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The WNBA’s Wings can’t shield Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd from relationship questions forever
The biggest storyline coming out of Monday night’s WNBA Draft wasn’t just that the Dallas Wings landed another No. 1 overall pick in Azzi Fudd. It was that Fudd, a now-former star at Connecticut, is dating the Wings’ superstar franchise player, Paige Bueckers, who also played at Connecticut.
“Pazzi” (as fans affectionately call the couple) has reunited.
And because it’s getting so much attention, it also opened the door for a lot of people — many of whom don’t really follow women’s basketball — to jump in with takes that don’t hold up.
The biggest one is that Dallas took Fudd No. 1 just because of her relationship with Bueckers.
That’s just not true.
Fudd was going to be a top pick no matter who had the No. 1 selection. You don’t put together a college career like she did — one of the most efficient scorers in UConn history, nearly 50/45/95 shooting splits, Final Four Most Outstanding Player — and suddenly become a fraud because of who you’re dating.
She also fits perfectly into the Wings’ roster based on their position needs.
Dallas already has Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers running the offense, so what they really need around them is space. Fudd gives them exactly that. She’s one of the best off-ball shooters to come into the league in a long time.
After adding Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency, they didn’t need a big.
And sure, the chemistry with Bueckers is a bonus.
Now, all that said, we still need to talk about what happened at Fudd’s introductory press conference on Thursday. Because that’s when things got awkward.
A reporter asked Fudd a pretty reasonable question.
“Paige announced last year on TikTok that y’all were a couple,” the reporter said. “And I’m wondering if that’s still the case, and if so, if y’all have talked to other couples in the league about how they negotiate that dynamic as pro teammates?”
Before Fudd could answer, Wings PR stepped in.
“I understand why you have to ask that question, but we’re going to respectfully decline from commenting on our players’ personal lives,” the rep said.
Look, I understand the instinct there. Teams want to protect their players, and generally speaking, an athlete’s dating life isn’t something that needs to be dissected in a press conference.
But when your significant other is also your franchise player and starting backcourt partner, it’s a story.
And the question wasn’t intrusive or inappropriate, either. The reporter wasn’t fishing for gossip. He was asking about how two players might navigate being both teammates and partners at the highest level.
And by shutting it down immediately, the Wings actually made it a bigger deal than it needed to be.
If Fudd answers that question herself, gives a quick, polished response and pivots back to basketball, it probably doesn’t go anywhere. Address it once, and we can all move on.
Instead, the PR intervention became the story. And it’s all over our news feeds.
Realistically, Fudd could have handled that in about 10 seconds.
We’re both professionals. I’m really excited to share the court with Paige again. We won a national championship together in 2025. Let’s run it back here in Dallas.
Easy.
And that’s where the Wings might need to adjust their approach, because this isn’t something they’re going to be able to shield their players from forever.
This relationship is public. We all already know about it. Fudd and Bueckers attended Monday’s draft arm-in-arm, for goodness’ sake.
Of course, you don’t have to make it the focal point of every media session, but trying to completely shut it down isn’t realistic, either. Especially as the league continues to grow.
With the new CBA bringing in bigger salaries and more visibility, these players are stepping into a much larger spotlight. And with that spotlight comes more coverage, more interest, and yes, occasionally questions that might sometimes be a little uncomfortable.
That’s part of the deal.
The Wings don’t need to lean into this romantic relationship, and they don’t need to make it a sideshow. But letting their players handle those moments naturally would probably go a lot further than trying to shut them down entirely.
Because right now, that approach is making it look like a scandal when it’s not.
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Lorenzo Lamas and Heather Locklear set to make their first public outing as a couple at fan event
Heather Locklear and Lorenzo Lamas are taking their relationship public this month.
On Wednesday, Lamas took to X to announce he and Locklear will be at the Chiller Theatre Expo at the Hilton hotel in Parsippany, New Jersey, from April 24–26.
“Looking forward to seeing all of my peeps. She is too,” Lamas wrote on the social platform formerly known as Twitter.
The announcement came just a day after a representative for Lamas confirmed to E! News that the pair are seeing each other.
Representatives for Locklear and Lamas did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Locklear and Lamas have been a rumored couple since TMZ pushed photos of them celebrating New Year’s Eve together in Las Vegas.
