Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd are going to be one of the stories to watch this season in the WNBA as the former Connecticut Huskies teammates are paired together with the Dallas Wings.
The unique layer to the story is that the pair are also in a relationship off the court as well as being reunited as teammates once again in the WNBA.
This has created a brand new dynamic for the players and their new team. It’s something that the media has been trying to figure out how to address respectfully and responsibly. But the situation wasn’t helped when Wings PR shut down an attempt to ask Fudd about the relationship after she was drafted.
At the team’s media day, Paige Bueckers then took it upon herself to send a message to the media that she felt it was a story that did not need addressed. And that her personal relationship with Fudd wasn’t the media’s business.
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own.”
Paige Bueckers addresses Azzi Fudd’s addition to the Dallas Wings. pic.twitter.com/Krm56M6B74
“Quite frankly, I believe me and Azzi’s personal relationship is nobody’s business but our own. And what we choose to share is completely up to us. But I understand that as media members, you guys have a job to do, and you guys have to ask questions about the basketball aspect of it. So that’s what I will be addressing today,” Bueckers said.
That statement wasn’t quite good enough for former FS1 star Emmanuel Acho. In a clip posted on his Speakeasy podcast’s social media page, Acho said that Bueckers shouldn’t gaslight the media into not asking about her relationship with Fudd.
“Paige Bueckers, you’re a star and you’re playing with your partner… Don’t gaslight the media for asking about something unique”
– @EmmanuelAcho weighs in on Paige Bueckers’ recent press conference where she addressed her relationship with teammate Azzi Fudd pic.twitter.com/Xo1AiJnd0I
“She’s right in that your personal life isn’t necessarily our information in any way, shape, or form. However, where I do believe to some degree you missed the mark is one, if you’re a star and if you’re a star that is involved in anything unique you’re going to get asked about that a lot,” Acho said.
He then cited Tim Tebow’s outspokenness in his faith, Colin Kaepernick’s social justice focus, and LeBron James playing with his son Bronny with the Lakers as examples of unique things that have transcended the game and demanded questions from the media. And he put Bueckers and Fudd in the same category.
“Paige Bueckers, you’re a star. You’re a star and you’re involved in something that is unique. You’re playing with your partner, number one overall pick, she’s a number one overall pick, so just don’t gaslight the media as if the media is tripping for diving in to investigating something that is unique and something that needs to be asked about,” Acho added.
You can see where both sides are coming from in this case. Paige Bueckers has every right to ask for privacy with regards to her personal relationships. And she is the most effective messenger in making that statement to the media, not a team PR person trying to control her or Fudd or restricting access.
However, the media also has every right to ask about the relationship because it is something that fans of the team and the league will want to know about. We’ve never seen two back-to-back first overall picks play for the same team while in a relationship with each other. That’s a fact that is inescapable and to try to pretend it doesn’t exist would be a disservice.
The statement from Paige Bueckers about her relationship, her focus on basketball, and how she and Fudd have always been professional about it was about as straight-forward and eloquent as it gets. She certainly made a strong case that whatever happens off the court doesn’t impact what happens on it. But that won’t stop the media from continuing to ask questions if it is called upon. It doesn’t make one side right or wrong when it comes to Bueckers and the media, it’s just the reality of this unique situation.
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