ft. Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and Janelle Salaün
Word Count: ongoing
Warnings: Profanity,
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Link to ao3
⋆*・ﾟ:⋆*・ﾟ
Azzi Fudd wanted nothing more than a clean slate; a new opportunity. To spread her...purple wings.
The exciting trade created more commotion than just ESPN headlines, spreading...internally?
The Golden State Valkyries PR Manager, Paige Bueckers, had long been obsessed with the girl before the trade even occurred. It takes all of her energy + a little help in Ballhalla to make Azzi even bat an eye(lash).
Azzi had always been reserved, thoughtful, and rather nonchalant.
ft. Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and Janelle Salaün
Word Count: 5k
Warnings: Profanity
A/N: It starts out slow, but it’ll get going! There’s a bunch of background info in this one. Talk to me in my inbox, esp if you have any questions! Enjoy 🫶
⋆*・ﾟ:⋆*・ﾟ
Azzi Fudd wanted nothing more than a clean slate; a new opportunity. To spread her...purple wings.
The exciting trade created more commotion than just ESPN headlines, spreading...internally?
The Golden State Valkyries PR Manager, Paige Bueckers, had long been obsessed with the girl before the trade had even occurred. It takes all of her energy + a little help in Ballhalla to make Azzi even bat an eye(lash).
Azzi had always been reserved, thoughtful, and rather nonchalant.
And Paige was…um…but she forms a plan.
⋆*・ﾟ:⋆*・ﾟ
ESPN - BREAKING 🚨| In a surprising move, New York Liberty star Azzi Fudd has signed with the Golden State Valkyries late into free agency | ⚔️Click to read more
⋆*・ﾟ:⋆*・ﾟ
A wave of hot, dry air hit Azzi straight in the face as she opened the car door.
She had officially landed in San Francisco, following her departure from the New York Liberty. She had been in an Uber heading over to Oakland, where her new training facility was located.
Now, Azzi didn’t like to brag, but this trade was massive news.
She had been with the Liberty for the first four seasons of her WNBA career, accomplishing more in that timeframe than many did in their entire careers.
After unanimously winning Rookie of the Year honors, averaging an unbelievable 24.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 6 apg, and 3 spg, Azzi went on to lead all guards in points, steals, and blocks in just her sophomore season, singlehandedly leading the Liberty to the finals that year with the best record in franchise history.
Although the loss in the finals had stung, it didn’t dampen her success. Just next season, she went on to lead the league in steals and defensive rating, becoming one of the only guards in WNBA history to be named Defensive Player of the Year. The team had gone through some head coaching changes that year, so their record hadn’t been the prettiest, but they had still made it to the playoffs, eventually losing in the semifinals in a tough battle with the new expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries.
In her last season with the Liberty, the players and coaching staff had basically figured it out. They were able to breeze through the regular season and back into the finals of the playoffs again, even with the new personnel.
That year, Azzi had amassed career highs in nearly every statistical category, clearing many vets in the league; she became the WNBA’s youngest player to win MVP to date. She remembers the team’s little celebration for her after their first-round sweep of the Dallas Wings. They had gone on to beat the Minnesota Lynx in the semifinals, 3-1, and the finals match had been set. A rematch with the Golden State Valkyries.
They ended up tying the series at 3-3, with the deciding game to be played in GSV’s Ballhalla. There were twenty-four lead changes, and it had been the most physical game Azzi had ever played in her illustrious career, even going into double-overtime, with each team going bucket for bucket. It was Gabby Williams of the Valkyries, one of her best friends, who had hit a buzzer-beater three to win them the chip. It had been a devastating loss, of course, but Azzi had cheered up a bit when she was announced as the first ever WNBA finals MVP from the losing team due to her clutch performances in the series. She remembers some of the final words she spoke that night in Ballhalla, after thanking the presenter for the award. They were to Natalie Nakase, head coach of the Valkyries.
“You’re better than that, Azzi.”
“What?” She had been taken aback at the time, since she had imagined Natalie was coming over to congratulate her. She had done a double take thinking she’d heard her wrong, which wouldn’t have been unlikely considering the sheer volume of the arena.
Natalie had leaned in, “You’re better than that. I know you are. Consider GSV, k? I know you’ve made a home in New York, but you can do better things in Cali, Fudd.” And she had patted her shoulder.
At the time, it seemed fine to Azzi to blow her off, throwing her arm off of her with a frown before making her way back to the locker room, but Natalie’s words had stuck with her into the later parts of the offseason. Could she really get out of New York that easily?
The answer was yes. Yes she could.
She made ESPN headlines last week after signing with the Valkyries. Since it was the biggest free agency period in the league’s history, many media outlets had been predicting what teams’ biggest off-season acquisitions would be. But absolutely none of them had predicted this move.
