Mac Engel: Azzi Fudd's relationship with Paige Bueckers is the big deal (that isn't)

DALLAS — When you type in "Paige Bueckers" on Google, the second prompt is the word "Girlfriend." According to TikTok, the answer is Azzi Fudd, and they "officially confirmed their relationship, which has been widely celebrated and documented on social media, including matching jewelry and public support during events like the WNBA draft." For those who want to know if the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft is in a romantic relationship with her old teammate from UConn, now her teammate again with the Dallas Wings, their team did not permit her to answer. This type of thing should be between Bueckers and Fudd, but this situation is different, even if it's "normal." On Thursday morning at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dallas, Fudd was introduced at a press conference. Award-winning veteran Dallas Morning News columnist Kevin Sherrington asked the one question that 98% of those who have followed this situation want to know — are Bueckers and Fudd dating? Ready for the question, the Wings PR person was polite about it but did not allow Fudd to answer because it's a query about her personal life. Let her answer it. It's the only part of the press conference that went viral, or the vast majority of the audience is interested in. The team is annoyed that this is a story; because, "Would you ask that of a man?" Yes. Yes, they would. I would. I'm kicking myself that I didn't. Because it's a story. And people are drawn to sports not just to gamble, or to get drunk, but because of the drama. You'll notice "Real Housewives" isn't built around fluff PR, not "talk about how happy you were the moment you were drafted No. 1." People, fans, are drawn to conflict, real or scripted. Teams routinely get annoyed with media that spends time on this sort of thing, but there is no better sales tactic than drama. Ask Jerry Jones. And Paige Bueckers playing on the same team again with Azzi Fudd is drama, with the potential to be great, or a miniseries-level disaster. The relationship is a story The two have reportedly been an item for at least a year. Bueckers was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft, and now Fudd is here in 2026. That is one helluva coincidence. Did Bueckers influence the Wings' decision to select her girlfriend? Did the Wings accommodate that request to keep their new star player happy? Those scenarios are plausible because college and pro sports are loaded with examples of teams gelding themselves to keep a star player happy. Fudd was not the consensus No. 1 player in this draft class, but she is worthy of the selection. It's not as if the Wings reached. The concern of the Wings drafting Fudd There is a reason why so many places of employment have rules about co-workers fraternizing, or dating. The worry in this scenario is the same as any office that sees co-workers show up at the Christmas party, and they are suddenly "an item." If it works, great. If it doesn't, it can get messy, and affect the entire office. These are young people and relationships change. Stuff happens. Stress happens. You never know how people will react when life gets hard, and people screw up. Because it will, and they will. If that relationship should change, it could impact on-the-floor performance. The WNBA is full of stories of players "freezing out" teammates because of relationship conflict. Why asking Fudd that question is fair game Some of the immediate online reaction to Sherrington's question was about a perceived double standard that exists if you want it to. There is none. NBC routinely glorifies romantic Olympic figure skating partners. The crux of the concern is the relationship, and the potential conflict. This area has plenty of stories where teammates' relationships went to the toilet, and it affected the team. They weren't dating. In 2008, the Cowboys' Terrell Owens offered an array of accusatory theories about quarterback Tony Romo, tight end Jason Witten and offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. In 1976, Cowboys backup quarterback Clint Longley punched Roger Staubach. In 1998, Cowboys receiver Michael Irvin stabbed teammate Everett McIver. The Rangers' Chad Curtis and Royce Clayton got into a near-physical altercation in 2000 because of the music in the clubhouse. The Mavericks and the myth behind the breakup of the 3 Js: Jimmy Jackson, Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn over their relationship with pop star Toni Braxton. In the 2003-04 season, the Dallas Stars nearly had a locker room meltdown because of feuds between players' wives. Most recently, there is considerable fire that the Rangers traded second baseman Marcus Semien this offseason to the Mets because of his sour relationship with shortstop Corey Seager. The Wings are not worried about Fudd and Bueckers There is almost no precedent in high-profile male sports of intra-team dating, so it is a relatively new phenomenon in mainstream sports media coverage. One of the realities in the WNBA is that some of the players, and coaches, date each other. In 2005, former Texas Tech and WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes announced she was gay and in a relationship with one of her former assistant coaches. Since that announcement, these sorts of relationships in the sport are increasingly out of the closet, but not a point of discussion. The Wings' unofficial stance on this subject is that if they worried about the dating lives of their players, they wouldn't be able to assemble a team. They trust that Bueckers and Fudd are adults, and will be professional. That winning basketball games is the job, and anything else needs to be left off the floor. But the story is not going away, because the potential for great drama could be a title, or a disaster.