In May, Locklear ended her five-year relationship and engagement to Chris Heisser. In 2021, Locklear told People that a marriage to Heisser was “not so important.”
“We’re together, and we love each other and support each other. And, really, that’s all that matters,” she told the outlet at the time.
Locklear and Lamas have a long history of relationships.
The “Melrose Place” actress was married to Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee from 1986 to 1993, a pairing that drew major media attention during the height of both their careers.
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In 1994, she married Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, and the couple had a daughter before eventually divorcing in 2007. Over the years, Locklear has also been linked to several other figures, including an engagement to her “Melrose Place” co-star, Jack Wagner.
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Lamas has had a notably eventful relationship history, including five marriages.
He was first married to Victoria Hilbert in the early 1980s, followed by a marriage to publicist Michele Cathy Smith.
He later married actress Kathleen Kinmont in 1989, and after their divorce, he wed Playboy Playmate Shauna Sand in 1996.
The couple had three daughters before separating in the early 2000s. In 2011, Lamas married Shawna Craig, though they eventually divorced as well.
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Swalwell was dubbed the ‘Snapchat king of Congress’ years before sexual misconduct scandal emerged
Disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was once dubbed the “Snapchat king of Congress,” years before his career was derailed by newly surfaced sexual misconduct allegations.
Swalwell resigned from Congress and suspended his California gubernatorial bid amid the fallout of damning reports alleging sexual harassment and sexual assault.
In his public statements, Swalwell has fiercely denied the criminal allegations but admittedly suggested he had acted inappropriately outside his marriage in the past.
Among the allegations are accusations he sent unsolicited photos of his genitalia to women he had met in professional settings on Snapchat, the popular social media platform known for allowing messages and images to disappear.
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In 2016, Swalwell was the subject of a glowing report from The Hill by tech journalist Taylor Lorenz about his use of the platform, which at the time was seldom used by politicians.
“Imagine a typical Snapchat user, and you probably don’t think of a 35-year-old straight-laced congressman from California,” Lorenz began the report. “But in a few short months, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has skyrocketed to success on the app, using the platform to connect with constituents and grow his base.
“The result is an entertaining feed of short videos, photos and an unfiltered peek into the daily life of a congressman. He snaps photos of his daily commute, shoots videos from his hometown in northern California, and documents his daily meetings as a representative of California’s 15th district,” she wrote.
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In an interview with Lorenz, Swalwell mentioned how “so many of our constituents” were on Snapchat and not just “young people.”
“That’s when I realized that a lot of people are really going there, whether it’s for getting news, staying in touch with friends, just cool, fun, interesting things that disappear in 24 hours,” Swalwell said at the time. “We just realized that this was another way to communicate directly with constituents.”
Swalwell boasted his growing following on the platform, telling Lorenz, “People now come up to me at the grocery store or in our community and say, ‘Hey, I like your Snapchat.’
“I want people back home to know that I haven’t forgotten about the responsibility of sharing what I do here as the person they elected.”
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According to the report, Swalwell offered “personal Snapchat lessons” to colleagues on Capitol Hill and even “carried around a stack of homemade Snapchat flyers that he hands out on the House floor.”
“It may seem strange for a member of Congress to be so enamored with a social media messaging app, but Swalwell says he is passionate about mobile technology and the opportunities it provides,” Lorenz wrote.
Looking back at her report nearly a decade later, Lorenz told Fox News Digital, “I’m horrified and disgusted by the stories coming out about his behavior. The fact that someone in his position of power was allegedly using social media to groom young women is very disturbing. I think we are all probably reading this story about his Snapchat use in a new light.”
Swalwell’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Bernie Sanders, AOC-backed Democrat wins key House race; GOP fails to expand fragile majority
Republicans fell short in their bid to flip a vacant U.S. House seat in a blue-leaning district in northern New Jersey.
Democrat Analilia Mejia, who was backed by progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of neighboring New York, defeated GOP candidate Joe Hathaway in Thursday’s special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, The Associated Press reported.
With her victory, Mejia will fill the final eight months of the term of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic representative who stepped down from Congress in November after winning New Jersey’s gubernatorial election.