It made sense to Azzi. She had become the most successful Liberty player in franchise history, in just four years. She had accomplished so much in her short time there, and had quickly become the face of the franchise. Even when the head coaching change of her sophomore season had been sudden and had thrown her off, the front office had managed to grab major pieces to build around Azzi, including Seattle star Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun. The major frontcourt additions had fueled the narrative of them building around Azzi, which only caused more confusion in the present year surrounding her departure. Numerous Liberty teams had been built completely around her and her alone…
So it made no sense. Why would the face of the franchise leave when she was their star? Why would the young, successful Liberty player leave her hometown of New York?
How am I going to answer that? Azzi thought to herself as she stepped out of the Uber.
She had blocked most thoughts of having to deal with the media out of her mind after verbally agreeing to the signing. She had never been fond of the media in general, and made sure to stay off of social media (for the most part), but she knew she would unquestionably be hounded on why she had signed here, in her introductory press conference. It was just inevitable.
She’d been resigned to the fact that she’d have to put her ‘media-darling’ personality on, and would most likely have to…bend the truth a little. Well, no, it might just have to be some outright lies.
Could I say something about the money? Wait, it’s literally less than New York. Um-
Yeah, that angle wouldn’t work. With stars like Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and so much other talent already on the Valkyries, Azzi had taken a decent pay cut.
She thanked her Uber driver after she had stepped out to grab her luggage from the trunk. Azzi waved to her with a smile before she rounded the car. And, just before she got in, Azzi called out, “Thanks for all the restaurant recommendations!”, earning her a laugh. She stood there for a moment, watching the car hum back to life and roll out of the parking lot, tyres crackling.
She ran her fingers through her hair that had been straightened for the occasion. She dropped her hands onto her thighs and smoothened her brown slacks before starting to fix her white crop top, unfolding one of the sleeves that had rolled up before tugging the hem down. It was tight against her skin. She felt a little uncomfortable.
What about something like ‘the opportunity to play with these athletes was too great to decline’? No, that also doesn’t make sense- I was literally playing with Breanna fucking Stewart- But I guess it could be believable with Gabby and them? I dunno, I could go with that, I guess.
She started wheeling her suitcase forward, halting when her gaze caught on the sidewalk just in front of the facility’s entrance. There was a large chalk mural of her face on it, coupled with lettering above it, reading “Welcome to Ballhalla, Azzi Fudd!”
Aw.
She snapped a quick picture of it with a small smile on her face before she headed inside through the door that was propped open.
The air felt chilly in the building, a stark contrast from outside. She’d have to get used to the warmer seasons in California. Her suitcase clambered alongside her, occasionally tipping when hitting some particularly large bumps in the flooring. She could hear music coming from what she presumed was the open gym.
Natalie hadn’t told her much about this part. She had been quite thorough with her instructions on how to get to the facility itself, having texted her earlier with the steps she would need to take after touching down, including information about the Uber she had scheduled for her, but once she got through the doors? Nothing.
Azzi continued to wander around the facility, rolling her suitcase beside her, slowly making her way towards the source of the music. She rounded the corner of the hallway into the gym, music getting louder and louder.
Her smile widened at the sight before her.
The Valks had two basketball courts in their open gym, everyone currently at the end of one of them. She looked around at each player wearing purple warmup jerseys that read, ‘Golden State Valkyries’.
She didn’t know everyone’s names yet, in all honesty, but she recognized a good bunch of them.
There was Ceci, who was going through a three-point shooting drill.
Tip, who was talking with some of the performance trainers.
Kaitlyn, who was shooting free throws.
Veronica, who was working on her handles, near the top of the key.
Kayla, who was pressing Veronica.
The other Kayla, who was working on her middy.
Janelle and Kiah, who were chatting with Natalie near halfcourt.
Azzi narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on her hip, glancing between all of the players. Where’s-
“AHHHH FUDD!!!” A figure, slightly taller than Azzi, came barrelling into her side. She hardly had a chance to even open her arms before she was enveloped in her tight embrace. “YOU’RE HEREEE!”
The commotion caused the others to look over, immediately shouting similar remarks. They all started jogging towards her as Azzi patted Gabby’s shoulders and pulled back, grinning.
“Aw, Gabbyyyy. Ew, wait, you’re sweaty. Get away from me.” She scrunched her face and stepped back, reaching out to dap her up instead.
“Oh my god, I forgot you’re so weird, Az.” She rolled her eyes. “You still remember our handshake, right?” Gabby raised an eyebrow at her, lifting her hand expectantly.
Azzi looked up at the ceiling and started tapping her chin, pretending to think. “Hmm…I dunno, you’re kinda forgettable.”
“You asshole, bruh.” Gabby grabbed her arm and forced her to do the handshake as Azzi started giggling.
The group had reached them at this point, and Azzi went around greeting her new teammates. It was truly the happiest she had been in a while, and her face showed it. She learned the few names she didn’t know and then walked around to the coaching staff.
Natalie was waiting with a smile. She threw out her arms as Azzi came closer, and they briefly hugged, both laughing at the little “Finally-” Natalie said under her breath.
“I flew from New York, Nat. The flight was bound to be long.” Azzi teased.
“I know, I know,” Natalie started curling the papers in her hand again. “I’m just happy to finally have you here. No, we are.” She gestured around the room, and Azzi looked at everyone’s faces again, her own smile widening at seeing so many.
