Azzi Fudd became the first rookie ever to win the WNBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest with a stunning 30-point performance in the final round of Friday’s competition. Fudd, the No. 1 overall draft pick by the Dallas Wings, was just the fourth rookie to compete in this event since its inception in 2006.

“It’s incredible,” Fudd said after making history. “First of all, just an honor to be invited to do it and participate against the other best shooters in the league. It’s an honor to win as well.”

It seemed like destiny for the former UConn standout, who as a high schooler faced NBA star Stephen Curry in a 3-point shooting contest at his basketball camp. Fudd didn’t win that one, but she was feeling confident after Friday’s win and publicly challenged him to a rematch.

“Steph, if you are listening, I’ve been asking for a rematch since high school, so maybe this is our time to start figuring out a time and a place,” Fudd said.

Her 24 points in the first round helped Fudd advance to the title round against Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton, who punched her ticket with 29 points. Marina “Money” Mabrey, one of the favorites to win it all, was eliminated in the first round with just 18 points. Before Fudd, Rhyne Howard — who was also a participant on Friday — had been the only rookie to ever reach the final round (2022).

Carleton looked solid in the first round, but Fudd didn’t show any nerves and remained focused with her eyes on the trophy. She started her final round by making every single shot from the first rack and went on to make 20 of her 26 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Carleton missed her first three shots. She was not able to recover from that shaky start and finished with 19 points.

“Just focusing,” Fudd said during her post-win interview on the court. “This is what you do every single day as a basketball player.”

Many of Fudd’s former and current teammates from UConn and Dallas, including Paige Bueckers, witnessed the historic moment from the sideline. They helped her celebrate the win by pouring water on her. While she playfully complained about her hair, Fudd said it meant “everything” to have her friends and family there.

“I got nervous. First time ever,” said her dad Tim Fudd while waiting to take pictures with her. “I usually trust the work… It’s amazing. It’s all amazing. This is surreal, but this is her element so I’m happy to see it. I told her before she left the hotel, ‘just lock in.’”

Last year, Sabrina Ionescu also won the title with 30 points. However, her 37-point performance in 2023 is still the WNBA and NBA All-Star record.

First-round scores 

• Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire) — 29 points
• Azzi Fudd (Dallas Wings) — 24 points
• Rhyne Howard (Atlanta Dream) — 20 points
• Janelle Salaun (Golden State Valkyries) 19 points
• Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo) — 18 points
• Natisha Hiedeman (Seattle Storm) — 17 points

Steph up next?

At 15 years old in 2018, Fudd became one of the first female campers ever to be invited to Stephen Curry’s SC30 Select Camp. After winning the camp’s 3-point contest, she earned a chance to go head-to-head against Curry himself. 

“Really nervous but also exciting because it was so much fun to be at that camp, to be one of the first two girls there,” Fudd recounted. “And then, shooting against boys, it is always a little extra something when you win against boys. So it was a lot of fun. Shooting against Steph was super cool.”

Curry ended up winning their battle 20–16, but as she stated on Friday, Fudd is ready to take his crown.

Technically, Fudd already got him back last year at the Curry Camp in China while he and his brother Seth were touring with Under Armour. Fudd beat them both while making four out of five 3-pointers. Stephen made three and Seth made two.

GG Banks carries Washington to Shooting Stars competition win

Friday featured the Shooting Stars competition for the first time in WNBA All-Star history with four teams made up of three generations of women’s basketball players. Each roster had a retired WNBA legend, a current WNBA player and a top high school player from Nike EYBL.

Jezelle “GG” Banks, one of the top players in the class of 2027, lifted team Washington to victory in the inaugural competition. WNBA legend Elena Delle Donne helped teammates Banks and Washington Mystics center Shakira Austin advance to the championship with an outstanding performance in the first round. However, she joked that her stamina was not as good as it used to be because she couldn’t keep the momentum going.

Even after Teresa Weatherspoon — the team’s official ball passer — accidentally started four seconds late, Team Seattle made it tough for Washington with 24 points in their final round. Washington got to the four-point spot needing just one bucket to win it, but the shots were initially not falling from Spot 7. Banks remained calm and eventually hit the winning shot, and then one more before the clock ran out. 

“I got a pro and a legend in my squad. They are putting the confidence in me,” Banks said after the win. “I felt like I could do anything when I was with them.”

Coincidentally, Delle Donne went to Ursuline Academy in Delaware, the same high school Banks currently attends.