CHICAGO — Dallas Wings guard Azzi Fudd became the first rookie to win the WNBA 3-Point Contest, delivering a 30-point championship round Friday night at Wintrust Arena to defeat Portland Fire forward Bridget Carleton and secure the signature result of the opening night of WNBA All-Star Weekend.

Fudd, the first overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft, scored 24 points in the opening round to earn the second qualifying position. Carleton led the six-player field with 29 before the scores were reset for the final. Shooting first in the championship round, Fudd immediately established the target by making every shot on her opening rack and continuing at a pace Carleton could not match. Carleton finished with 19.

The victory made Fudd the first rookie and first Dallas Wings player to win the competition. She was only the fourth first-year player selected for the contest since its introduction in 2006. Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard had previously produced the best rookie result, reaching the final and scoring 24 points in a round during the 2022 event. Fudd matched that total in qualifying and then moved the rookie standard to 30 in the final.

Fudd’s closing score also placed her among the stronger championship performances in the event’s history. Sabrina Ionescu’s 37-point round in 2023 remains the overall benchmark, while a score of 30 has been sufficient to win the contest in consecutive years. For Fudd, the accomplishment came less than four months after Dallas used the top draft pick to reunite her with former Connecticut teammate Paige Bueckers.

The first-round field included several of the league’s most productive perimeter shooters. Howard scored 20, Golden State Valkyries forward Janelle Salaün had 19, Toronto Tempo guard Marina Mabrey recorded 18 and Seattle Storm guard Natisha Hiedeman finished with 17. Only Fudd and Carleton advanced under the two-player championship format.

Entering play on July 21, Mabrey led the WNBA with 82 made 3-pointers, followed by Howard with 79. Salaün, Carleton and Hiedeman also ranked near the top of the league, while Fudd was tied for 10th with 50. That production made Fudd a credible contender despite her limited professional experience and reflected how quickly her shooting had translated from college to the WNBA line.

The competition required players to move through five stations around the arc under a time limit. Standard balls were worth one point, designated money balls counted for two and two deeper “From the Logo” attempts were valued at three points each. Competitors also selected one location for an entire rack of two-point money balls. The arrangement rewarded not only accuracy but also efficient footwork, ball handling and the ability to preserve shooting mechanics while rushing between locations.

Fudd said afterward that the repetitive nature of the event felt familiar because of stationary shooting drills she performed while rehabilitating injuries earlier in her career. Those workouts often required her to shoot without normal game movement, helping her develop the compact and repeatable mechanics needed to take balls directly from a rack. She said she entered the contest nervous but became increasingly focused after beginning her first round.

Her preparation time in the specialized format was limited. Dallas had completed three games in four days before the All-Star break, leaving only a small number of practice sessions. The Wings did not have a complete contest setup available, so team staff members helped rebound, refill racks and simulate the sequence. Fudd credited the organization’s coaches and support staff with making those sessions possible.

The Dallas contingent at Wintrust Arena included Bueckers, other Wings players, team executives and members of Fudd’s family. Teammates celebrated by surrounding her and pouring water over her after the result became official. The scene reflected Fudd’s central place in a young Dallas roster that entered the break at 18-9 and within the upper tier of the Western Conference standings.

Fudd has averaged 13.2 points per game during her first WNBA season, becoming a regular perimeter option for a Wings team with several established scorers. Her ability to stretch defenses has complemented Dallas’ playmaking and interior production, while her shooting has given the franchise another young building block alongside Bueckers. The All-Star contest does not affect the standings, but it provided a nationally televised demonstration of the skill Dallas expected when it made Fudd the first pick.

The win also renewed a long-running shooting storyline between Fudd and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. Fudd competed against Curry at his basketball camp while she was still in high school after earning a place in the matchup through the camp’s shooting contest. Curry won that meeting, and Fudd said Friday that she had been seeking a rematch for years. Her public challenge followed the model of Curry’s high-profile 2024 shooting competition against Ionescu during NBA All-Star Weekend.

For the WNBA, the result supplied a clear showcase for a new generation of talent during a weekend designed to combine competition, entertainment and league promotion. Fudd entered as the lone rookie in a field of experienced shooters and left with a historic title, strengthening her profile at a point when the league continues to attract larger audiences and expanded commercial interest.

Dallas will return to regular-season play against the Atlanta Dream on Wednesday. The Wings’ priorities will quickly shift back to playoff positioning and integrating their backcourt for the second half of the schedule. Fudd’s Chicago performance, however, offered evidence that the shooting ability that made her one of the country’s most closely watched prospects can withstand both professional defenses and the concentrated pressure of an All-Star spotlight.