More Than a Meal: How a Shared Love of Food Is Bringing Alysha Clark and Azzi Fudd Together in Dallas

Basketball brought Alysha Clark to Dallas. Food may be what makes her stay feel like home.

This offseason, the 13-year WNBA veteran signed with the Dallas Wings, bringing a résumé built on versatility, professionalism, and the kind of quiet leadership that franchise builders covet. Wings EVP and General Manager Curt Miller wasted no time making clear what Clark's arrival meant to the organization, calling her "a respected veteran" who brings "versatility" and the "intangibles" the Wings were actively seeking. For a franchise hungry to grow, Clark represented exactly the kind of investment that pays dividends beyond the stat sheet.

But somewhere between training camp workouts and film sessions, Clark stumbled onto a discovery that had nothing to do with pick-and-roll coverage or defensive rotations. The Wings' first overall pick, UConn standout and generational talent Azzi Fudd, likes to eat. Really eat.

"Off the court, learning that she's a foodie, you know. So, we have already started making plans like, 'Okay, when you're doing this, I want to come. Let's go find these types of restaurants.' And I told her when we travel on the road, I have a list of restaurants in every city that I like to go to. And she was like, 'Okay, bring me along.' So having a fellow foodie on the team is definitely exciting." — Alysha Clark

In a league where team chemistry is often built in film rooms and weight rooms, sometimes the most meaningful bonds form over a table.

For Clark, that truth runs deep. Food has never been a casual hobby; it's a calling. In a previous conversation with LandonBuford.com, she spoke about it with the sincerity of someone who has given the subject serious thought.

"I would love to be a professional chef," Clark said. "It's something I might consider doing one day. Food brings family and friends together for joyous times. So, I'd love to share that joy and flavor with other people. Also, I just really like good food."

That last line is quintessential Clark: grounded, genuine, and just self-aware enough to make you smile. Here is a woman who can speak eloquently about food as a vessel for human connection and then land the whole sentiment with a simple, honest punchline. It's the same quality that has made her a valued locker room presence everywhere she's played. She doesn't perform depth. She just has it.

And now, she's found a willing student, or perhaps a willing accomplice, in Fudd.

The No. 1 pick wasted no time accepting Clark's culinary mentorship. Fudd's approach to food mirrors her approach to basketball: open, eager, and completely unafraid.

"I love everything. I'm not a picky eater," Fudd shared with LandonBuford.com on Media Day. "I like to eat healthy, I like to eat clean, but I will try anything."

For Clark, those words probably sounded like music.

Fudd went further, mapping out exactly how she sees the partnership unfolding. Clark has the restaurant lists, the road city expertise, and the cooking ability. Fudd has the appetite, the enthusiasm, and the willingness to show up for all of it.

"She said she loves to cook and I said I love to sample," Fudd explained, "so if she ever makes anything, I will happily volunteer myself to try her cooking."

There's also a team chef in the mix, and Fudd has been equally enthusiastic about that experience.

"Everything he's made this past week has been so good," she said. "He's asked me what I want to try and I said everything."

One item has already been circled on the culinary calendar: lamb chops. The chef's self-proclaimed specialty. A dish Fudd has never tasted.

"I've never had lamb before," she said. "So I'm looking forward to trying that."

It's a small moment, a rookie anticipating her first bite of lamb, but it says something important about who Azzi Fudd is stepping into the league as. Curious. Unguarded. Ready.

That openness is exactly what veterans like Clark live to nurture. Thirteen seasons in this league teaches you that talent gets a player to the door, but culture, connection, and trust are what open it. The best teams aren't just built in practice. They're built in conversations, in shared meals, in the quiet moments when a veteran and a rookie realize they speak the same language.

In Dallas, that language apparently involves restaurant lists, lamb chops, and a standing invitation to sample whatever's cooking.

The Wings may have signed Alysha Clark for her basketball intangibles. But for Azzi Fudd, the most valuable thing Clark might bring to Dallas could come out of a kitchen.