Azzi Fudd says knee fine ahead of her home debut for Dallas Wings
Azzi Fudd missed her first Dallas Wings home game with a knee injury. When asked whether it was a long-term issue ahead of Thursday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, the No. 1 overall pick said she was ready to go, and her knee felt great.
Before the game, head coach Jose Fernandez said game flow would dictate her playing time.
“I’m looking forward to her being the first guard off the bench tonight and again, making sure we find her in transition and running some half court options for her to get the basketball. We’ll see how she feels. You know, when that first rotation comes up, but is there a certain amount of minutes that she can go, or she can’t go? I think it’s going to be based on how she feels and how the flow of the game is going,” said Fernandez.
In her first game, Fudd played 18 minutes and scored three points while taking only two shots, before sitting out the home game against the Atlanta Dream.
Fudd was excited about her first game and said she knew it would be different getting on the floor for her first game of the season.
“It’s always a different feeling when you get to play at home and then also getting to play at home for the first time, so I can’t wait just to be out there with the team and the fans have been incredible to all of us, so I can’t wait to be out there and just to feel that energy from the other perspective on the court,” said Fudd.
While ready to get back on the court, Fudd celebrated a milestone off the court when she got her master’s degree and the team celebrated her in the locker room. She talked about what that moment says about team camaraderie.
“It meant a lot, especially because I didn’t talk about it. I didn’t bring it up at all. So the fact that they even noticed, knew, saw and celebrated me, they didn’t have to do that at all, they went out of their way. So I definitely felt very valued, very loved, and it just goes to show the kind of team that this is, super selfless, and so, like I said before, I’m super grateful to be a part of this team,” she said.
Fudd entered the game with 4:15 left in the first quarter against the Lynx and will be hoping for to help the team get its first home win of the season.
