with the first pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
That selection came a couple weeks after Paige and Azzi won the 2025 NCAA national championship with the UConn Huskies. This marked the first time in nearly a decade that the legendary Geno Auriemma cut down the nets after a championship.
While the former UConn standouts’ relationship status was unclear throughout Fudd’s final season at UConn, it has become a topic of discourse after the Wings selected her with this year’s draft’s No. 1 pick, making her and Bueckers teammates once again.
Fudd was asked about her relationship status with Bueckers during her introductory press conference. The Wings’ PR team stepped in before she could answer, which made it into even more of a story.
Then Bueckers addressed it directly during Dallas’ media day last week, saying at one point, “Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own. And what we choose to share is completely up to us.”
It was likely inevitable that Auriemma was going to be asked about this saga at some point. And that’s what happened on May 4.
When a reporter asked Auriemma whether he has advised Paige and Azzi how to handle the “off the court TMZ Stuff” they’re dealing with, Auriemma said, “Me, advise somebody how to handle off the court stuff? Me? I’m starting a consulting firm, you know? ‘Media Savvy for Dummies,’ that’s what it’s gonna be called,” per an X post from @535pbaz.
“You know, I think Paige had the best quote out of all of them. ‘What I do in my personal life is my business and nobody else’s business.’ And I believe that. And as far as I’m concerned, they are two great people who have come through our program, and done amazing things while they’re here. And whatever else, they do that’s a personal matter for them,” he added.
Props to Auriemma for handling this just about as well as he could have and echoing his former star players’ sentiment. Perhaps this will become a non-story eventually, but that seems to be wishful thinking at this point.
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