Azzi Fudd spills the beans on Paige Bueckers secretly accessing social media despite deactivating her account

The combination of Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers finally won UConn coach Geno Auriemma his first national title since 2016. The Huskies beat the South Carolina Gamecocks 82-59 on Sunday in the national championship game.

Fudd and Bueckers are friends and over the years, they have constantly teased each other on social media. Even after playing their last game together, Fudd continued the trend during an interview with GQ on Saturday, during which she revealed that Bueckers still watches edits of herself on various social media platforms despite deactivating her accounts.

"Also true," Fudd said. "She did delete social media but takes my phone to go and watch herself on TikTok. If there are edits on my 'For you page,' I will watch them and sometimes if they're really good I'll like it but sometimes I scroll."

Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers celebrate tight bond

Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers first met in 2017 during a camp for the USA U16's FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship trials. Bueckers recruited Fudd to the Huskies next season and over the years, they have become friends.

During a news conference after winning the national championship, Fudd highlighted her friendship journey with Bueckers over the years.

“To say that these four years have not gone according to plan, or according how we thought it would go, I would say is to put it lightly,” Fudd said. “To be able to spend these four years, whether we were both on the court, both out, one on the court, one out, vice versa - I feel like it's been incredibly special just to have those moments with her, be able to learn from her.”

Both Bueckers and Fudd have dealt with season-ending injuries. After playing together during the 2022 national championship game loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks, it took another 1,084 days before the pair played together once again at the NCAA Tournament due to their respective injuries.

During her post-natty game news conference, Bueckers also detailed the fairytale nature of the friends playing together at the Big Dance after a challenging couple of years.

“To be here at this stage, to both be doing what we love after all we've both been through, I'm sure if you asked her, she wouldn't change it,” Bueckers said.

“I wouldn't change it just because of how it shaped us and how it's shaped our mentality, how it shaped our faith and belief in everything that happens for a reason. So, to be here at this stage is really rewarding.”

When Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers were fully fit, the Huskies made it to the national championship game both seasons, and in their final year of playing together, they finally won the natty that their relationship had promised for years.