The American basketball player for UConn Huskies, Azzi Fudd, suffered an injury and is no longer active as a player, sparking curiosity about when she will return to UConn. Follow along as we uncover what happened to Azzi Fudd in detail.
The dynamic player, Azzi, was recruited as the number one player in her class by ESPN.
Key Takeaways
- Azzi Fudd severely injured her right knee, leading to the tear of her ACL and MCL in 2019. She had to undergo two major surgeries for her knee reconstruction.
- In 2023, she again tore her ACL and MCL in the same knee; thus, she has been taking a break from basketball and eventually missed 22 games.
- Fudd will make her return to UConn in the upcoming 2024-25 season despite qualifying for the WNBA Draft 2024.
She is one of the most dynamic players who entered the National Championship as a Freshman.
Born November 11, 2002, Azzi went to St. John’s College High School in Washington, D.C.
Recently, she suffered a severe injury that forced her to withdraw from many games in the 2022-23 season.
Azzi Fudd Suffered A Serious ACL And MCL Tear On Her Right Knee: What Happened To Her?
Azzi has been playing basketball since high school in 2019.
Immediately after starting her collegiate basketball career, she showcased an outstanding performance, averaging 26.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
She became the first sophomore to win the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year title.
Unfortunately, while playing in the finals of the U.S. under-18 3×3 championships, which decided whether she would go to the FIBA U18 3×3 World Cup that year, she severely hurt her right knee, tearing both the ACL and MCL.
To reconstruct her knee, two subsequent surgeries were needed.
The first surgery was for the MCL, and a few weeks later, she had another surgery for the ACL.
After taking rest and undergoing rehabilitation, she could compete again.
However, during her sophomore season in December 2022, she reinjured her right knee while competing against the rival Notre Dame.
The situation occurred as one of her teammates fell on her knee.
Doctors presumed she might miss three to six weeks of the game. Yet, she returned on January 11 to play against St. John’s, scoring 15 points in 20 minutes.
But then she hurt her knee again in a game against Georgetown, just after she had returned from missing five weeks because of the first injury.
In her junior season, Fudd started strong, scoring 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first game.
Again on November 22, 2023, she tore her right ACL again while practicing, which ended her season.
The series of injuries she has had over the years, and all in the exact right knee, has deteriorated her health condition.
There was a high probability that she won’t be able to continue her career as a basketball player.
Azzi Will Likely Return To UConn For The Upcoming 2024-25 Season
Fans anticipated Fudd’s return in the 2023-24 season as she was eligible for the 2024 WNBA Draft.
She will turn 24 in the year of the Draft, fulfilling the criteria listed by the WNBA; however, she has decided to return only for her senior season in Storrs so that we can expect her return in the 2024-25 season.
One thing is clear she won’t be giving up her basketball career and is determined to fight her way out despite the health issues she has faced.
.@UConnWBB junior @azzi_35 is eligible for the 2024 @WNBA draft. What are her plans? She was definitive when I asked her. pic.twitter.com/6M5mMVTkyp
— Rebecca Lobo (@RebeccaLobo) October 30, 2023
In a video surfacing on Twitter, she stated that she plans to stay and has no intention of leaving the basketball capital of the world.
Her decision to stay cannot be taken as shocking news.
When she’s not hurt, Fudd plays amazingly well, but she’s had a tough time staying in the games.
In her first year, a foot problem kept her out for 11 games, and in the last season, she couldn’t play for 22 games because of two knee injuries.
FAQ’s
What significant wins has Azzi Fudd gained while representing the United States internationally?
She won gold medals at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 Women’s Americas Championship in Argentina, the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Belarus, and the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Women’s Basketball World Cup in Hungary.
Who Are Azzi’s Parents?
She was born to her mother, Katie, and father, Tim. Both were basketball players; Katie played at NC State and Georgetown before being drafted in 2001 in the WNBA, while Tim played at the American University.
