Dallas Wings select Azzi Fudd of UConn No. 1 in WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting

NEW YORK (AP) — Azzi Fudd is on her way to Dallas as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft with a $500,000 payday waiting for the former UConn star. A record-setting six UCLA players followed her into the league.

“I’m not really sure I have words to describe that feeling, what that meant,” Fudd said of getting drafted. “I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. It's nothing I could have imagined. The feeling of sitting with my family, with Morgan (Valley), hearing your name called, go up there. Such a surreal feeling,”

Fudd will pair again with former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the Wings' top pick last year. Bueckers — who along with Fudd gave UConn a record seven No. 1 selections — was in attendance at the draft along with Fudd's Huskies teammates.

“Paige is an incredible player, everyone knows that,” Fudd said. “She’s someone that makes playing basketball with easy.”

UCLA stars Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez went in the top five, a little over a week after leading the Bruins to their first NCAA championship.

Their teammate, Kiki Rice, went sixth to Toronto, the first pick for the expansion franchise. The Tempo chose to have the higher pick in the college draft after winning a coin toss, giving the Portland Fire the top choice in the expansion draft earlier this month.

UCLA broke UConn’s record of having four players drafted in the first round, a mark the Huskies set in 2002, when Angela Dugalic went ninth to Washington, teaming her again with Betts. And, Giannna Kneepkens was chosen by Connecticut with the last pick of the opening round.

The Bruins later broke the mark for the most players drafted from one team when Charlisse Leger-Walker was selected by Connecticut with the third pick in the second round. Tennessee (1997, 2008), Notre Dame (2019) and South Carolina (2023) held the previous record with five players taken.

The new collective bargaining agreement that was ratified last month gave huge pay raises to rookies. Fudd will make nearly seven-times what Bueckers earned last season as the top choice. The No. 2 and No. 3 picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.

Second- and third-round picks will make $270,000 — which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.

“I’m just blessed and grateful to come at this time,” said No. 8 pick Flau'jae Johnson, who was drafted by Golden State before getting traded to Seattle. “The 30th season. My goal is to leave it better than I found it. It’s a gratitude thing, but also a responsibility thing. I’m taking that with full force.”

Minnesota took Olivia Miles of TCU with the No. 2 pick. Miles decided to stay in college last season instead of enter the WNBA draft. She transferred from Notre Dame to the Horned Frogs. She helped the team reach the Elite Eight for the second consecutive year.

“Deep breath that’s why I got emotional,” Miles said of finishing her journey. “It’s finally here, finally heard my name. This is what this was for.”

After Seattle took Spain center Awa Fam Thiam at No. 3, Washington selected the 6-foot-7 Betts before the Chicago Sky followed with Jaquez, who is the sister of Miami Heat player Jaime Jaquez Jr. She now has family bragging rights not only with a national championship, but also was picked higher than him. Jaime was taken 18th in the NBA draft in 2023.

Portland took Spanish guard Iyana Martin Carrion with its first-ever pick. Indiana took South Carolina's Raven Johnson with the 10th pick and Washington drafted Cotie McMahon of Ole Miss next.

Connecticut took French player Nell Angloma with the 12th pick. A second Gamecock went next with Madina Okot drafted by Atlanta. Seattle drafted Duke's Taina Mair with the 14th choice.

The Sun closed out the first round choosing Kneepkens.

There were 11 international players taken in the draft who didn't play at a U.S. college, including three in the first round with Fam Thiam, Martin Carrion and Angloma.

Fam Thiam was the highest selected player from Spain ever drafted in the league. Three Spanish players were taken in all.

“Incredibly excited for our country and the global game,” said Marta Suarez, who was drafted by Seattle in the second round before getting traded to Golden State. “The WNBA is growing, attracting talent from all over the world.”

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said in her pre-draft press conference that the league planned to play either an exhibition game or a regular-season game overseas next year.

Fudd and her mother, Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd, became the second mother-daughter pair to have been drafted into the WNBA. Smrcka-Duffy Fudd was taken in 2001 by the Sacramento Monarchs in the fourth round, but never played a game. Pam McGee was taken second overall in the 1997 draft, also by Sacramento. Her daughter, Imani McGee-Stafford, was drafted 10th overall by Chicago in 2016.

