Azzi Fudd goes No. 1 to Dallas Wings in WNBA draft as salaries skyrocket; UCLA makes history
WNBA prospects pose on stage before the draft on Monday
(CNN) — Monday night in New York didn’t feel like a standard draft; it felt like a launchpad.
The 2026 WNBA draft class descended on The Shed at Hudson Yards into a transformed financial landscape, powered by the landmark seven-year labor deal struck just last month.
For the second consecutive year, the Dallas Wings held the keys to the kingdom with the No. 1 overall pick.
This year, the Wings selected guard Azzi Fudd from UConn. As a result of the top billing, Fudd is set to earn $500,000 this upcoming season, which is nearly seven times what last year’s top pick, and now teammate, Paige Bueckers, made. Her rookie salary was $78,831.
The WNBA has leveled up.
That staggering jump isn’t just a pay raise; it’s a mission statement, and according to Front Office Sports, every drafted player who makes a team’s roster this season will make more than any WNBA player earned last season.
The No. 2 (Minnesota Lynx’s Olivia Miles from TCU) and No. 3 (Seattle Storm’s Awa Fam Thiam from Spain) picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.
A Storrs reunion in Big D
Fudd will be reunited with former UConn teammate Bueckers. The duo led the Huskies to a national title in 2025; Fudd was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player.
It’s the first time since 2011 that back-to-back No. 1 selections were from the same school.
Fudd becomes the seventh No. 1 pick in UConn history. It’s the third time the Huskies have had back-to-back top overall picks in the WNBA draft.
Champion Bruins make history
The emotional heartbeat of the night belonged to the UCLA Bruins.
They spent the last year winning UCLA’s first-ever women’s basketball national title, and on Monday, they rewrote the record books. The Bruins set a new WNBA record for the most first-round selections from a single school, seeing five players off the board in the opening round:
At No. 4, the Washington Mystics selected center Lauren Betts.
At No. 5, the Chicago Sky drafted guard Gabriela Jaquez.
At No. 6, the Toronto Tempo made history by selecting guard Kiki Rice as the franchise’s first-ever draft pick.
At No. 9, forward Angela Dugalić joined Betts in the nation’s capital with the Mystics.
At No. 15, the Connecticut Sun capped the historic run by drafting guard Gianna Kneepkens, officially sealing the UCLA sweep.
The history-making didn’t stop there. In the second round, the Sun returned to the well, drafting UCLA guard Charliesse Leger-Walker. With that selection, UCLA became the first program in WNBA history to have six draftees in a single draft.
At No. 7, the Portland Fire — the league’s second new franchise — made their own history. The Fire chose Iyana Martín Carrión, a dynamic guard from Spain, as their inaugural pick. Carrión is one of three international players taken in the first round.
Going beyond borders
During her pre-draft news conference, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert framed this moment as a generational pivot point. “The past 30 years have been about building the foundation,” Engelbert told reporters. “The next 30 are about scaling the game, unlocking what’s possible for the entirety of women’s basketball and women’s sports.”
Engelbert revealed the league is now actively exploring a global phase, which will likely include international preseason games, with a long-term vision of playing regular season games on international soil.
The 30th edition of the WNBA season tips off on May 8.
First round selections
- 1. Dallas Wings: Azzi Fudd, Guard, UConn
- 2. Minnesota Lynx: Olivia Miles, Guard, TCU
- 3. Seattle Storm: Awa Fam Thiam, Center, Spain
- 4. Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts, Center, UCLA
- 5. Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jaquez, Guard, UCLA
- 6. Toronto Tempo: Kiki Rice, Guard, UCLA
- 7. Portland Fire: Iyana Martín Carrión, Guard, Spain
- 8. Golden State Valkyries: Flau’jae Johnson, Guard, LSU (traded to Seattle Storm)
- 9. Washington Mystics: Angela Dugalić, Forward, UCLA
- 10. Indiana Fever: Raven Johnson, Guard, South Carolina
- 11. Washington Mystics: Cotie McMahon, Forward, Ole Miss
- 12. Connecticut Sun: Nell Angloma, Forward, France
- 13. Atlanta Dream: Madina Okot, Center, South Carolina
- 14. Seattle Storm: Taina Mair, Guard, Duke
- 15. Connecticut Sun: Gianna Kneepkens, Guard, UCLA
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