Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd made WNBA history on July 24, 2026, by winning the STARRY 3-Point Contest during All-Star weekend at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, according to Geoff Stellfox/Getty Images reporting covered by Fox News. Fudd became the first rookie in league history to claim the 3-point contest title, finishing the first round with 30 points and taking 27 shots while missing just six.
Rookie Performance in Chicago
Fudd outpaced the competition during the Friday night event, finishing 10 points shy of the maximum possible score while defeating Portland Fire star Bridget Carleton, who was eliminated after scoring 19 points in the round, according to Fox News reporting. Despite the historic outcome, Fudd admitted to experiencing pre-event jitters. “You saw ‘only’ six shots, but I feel like that was a lot,” Fudd said, as reported by Fox News. “But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited.”
Reflecting on her shooting mechanics, Fudd noted that the stationary nature of the contest suited her natural rhythm. “It’s fun to do because… and I don’t want to sound cocky… but it’s easy to me, just the set shot. Take the ball from the rack; it really is muscle memory. It’s what I’ve been doing since I was young,” Fudd told Fox News.
Rehabilitation and College Career Impact
Entering the All-Star break, Fudd averaged 2.2 shots from beyond the arc during her rookie season, knocking down 53 total 3-pointers, according to Fox News data. Although injuries affected her collegiate career at UConn, the Dallas Wings selected her with the first overall pick in the April WNBA Draft due to her exceptional talent.
Fudd stated that her past injury setbacks provided an unexpected training advantage that helped her secure the All-Star trophy. The repetitive rehabilitation work required substantial stationary shooting, which refined her form. “That was a lot of chair shooting, a lot of stationary shots, so you get really good at shooting off of a rack and being stationary and robotic and having to knock your shot down,” Fudd said, according to Fox News.
Inaugural Shooting Stars Competition
Prior to the 3-point contest, the WNBA introduced the inaugural Shooting Stars competition in Chicago to replace the traditional skills challenge, according to Fox News. The new format featured four three-person rosters, with each team consisting of a former player designated as a legend, a current player, and a rising young player. Team Washington captured the title by defeating Team Seattle in the final round.
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