Azzi Fudd's season-ending injury continues a concerning trend originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Azzi Fudd's rookie season in the WNBA is over -- but the lingering right knee issues that have plagued her for years aren't through with her just yet.
The Dallas Wings on Wednesday made the surprise announcement that Fudd -- the top overall pick in April's rookie draft -- will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery next week on her right knee. Fudd has battled soreness in that knee in recent weeks; she last played on Aug. 5 against the Washington Mystics, and she had missed the Wings' previous five games entering Thursday's matchup with the Indiana Fever.
The injury comes at a delicate, if not bad, time for Dallas. The Wings have been mired in a nasty slump of late; they have lost seven of their past 10 games and have slipped to the eighth seed in the WNBA's playoff picture.
MORE: What season-ending injury to No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd means for Wings' WNBA playoff chances
The revelation that Fudd needs surgery marks the latest issue in that particular knee.
Fudd has twice torn her ACL, in 2019 and in 2023, while she missed a combined 14 weeks with a sprain and unspecified soreness between 2022 and 2024, in between the ligament tears.
azzi fudd's right knee injury history:
2019: torn acl & mcl -- multiple surgeries
2022: unspecified -- missed 5 weeks
2023: unspecified -- missed 7 weeks
2023: torn acl & meniscus -- season ending surgery
2024: sprain -- missed 2 weeks
2026: soreness -- season ending surgery
Fortunately for the Wings, Fudd has proven that she is a resilient, mentally-tough player who can overcome the blow from her season-ending surgery announcement.
Fudd shot the UConn Huskies to an NCAA title in 2025 and led the program back to the Final Four in 2026. Upon reuniting with Paige Bueckers in Dallas, Fudd rebounded from a slow start to her professional career and nailed down a starting spot before claiming victory in the 3-Point Contest at All-Star Weekend last month.
The Wings have to hope that this newest setback doesn't derail what looks like a promising pro career for Fudd. Otherwise, Dallas will have hard questions to answer in the years to come.
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