Azzi Fudd Won’t Be Fined After Questioning WNBA Officiating
Fudd said she was “confused” about the WNBA’s officiating.
The first public WNBA officiating complaint of the season is from the first overall pick. Following the Dallas Wings’ preseason victory over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, rookie Azzi Fudd was asked how she is adjusting to the physicality of the WNBA. In answering, the UConn product took a backhanded swipe at the officiating.
“Honestly, I’m more confused,” Fudd said . “I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul. So I’m not really sure whether to be physical, whether to—I don’t know.
I’m still figuring that out. ” Fudd’s teammate, Jessica Shepard, joked that Fudd was still figuring out press conferences, too, because she “may get hit” with a fine. A source, however, tells Front Office Sports that the league won’t be fining Fudd for her comments.
Officiating has been a contentious topic in the WNBA in recent years. Ahead of the 2025 WNBA Finals, commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that she would establish a “multi-stakeholder” task force to evaluate officiating in the offseason. It’s still unclear who was involved in the task force.