It all started as a rivalry between two young basketball players. But soon, it turned into love. Paige Bueckers welcomed her to the Huskies, and since then, they’ve stood together through the good, the bad, and the ugly. And while PB and Azzi Fudd are on their own different basketball journeys now, love is still in the air.

No, we aren’t speculating. We just noticed a small act of love. It happened when Fudd, after the November 16th game, went out of her way. She approached a fan holding a sign that read “Paige Bueckers’ Girlfriend. Sign Here” and signed right where it pointed, towards the blank. Cute. 

Well, clearly, Fudd is obsessed with being called Paige Bueckers’ girlfriend. She’s shown it before, too. On June 21st, she posted a mirror selfie with a phone case that read “Paige Bueckers’ Girlfriend.” Just like that, Fudd left no doubt about their relationship. And while she didn’t post anything for Paige’s birthday, a detail that made headlines, she clearly didn’t need to. 

This recent instance, though, even Paige has done it. During the Dallas Wings vs. Phoenix Mercury game, when PB was caught holding hands with Fudd,  a fan had asked her to sign a poster that said “Azzi Fudd’s Girlfriend, sign here.” It was before officially confirming their relationship. But, PB dropped her signature right on the line.

A little later, ahead of All-Star weekend, PB answered a series of questions about her “D1 Girlfriend” during a game with Wag Talk. She subtly confirmed the rumors by simply saying “Azzi Fudd” when asked about her gf’s name. Of course, Azzi was there at the event supporting Paige as Team Napheesa Collier defeated Team Clark 151–131. 

There were other moments, too, when people just knew before the confirmation dropped. Like Paige dropping 35 points on June 18th while wearing Azzi’s jersey number, only hours after wearing a tee with her face on it.  Or how on June 21st, when Fudd wore PB’s jersey during a Wings game, and how the two wore rings featuring each other’s birthstones. 

Is  Jess & Pearl, a new Apple series, based on them??

Paige Bueckers is ‘attached to star‘ in Jess & Pearl, an Apple Originals film. The movie, based on an idea by Scandal alum Zahir McGhee, is set in the world of basketball. It follows two phenoms who forge an extraordinary bond as teammates until fame and competition threaten to turn their friendship into an epic rivalry. While it’s not confirmed, the plot sounds uncannily similar-except flipped.

In the movie, friendship turns into rivalry. In real life, it was the opposite for Paige and Azzi. Their story began when they met as teenagers trying out for the USA Basketball team. For Fudd, Paige was “this skinny little white girl” on the court. “I watched her play and I was like, ‘Oh, I have nothing to worry about with this girl… I have a better chance of making it than her.’” What started as a rivalry slowly grew into a lasting bond.

Paige later visited Azzi in Washington, D.C. to work out together. And when Paige got the spot at UConn, she campaigned to get Fudd to join. And it worked. Fudd committed to UConn in November 2020, and they officially became teammates.

“I think we both hate losing, but I think we hate losing to each other more than anything,” Paige told the UConn blog in 2021. “We both want to win, we both want to make each other better. I think we’re just here to push each other. It’ll be fun to go at it in practice, but once we’re on the same court together, I think that’ll be good.”

And it was. They dominated on the court together, and off the court, they were inseparable, creating content, watching games, attending fashion shows, and traveling side by side.

What looked like friendship soon revealed itself as something more. Fudd followed Paige through the entire WNBA Draft process. She even accompanied her to the NYC studio, where they were photographed outside together. Since then, fans have been picking up on small gestures hinting at the relationship long before the couple confirmed it. So, yes-rivalry, then friendship, then love between two phenoms.