Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the WNBA 3-Point Contest, delivering a 30-point performance in the final. Her victory followed a 24-point opening round and secured a league-wide individual honor during her debut season.

What happened

Fudd scored 24 points in Round 1 to advance, then raised her total to 30 in the final. The six-point improvement completed her run to the contest title and established a new mark for rookies in the event.

The championship separated Fudd from the three rookies who had competed before her. Sonia Citron, Rhyne Howard and Kelsey Mitchell each entered the contest as rookies, but none won the event.

Why it matters

Fudd’s title gives her an individual WNBA honor in her first season. It also ends a precedent that had remained intact through the first three rookie appearances in the 3-Point Contest.

Her win changes the event’s rookie history from three appearances without a championship to four appearances with one. Fudd now stands alone within that group as the only first-year player to leave the contest with the title.

By the numbers

Fudd’s two-round progression was direct: 24 points to advance and 30 points in the final. That represented a six-point increase between the opening round and the championship stage.

Four rookies have now participated in the WNBA 3-Point Contest: Fudd, Citron, Howard and Mitchell. Fudd is the only winner among them, making the rookie success rate one title in four appearances.

The 30-point final was also the high point of Fudd’s contest. After doing enough to move on with 24, she produced her stronger total when the title was at stake.

What to watch next

Fudd will try to carry her shooting form into the second half of the WNBA regular season. The contest victory gives her a notable result to take forward as her rookie campaign continues.

The next question is whether the form that produced a six-point improvement and a winning final will continue during regular-season play. Whatever follows, Fudd has already secured a place in the event’s history as its first rookie champion.