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

UCLA center Lauren Betts hugs her mother Michelle after being selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

UCLA center Lauren Betts poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected fourth overall by the Washington Mystics in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert speaks before the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

Texas Christian guard Olivia Miles reacts after being selected second overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

UConn guard Azzi Fudd poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected first overall by the Dallas Wings in the first round of the WNBA basketball draft Monday, April 13, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Pamela Smith)

UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) celebrates with teammates during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game against South Carolina, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) shoots over South Carolina center Madina Okot (11) during the second half of the women's National Championship Final Four NCAA college basketball tournament game, Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives against South Carolina forward Maryam Dauda (30) during the first half of a woman's NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peruvians still did not know Monday night the outcome of Sunday's presidential election after the failure to deliver ballots to voting centers forced authorities to extend voting by a day, but early results showed two right-wing candidates were ahead.

Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of a disgraced former president, and Rafael López Aliaga, the ultra conservative former mayor of Peru’s capital, Lima, lead the pack of 35 candidates with 62% of ballots tallied. Official results showed Fujimori had received 16.88% of the votes tallied, while López Aliaga earned 13.88%.

Electoral authorities counted votes throughout Monday even though thousands of Peruvians were back at the polls for a second day of voting. Authorities granted the one-day extension for more than 52,000 voters in Lima as well as to Peruvians registered to vote in Orlando, Florida, and Paterson, New Jersey.

Voting is mandatory for Peruvians from the ages of 18 to 70. Failure to do so comes with a fine of up to $32.

“I’m fed up,” Iris Valle, 56, said as she waited to vote Monday at a public school in Lima. She feared that her employer would cut her pay for not showing up early because she had to meet her voting obligation.

A presidential candidate needs more than 50% of votes to win outright. However, a runoff in June is virtually assured given the deeply divided electorate and the pool of candidates, the largest in the Andean country’s history. The winner will be Peru’s ninth president in just 10 years.

The election took place amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.

Many of the contenders responded to the crime concerns with wide-ranging proposals, including building megaprisons, restricting food for prisoners and reinstating the death penalty for serious crimes.

Peru’s economy, however, has defied both the crime surge and the political instability stemming from a revolving door of presidents, having had three since October alone. Aided by its status as the world’s second-largest copper producer, the country posted more than 3% growth in 2024 and 2025.

In her fourth bid for the presidency, Fujimori has promised to crack down on crime with an iron fist, but she has also defended laws that experts say make it difficult to prosecute criminals. The laws, which her party backed in recent years, eliminated preliminary detention in certain cases and raised the threshold for seizing criminal assets.

If elected, she has said judges presiding over criminal cases will be anonymous and prisoners will have to work to earn their food.

Meanwhile, López Aliaga has proposed building prisons in the country’s Amazon region, allowing judges to conceal their identities and expelling foreigners who are living illegally in Peru.

Voters were also asked to choose the members of a bicameral Congress for the first time in more than 30 years, following recent legislative reforms that concentrate significant power in the new upper chamber.

Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Voters line up as voting resumes at a polling stations affected by delays during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

From left, presidential candidates Alvaro Paz de la Barra, Enrique Valderrama, Alex Gonzales, George Forsyth, Carlos Alvarez, Walter Chirinos, Carlos Espa, Carlos Jaico, Ronald Atencio, Fiorella Molinelli wave to reporters upon arriving at a presidential debate ahead of the April 12 election in Lima, Peru, Monday, March 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

An election official checks voter lists as voting resumes at polling stations affected by delays and logistical problems during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A relative helps a woman vote as polling resumes at a station affected by delays and logistical problems during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A woman votes as polling resumes at a station affected by delays and logistical problems during general elections in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Voters check the rolls as voting in the general election resumes at polling stations affected by delays and logistical problems in Lima, Peru, Monday, April 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Rafael Lopez Aliaga, presidential candidate of the Popular Renewal party, makes a victory sign at a polling station during general elections in Lima, Peru, on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

Roberto Sanchez, presidential candidate of Together for Peru party, votes during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Isabel Dueñas)

Voters wait for the opening of a polling station during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Keiko Fujimori, presidential candidate of the Popular Force party, departs a polling station after voting during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gerardo Marin)

Voters line up outside a polling station during general elections in Lima, Peru, Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo)

A voter looks at a ballot before marking his candidates during general elections in Lima, Peru, on Sunday, April 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)