CHICAGO -- Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd won the WNBA All-Star 3-point shooting contest Friday night, becoming the first rookie to capture the title in league history.
Fudd, the 2026 No. 1 pick, scored 30 of the possible 40 points in the final round, beating Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton, who finished with 19. Fudd missed only six of the 27 shots to win the championship.
"You say 'only' six shots, but I feel like that was a lot," Fudd said. "But honestly, I was really nervous. I was excited."
Fudd added: "It's fun to do because -- and I don't want to sound cocky -- but it's easy to me, just the set shot. Take the ball from the rack; it really is muscle memory. It's what I've been doing since I was young."
Fudd ranks 10th in the league with 2.2 3-pointers per game this season and is also 10th in total 3-pointers made with 53. She credited her parents for her shooting form, particularly her mom, whose shot, she said, is identical to hers. But Fudd also said her ability to hit a shot repeatedly from the same spot stems from rehabbing injuries.
Fudd dealt with multiple injuries during her college career, notably a torn right ACL and meniscus in November 2023 that sidelined her for the majority of that season. She also missed significant time during her sophomore year in 2022-23 because of another right knee injury.
"That was a lot of chair shooting, a lot of stationary shots, so you get really good at shooting off of a rack and being stationary and robotic and having to knock your shot down."
The 3-point contest was the second competition of the night. Earlier, the league held its first Shooting Stars competition, which replaced the skills challenge.
Shooting Stars featured four teams of three players from different generations: one "legend," one current player and one up-and-coming player. Team Washington, which featured WNBA Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne, Washington Mystics forward Shakira Austin and Nike EYBL player Jezelle "GG" Banks, won the competition.
Each team had 70 seconds to shoot from seven spots on the floor, with each shot being worth two, three or four points, depending on the location. The two teams with the highest score after the first round made it to the final.
Team Washington beat Team Seattle, featuring legend Lauren Jackson, current player Flau'jae Johnson and high school player Tatianna Griffin -- to win the trophy.
"I loved it," Delle Donne said. "It was certainly fun to participate in. I hope it was fun for the viewers to watch. To be able to lead the next generation and see our next superstars rising, it's really cool."
Delle Donne, Austin and Banks each received $22,500 and also split a prize of $85,000. Fudd earned $70,000 as the winner of the 3-point shootout, with $30,000 of that guaranteed by the new CBA guidelines. Last year, Sabrina Ionescu's prize money from the union was $2,575.
