NEED TO KNOW
Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers appeared on Instagram’s Close Friends Only podcast
The couple — who are former UConn teammates — opened up about their relationship and how they met
Bueckers now plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, while Fudd is a senior at UConn
Azzi Fudd knew her chemistry with Paige Bueckers was special from the start.
The two former University of Connecticut women’s basketball teammates, who went public with their relationship earlier this year, appeared together on Instagram’s Close Friends Only podcast this week and opened up about the first time they met while still in high school.
“When did you know that we were gonna click and, like, be this close?” Bueckers, 23, asked her girlfriend Fudd, 22, during the podcast’s introduction.
“Almost kind of immediately,” Fudd replied. “I feel like we really clicked when we met.”
Bueckers, who graduated from UConn earlier this year and now plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings franchise, laughed and said they both “have different stories” about the day they met.
Fudd, who is now a senior at UConn, said that the couple first met on the court while playing at a USA Basketball camp while they were both still in high school, before each later committed to UConn.
Azzi Fudd/Instagram
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd
“On the court, we clicked,” Fudd said, as Bueckers locked eyes with her and smiled.
Fudd continued, “I don’t remember talking to you at all off the court, but I remember the plane ride home to Minnesota talking to you and really liking you and then that’s when I thought, like, our personality off the court, our personalities clicked.”
As for Bueckers, she recalled, “We had this on-court chemistry, and you don’t remember me off the court, which is like—,” before jokingly making a confused face, prompting Fudd to laugh.
Bueckers and Fudd’s chemistry was front and center throughout their Close Friends Only episode. Elsewhere on the Instagram show, Fudd called Bueckers her “favorite WNBA player” and explained what she admired most about the WNBA rookie off the court.
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“You’re super giving and I like how you always make sure to put others first,” Fudd said. “I love how you take care of people around you and those who matter most to you. You’re super loyal.”
Later, Bueckers explained what her ideal day off with Fudd is like.
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“Going to a nice restaurant and getting something good to eat,” Bueckers said, adding, “Chilling and watching a show, playing video games.”
The couple first went public earlier this summer when Bueckers confirmed their relationship during a red carpet interview with WAG Talk after months of speculation. They won the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship together at UConn last season before Bueckers was selected No. 1 overall in the WNBA Draft by Dallas.
Read the original article on People
