The WNBA regular season hasn’t even started yet, but Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd isn’t mincing words about the officiating.
In a press conference after the Wings’ preseason win over the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, Fudd was asked about how she’s adjusting to the WNBA. In response, the rookie guard called out WNBA officiating, sarcastically saying that she was “confused” about some of the soft fouls called.
“Honestly I feel more confused. Like 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 like, I don’t know. So I’m still figuring that out,” Fudd said.
Azzi Fudd had her teammates laughing when she was asked about how she’s adjusting to the physicality in the WNBA:
“Honestly I’m more confused. I thought you could be physical in the W and anytime you touch someone, it’s a foul.”
Jessica Shepherd and Aziaha James joked that she… pic.twitter.com/HfzC7yGNkT
— Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) May 4, 2026
Fudd was called for two personal fouls during the matchup, which took place in Austin, at University of Texas’ Moody Center. But it’s likely that the rookie’s frustration stemmed from the second of the two: Early in the third quarter, Fudd hopped out of the path of a surging A’ja Wilson, but was called for the foul anyway.
As a frustrated Fudd began speaking on the issue after the game, the rookie’s teammates Aziaha James and Jessica Shepard kept laughing — in part because they were worried that the guard would be punished before her rookie year even started
“Yeah you’re still figuring that out,” Shepard said, laughing. “‘Cause you may get hit with a fine.”
“We’ll see,” James added.
“Just cut that,” Shepard joked, referring to the press conference feed.
Despite Shepard and James’ concerns, Fudd is not set to get fined by the WNBA, per Front Office Sports.
Officiating in the WNBA has been a talking point for years, with the league often retaliating with fines against players who complain about the refs.
Things hit a breaking point last fall after Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve used a playoff press conference to unload on the referees. Reeve was quickly backed by Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon and Indiana Fever coach Stephanie White; all three were later fined by the league, with Reeve’s fine reportedly a league-record $15,000.
Soon afterwards, Lynx star Napheesa Collier went scorched earth on WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert in her postseason press conference. Among the topics she brought up was the officiating, calling the league’s inconsistent referees “self-sabotage.”
In the wake of Reeve’s comments, Engelbert said that the WNBA would be forming a task force to address the officiating issues. It is unclear what progress has been made on that task force.