The special election came as the GOP clings to a fragile House majority. Republicans would have relished the opportunity to pick up the seat, but they faced an uphill climb to flip the suburban district Sherrill won by 15 points in her 2024 re-election and carried by roughly the same margin in last year’s gubernatorial election.
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Mejia, a progressive organizer who served as national political director on the 2020 Sanders presidential campaign, pulled off an upset in the February Democratic primary, narrowly edging out more a moderate rival, former Rep. Tom Malinowski, in a field of 11 candidates. While Mejia was the clear choice of the party’s left flank, the rest of the field appeared to divide the moderate and center-left vote.
Her victory was another boost for the left against the establishment after democratic socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sent shock waves across the nation with his Democratic primary victory in June 2025.
Hathaway, a former Randolph Township mayor and current council member who was unopposed for the GOP congressional nomination, told Fox News Digital the choice for voters was “between a common sense, practical independent leader who’s gotten things done at the local level in New Jersey and knows the issues, contrasted with someone who’s running on pure ideology, far left-wing ideology, Squad-backed ideology.”
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Mejia recently appeared at a town hall with Malinowski and, on Sunday, teamed up with Sherrill on the campaign trail as she aimed to unite Democrats, who enjoy a sizable registration advantage in the district.
Hathaway claimed Mejia was trying “to hide a little bit” from “some of her rhetoric, because she knows that those policies are completely out of touch, but it’s not fooling voters. It’s certainly not fooling us.”
Jewish voters make up a key part of the district’s electorate, and Hathaway, in the only debate in the special election, claimed Mejia was antisemitic, noting she has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
“She blamed Israel for the attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7,” Hathaway said. “I think Jewish individuals across this district, Republican or Democrat, are very afraid of this kind of rhetoric.”
Hathaway said, “I’ve spoken to more members of the Jewish community who have told me they’ve never voted for a Republican in their life, who are going to vote for me in this race. I mean, that shows you where the Jewish community is on the importance of this race and how they are not aligned with Mejia … and her platform.”
Mejia pledged to “protect the rights of Jewish constituents” and said her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza should not be conflated with antisemitism.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Mejia said, “Joe Hathaway’s inability to distinguish between criticism of a government or government official and bigotry is troubling and disgusting in equal measure.”
Mejia last week wrote that she was “honored” after being endorsed by the liberal pro-Israel political group J Street PAC. But her acceptance of the endorsement triggered pushback on the left, with the North Jersey Democratic Socialists of America calling her move a “heel turn.”
As he worked to win over independents and Democrats, Hathaway pointed out where he agrees and disagrees with President Donald Trump, who lost the district by eight points in the 2024 presidential election.
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“I’m always going to do what’s right for this district first. And I’ve been clear: If the president’s going to do things that are good for the district, increasing the SALT cap deduction, putting money back in people’s pockets, especially New Jersey, affordability is so tough here. If we’re doing things like border security, reducing fentanyl deaths like we’ve seen in our community, those are good things. I support those policies,” Hathaway said.
“But, on the other hand, if the president’s going to do things that aren’t in the best interest of our district, it’s my job to push back, and that’s exactly what I’ve done.”
Hathaway pointed to Trump’s move last year to terminate billions of federal dollars for the Gateway Project, which is funding a new train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, and the president’s plans to cut roughly 1,000 jobs and nearly $1 billion in funding for an Army base located in New Jersey.
“I’m going to call balls and strikes in this race. I’m not going to be a rubber stamp for anybody,” Hathaway said.
“I think we have the right math, the right bipartisan coalition to come together to win this thing on April 16.”
But Hathaway came up short, given the rough political climate facing Republicans and the traditional headwinds for the party in power.
Mejia repeatedly linked Hathaway to Trump and Republicans in Congress.
“MAGA Republicans are driving up everyday costs with extreme policies my opponent supports. Healthcare and critical programs are being gutted just to fund tax breaks for the ultra-rich. We can’t afford another vote for Trump in Congress,” she wrote in a recent social media post.
Dan Cassino, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor and pollster, called Hathaway’s hopes of capturing crossover Democrats “a pipe dream.”
“Democrats as a whole do not seem interested in finding common ground with Trump,” Cassino said on Monday, predicting most voters in the special election would be strong partisans.
“Democratic turnout is through the roof, and Republican turnout is depressed at this point.”
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