Washington Mystics guard Cotie McMahon reacts as Dallas Wings players Jessica Shepard and Azzi Fudd run upcourt behind her.

Washington Mystics rookie Cotie McMahon reacts after her turnaround jumper in the final seconds against the Dallas Wings at CareFirst Arena on Aug. 5, 2026. The Wings led by 20 late in the third quarter before Washington closed on a 40-16 run to win 96-92, holding Dallas to 12 points in the fourth and dropping the Wings to 19-12. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Azzi Fudd, Alysha Clark Ruled Out For Dallas Wings Against Golden State Valkyries

Grant AfsethAugust 7, 2026August 7, 2026

DSJ Quick Take: Azzi Fudd, Alysha Clark Ruled Out Against Golden State Valkyries

Dallas Wings rookie guard Azzi Fudd will miss Friday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries with right knee soreness after going through warmups at American Airlines Center. Forward Alysha Clark has also been ruled out, and Aziaha James moves into the starting lineup.

What happened to Azzi Fudd? She warmed up Friday evening, experienced soreness in the right knee, and was held out as a precaution. What caused it is not clear.
Who else is unavailable? Alysha Clark, a 38-year-old forward who was listed as questionable with a back injury on Thursday’s report.
Who starts in Fudd’s place? Aziaha James, the 12th overall pick in the 2025 draft, averaging 5.6 points across 29 games in her second season.
What’s next? Dallas closes a six-games-in-12-days stretch Sunday at the Minnesota Lynx at 2:30 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock, with Fudd’s status determined before that game.

DALLAS — Dallas Wings rookie guard Azzi Fudd will not play Friday against the Golden State Valkyries because of right knee soreness.

Fudd went through warmups Friday evening at American Airlines Center and experienced knee soreness. Dallas made the call out of an abundance of caution.

The cause of the soreness is not clear. Earlier Friday, Fudd did a cartwheel on the arena walk-in before her pregame workout, captured on video.

Forward Alysha Clark has also been ruled out. Clark appeared on the Wings’ game status report Thursday as questionable with a back injury.

Guard Aziaha James will start in Fudd’s place. The 12th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft is averaging 5.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 29 games in her second season. James is shooting 38.2% from the field.

Friday is the fifth game of a stretch in which Dallas plays six times in 12 days. The run opened July 29 against the Atlanta Dream and closes Sunday at the Minnesota Lynx. Fudd’s status for the Lynx game will be determined before that contest.

Azzi Fudd’s Rookie Season Entering Friday

The first overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft is averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists through 30 games. She has started 24 of them and is playing 31.7 minutes a night. Fudd is shooting 45.6% from the field and 39.7% from 3-point range.

Her 2.1 made 3-pointers per game lead the Wings. So do her 1.7 steals.

Fudd had a team-high 3 steals in Wednesday’s 96-92 loss at the Washington Mystics, moving past 50 for her career. She reached 50 steals and 50 made 3-pointers in 30 games, which the Wings list as the fastest any player has done it since the 2002 season. Tamika Catchings got there in 22 games and Sue Bird in 27. Fudd leads all WNBA rookies with seven games this season of at least 3 steals.

She scored 9 points on 2-of-8 shooting in Washington. Against the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 2 she had 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Her 20 points against Atlanta on July 29 came on 9-of-13 shooting.

At All-Star Weekend in Chicago on July 24, Fudd won the 3-Point Contest and became the first rookie in league history to take the event.

Alysha Clark’s Role With Dallas

Clark signed a one-year contract with the Wings on April 14. The 38-year-old forward has appeared in 20 games this season, all off the bench, averaging 1.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 9.1 minutes.

She did not play Wednesday in Washington due to the same injury. Her most recent appearance came Aug. 2 against Connecticut, when she had 1 point and 3 rebounds in 17 minutes. Her season high of 10 points came July 10 against the Toronto Tempo, all of it in the fourth quarter.

Clark is in her 13th WNBA season and has played 443 regular-season games. She won championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020 and with the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. Clark was named Sixth Player of the Year in 2023. She made the All-Defensive First Team in 2020 and the All-Defensive Second Team in 2019.

Dallas Wings Coming Off Loss At Washington Mystics

Dallas is 19-12 and fourth in the Western Conference. Golden State is 21-9 and third.

Jessica Shepard tied a career high with 22 points Wednesday and added 11 rebounds, a game-high 7 assists, and 1 steal. She passed 500 career assists in the game. Shepard became the third-fastest player in WNBA history to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 500 assists, doing it in 156 career games.

Alanna Smith finished with 21 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocks on 9-of-17 shooting in 31 minutes. It was her first double-double of the season and the sixth of her career.

Friday is the second of three Wings home games at American Airlines Center this season. Dallas announced Monday that the team will play its full 2027 home schedule at the venue. The Wings are 1-0 at the arena in 2026 after a 96-91 win over the Chicago Sky on July 12. Their third game there comes Aug. 20 against the Indiana Fever.

Dallas played two regular-season games at American Airlines Center in 2025. A June 27 matchup against Indiana drew 20,409, a franchise attendance record and the largest WNBA crowd ever in Texas.

Golden State won the first meeting of this season 91-80 on June 17 in San Francisco. Dallas has lost its last four regular-season games against the Valkyries and has not beaten them since the first meeting between the franchises on June 17, 2025. Golden State leads the all-time series 4-1.

The Valkyries arrive off wins over Toronto on Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 at home in San Francisco. Golden State won Tuesday’s game 92-81. The Valkyries are 13-4 at home, the best home record in the league. They are 8-5 on the road.

Tip-off Friday is set for 8:30 p.m. CT, with ION carrying the game nationally. Dallas and Golden State meet again Aug. 17 in San Francisco at 9 p.m. CT.

Sunday marks the fourth and final meeting between Dallas and Minnesota this season, and the Lynx have won the first three. That game tips off at 2:30 p.m. CT at Target Center and airs on NBC and Peacock.