Imago
Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images
Imago
Photo by Allen Kee / ESPN Images
“Paige Bueckers’ girlfriend.” Bombshell dropped. Some hearts broken. Fireworks celebrated. And UConn’s Azzi Fudd got the hard launch she wanted with no words but just a phone case visible in a casual mirror selfie. But it all began years ago like many great stories do– “This white girl got nothing on me, I don’t need to worry about her. I quickly realized that I was wrong.” Fudd and Paige Bueckers are known as the powerful Huskies duo with impressive basketball skills. However, long before they were helping Geno Auriemma to the 2025 NCAA DI Championship title, they were competing against each other for a spot on the U16 National Team in 2017. Although their ‘friendship’ was barely a theory for their fans all this time, the two have given us all the reasons to dig deeper in this mystery.
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Throughout their time in Storrs, we have seen them post thousands of TikTok videos– parody, dance, celebration, literally anything and everything. If not that, the two seemed joint at the hip, going everywhere together. Remember when the two landed in New York together to cheer on Aliyah Boston and Nika Muhl during the 2023 WNBA Drafts and gave us some behind the scenes of it all? Even for Bueckers’ first-overall selection back in April, Fudd joined along as the guard’s plus-one while she waits for her final season to be over where she will go for another championship trophy as a Husky. But now, the TikToks have become quite deep.
Like the dinner bill parody the two had where Fudd added the caption, “Princess treatment every time I’m with her #spoiled” complete with angel and heart emojis. It even made the “The Sports Gossip” podcast hosts Charlotte Wilder and Madeline Hill wonder, “That’s not a trend you do with your best friend … especially the emoji use. Those emojis are not platonic.” From appearing in multiple Dallas Wings games to posting about each other, the distance between the two best friends doesn’t seem to be affecting them much. But every once in a while, they drop a post which makes you think about their friendly relationship more and more, just like the one the basketball world just received.
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A fan of the two, Jo, tweeted the parallel videos of the two players on her X with the caption, “I be thinking about azzi in this tiktok at least 100 times a day…I am no better than paige bueckers 😩” And we can understand why the fan really wanted to share the videos. Here’s what they were about.
Chronologically, we believe Paige Bueckers’ video came first. She dropped a lip-sync TikTok to artist Dave’s Starlight focusing on the lyrics: “I like mine obsessed, clingy. If she don’t miss me, miss me. If she don’t miss me, history. If she don’t miss me, it’s a mystery.” And as if wanting to respond to her best friend, Azzi Fudd too dropped a TikTok video hinting at a full-blown long-distance couple moment.
Fudd’s post was on Rod Wave’s Letter from Houston with the lyrics, “I wrote this song for you, so you should pay attention. I was just staring at the ceiling and got in my feelings. Reminiscing about us fighting f——, and chilling. Right now, I’m riding through Memphis, passing through the city. I’m with my n—–, but I miss you girl, don’t get it twisted. And I cannot wait ’til I see you, hug you, and kiss you.”
I be thinking about azzi in this tiktok at least 100 times a day…I am no better than paige bueckers 😩 pic.twitter.com/k38Zc8lHVx
— jo (@thearkvi) June 29, 2025
Honestly, it all adds up, especially when you look back at just how inseparable they were in those final days before Paige packed her bags for Dallas. Fudd even flew out to see her off and has been a regular at Wings games since, proudly repping Bueckers’ jersey. But when it’s a six-year bond we’re talking about, courtside seats and team merch just aren’t enough.
All the times the internet has gone into a frenzy!
Bueckers and Fudd continue to maintain the connection they have built, and it was on full display when Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Dressed in a sparkly suit, Bueckers sat alongside Fudd, who wore a flowy black gown that instantly had fans obsessed. Fudd was the only friend sitting at the table for draft picks.
And she wasn’t just there; she was front and center, fully supportive. So, when Bueckers’ name was called, Fudd was the first to hug her. Since then, they’ve found ways to stay close, especially through TikTok. Right after the draft, Fudd posted a series of photos from the orange carpet featuring the two of them, adding fuel to the ongoing speculation about the two dating. Then came the subtle clues.
At her first Dallas Wings press conference, fans noticed Bueckers wearing a ring that appeared to have Fudd’s birthstone. Not long after, Fudd showed up at a press event wearing a ring that matched Bueckers’ birthstone. And yes, there was even a TikTok where Fudd wore a necklace with a heart pendant and Bueckers’ jersey number on it. A few weeks later, Fudd posted a mirror selfie with a phone case that declared: “Paige Bueckers’ girlfriend.”
From collaborations with Oreo Cookies to launching their own merchandise, their close friendship has always been incredibly apparent. And if you still have any doubts, just look at the time when Bueckers supported Fudd throughout her recovery journey, even sending her a bouquet after surgery.
“Through that whole thing, she came and visited me before my surgery. After surgery, she was the first one to call. She was always texting me, checking up on me, and making sure that my spirits were high throughout the whole thing,” Fudd told Go Mag at the time. But it could also be because Bueckers too had gone through ACL injury, missing seasons in recovery and understands what Fudd would be going through as well.
Bueckers even made her best assist for UConn by helping the team recruit Fudd for the next season. She tweeted “#GetAzziToUConn” and even admitted to persuading Fudd into joining the program.
But now, Fudd and Bueckers are no longer teammates. So, knowing the genuine care they’ve always had for each other, it’s fair to wonder: Were they just waiting for the right time? What do you think? Are they really dating now?
Written by
Edited by
Shreya Singh