Paige Bueckers makes strong statement against online 'hate' in wake of Azzi Fudd split
Paige Bueckers makes strong statement against online 'hate' in wake of Azzi Fudd split
Matthew NeschisSat, November 7, 2026 at 1:09 AM UTC
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Paige Bueckers confirmed that she and Azzi Fudd split over a year ago -Credit:Getty Images (Getty Images)
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers publicly condoned the online hate being directed at her friends, family, and teammates after announcing that she and Azzi Fudd had split.
While making a guest appearance on the Fudd Around and Find Out podcast, Bueckers revealed her romantic relationship with Fudd ended “over a year” ago. The pair’s love life was placed under a microscope once they became teammates on the Wings, with numerous pundits and critics questioning whether the unique arrangement in Dallas would work.
In light of the media firestorm, Bueckers called out the toxicity and negativity directed at her inner circle. “There’s a whole list and notes of things that I would love to address if I had the time or the energy,” she began.
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“But I think, and Azzi can agree to this, just to start by saying like, we don’t stand for hate of any kind. Putting people down to lift us up individually, together.
“Any negative nature of that kind, we don’t associate with that. We don’t condone that. If you’re using our names and our image to spread that, that’s not who we are. And that’s not what we’re about.”
“If you support us, why would you hate on our teammates? Why would you hate on our friends? Why would you hate on our family? Why would you just tear people down to lift us up? That’s never been something we’ve stood for.”
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Addressing the false rumors and gossip spread about her and Fudd, Bueckers added: “We’ve seen a lot of negativity, we’ve seen a lot of hate, we’ve had stuff sent to us, we’ve had stuff sent to our family, our friends.
“I hate that we have to address this, but just to control the narrative, there’s been some crazy things said about us.”
Bueckers also dispelled the narrative that she and Fudd’s personal life would impact their connection on the court, noting that they were not a romantic item for the entirety of the 2026 WNBA season.
“We’re not together anymore. It’s been — for anybody wondering, even though we don’t have to share — but it’s been a while. It’s been over a year,” Bueckers said.
“And to share that because everybody’s gonna be like, ‘Oh my god, they’re teammates, how is this going to work?’ We were not together before she got drafted. So all of those narratives can go to bed.”
Paige Bueckers publicly condoned the online hate that's been directed at her inner circle -Credit:Fudd Around and Find Out
Bueckers insisted that her connection to Fudd played no role in the Wings’ decision to select the UConn product with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Detroit notably passed on several big names, including eventual Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles.
“She was not drafted because she was my girlfriend,” Bueckers said of Fudd. “She was drafted because she deserved it.
“She’s an amazing human, amazing basketball player. And we’re still friends. We’re still cool.”
Source: “AOL Sports”
