Celebrity Name: Azzi Fudd
Brand Name: Jordan Brand
Deal Type: Multi-Year NIL Endorsement Deal
Announced: March 6, 2026
Impact: First active women’s college basketball player signed to Jordan Brand; deal extends through her professional WNBA career
- UConn star Azzi Fudd officially signed an NIL deal with Jordan Brand on March 6, 2026, joining the Jumpman family ahead of the 2026 WNBA Draft.
- She joins a loaded Jordan Brand NIL roster that includes UConn teammate Sarah Strong, the Boozer Twins, Kiyan Anthony, Napheesa Collier, and Rhyne Howard.
- Fudd’s previous sneaker deal with Under Armour’s Steph Curry Brand has expired, clearing the way for this high-profile move to one of basketball’s most iconic labels.
- She is a projected top-three WNBA Draft pick in 2026, currently averaging 17.8 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.4 steals per game for UConn this season.
Azzi Fudd is officially a Jordan Brand athlete. The UConn Huskies star guard signed a landmark NIL deal with Jordan Brand, becoming first active women’s college basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand.
In a joint Instagram post, Fudd and Jordan Brand unveiled the partnership with a carousel featuring five stills of the 23-year-old in brand apparel and one video of her wearing several of the brand’s sneakers and accessories. The post was captioned: “Get buckets. Serve looks. Put the world on notice. Welcome to the fam, @azzi35.”
Fudd is seen wearing the Air Jordan 4 alongside the Jordan Heir Series 2, the brand’s basketball sneaker specifically designed for women.
The timing couldn’t be better. Fudd is averaging 17.9 points, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals this season, all career highs, while shooting 49% from the field and 45.1% from 3-point range. She and the Huskies are heading into March Madness as heavy championship favorites.
Fudd joins the brand’s female-fronted NIL roster led by UConn teammate Sarah Strong, LSU’s Bella Hines and Mikaylah Williams, and UCLA’s Kiki Rice.
This signing also closes a dramatic chapter involving Steph Curry. Under Armour never officially signed Fudd, something that reportedly “genuinely bothered” Curry, who saw her as foundational to the next era of Curry Brand. That friction ultimately contributed to Curry parting ways with Under Armour in November 2025.
Fudd’s Jordan deal is just the latest sign that women’s basketball is a brand goldmine. Earlier this year, Azzi Fudd also landed a deal with GEICO, showing just how in-demand she’s become.
And she’s not alone. Fellow women’s hoops star FlaujaeJohnson recently partnered with PUMA on a new sneaker line honoring her late father, signaling a broader wave of landmark brand partnerships across the sport.
Takeaways
This signing is bigger than sneakers. Azzi Fudd joining the Jumpman family is a cultural moment, proof that women’s basketball has officially arrived at the table where the biggest brands in the world want to play.
Jordan Brand isn’t just signing Fudd for her stats; they’re betting on her star power, her story, and the massive audience she brings with her.
The deal extends beyond college and will carry through her WNBA career, meaning we’re looking at a long-term brand relationship that could reshape how Jordan is seen in women’s sports.
The Under Armour subplot makes this even juicier. Fudd was right there, ready to be a cornerstone of Curry Brand, and the brand passed. Jordan swooped in and turned their miss into a major win. That’s the kind of business move that’ll be talked about for years.
Could Azzi Fudd eventually get her own Jordan Brand signature shoe, and what would that mean for women’s basketball? Did Under Armour make a billion-dollar mistake by passing on Fudd?