“Well, I’m glad to be here, coach.” She flashed a big smile at her. “So, when do I get to start hooping?”
“Not today, but soon. I don’t want you doing too much too quickly, Az. We’ll dip your toes in the water tomorrow, if you’re down for it, but that’ll be it, k?” Natalie had a knowing look in her eyes.
“I’m fine with that. I know you don’t want me cooking them already and whatnot.”
“Oh, oh, sure.” Gabby said, pushing her over and laughing as Azzi stumbled back, trying to catch her footing. “I forgot how fucking nonchalant you are.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“Alright,” Natalie called out, gesturing to the group, “As y’all know, we got the world renowned Azzi Fudd on our squad now. I’m sure you guys remember playing against her, but it’s gonna be muchhh better playing with her.”
Everyone laughed at this, Veronica adding, “Bro, that pesky-ass defense-”
Natalie continued through the laughter, smiling herself, “Yes, well, she’s our pesky-ass defender now! But seriously, I know it can be hard when we bring in new talent, especially with this addition impacting others’ playing time. I hope y’all can be mature about it and understand why changes are going to happen. Azzi’s one of the most talented players of this generation, and I’m expecting you guys to treat her as such. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it, and I’m sure everyone already knows it, but Azzi will be taking somebody’s starting spot. If you really wanna keep yours, make sure to show out in practice, k? Alright, everyone be nice to Azzi for the first week. I don’t really care watchu do after that.” Everyone laughed again, “Let’s go wrap-up practice. Hmm, let’s do…Valkzzi on three, ready? 1, 2, 3,”
“VALKZZI!”
The huddle broke apart with more laughter and everyone started returning to their drills, most players stopping by to give Azzi a few more words as Gabby and Natalie held back.
“So where’s your apartment at? Are you in my complex?” Gabby asked.
Azzi honestly had no idea. She couldn’t remember the complex name that was in Natalie’s emails. Gabby immediately read Azzi’s confused expression and they both looked over at Natalie.
“Yeah, you two are in the same one, I think.” She pointed between the two of them. “Don’t you dare get her drunk on her first night here, Gabby.”
“What!?” She gasped, clutched her hands over her heart, feigning offense. “I would never do such a thing!”
“Alright, go back to practice, idiot.” Natalie hit her with her little roll of papers, shaking her head at Gabby’s antics and smiling when she shoved Azzi again before running away.
“Now, Fudd, Fudd, Fuddy Fudd.” She pulled out her phone, opening up her calendar. “Okay, you’ve got media in twenty. I want you to meet the staff right now, though, and then someone’ll give you a tour of the facility after…” She looked up, “...all of that.”
“Ugh, media?” Azzi groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Fudd. You didn’t think you’d have to do media after touching down on the other coast?”
“No, I knew I’d have to- I just-”
Natalie raised an eyebrow at her.
“I hate media. Like hate hate.”
“...I know.”
“Oh, what?”
“I’ve been wanting you on the Valks for years, Az. I’ve seen your pressers. You always look like you wanna die.” She laughed, eyes crinkling.
“Sooo, I’m hearing that I won’t have to do media today?” Azzi flashed her a grin.
“...no. You still do.” She hit Azzi’s arm with her roll of papers, smiling up at her. “You’re not charming your way out of an introductory press conference, Fudd. I’ll have Paige escort you there in five. Go meet the coaching staff.” She nodded towards the group, muttering under her breath as she turned to leave, “Where the hell is Paige?”
Azzi frowned. Who the hell was Paige? She moved her suitcase to the end of the gym and took a moment to prepare herself to keep interacting with people before jogging over to greet the rest of the staff. She talked to the performance coaches, assistant coaches, the other coaches, all of the coaches…
⋆*・ﾟ:⋆*・ﾟ
“Sorry, I don’t know where she is. The room’s just over here-” Natalie directed Azzi into the Valkyries’ media room, taking a seat beside her. Azzi felt her nerves heighten when she surveyed the bustling room as she walked behind Natalie to get to her seat on the stage. She was expecting to have garnered decent attention with her move, but not this much. The room was absolutely packed. Every single seat was taken, and there were many reporters standing around the room, too.
A tall blonde lady approached the two of them from across the table, adjusting their microphones as her and Natalie had a hushed conversation before sitting on the far end of the table, on the other side of Azzi.
Azzi glanced around at all of the reporters. There were just so many. She started at the right, taking in the ones standing by the door.
That guy’s so lanky- ooh, her mascara? She’s gorgeous. Woah, she’s buff.
Then to the seated ones.
I feel like I’ve seen her before. Maybe in Connecticut? Oh, is she that UConn reporter? Her glasses are cute.
She heard the clicking of a pen to her left and slowly turned her head. It was coming from the tall blonde lady. She was fidgeting with a pen that had been on the table, as she too seemed to glance nervously at the large audience.
“Paige-” Natalie hissed, startling Azzi out of her thoughts who jolted in her seat. She saw the blonde woman’s head snap towards them in her periphery. “It’s 9. Let’s get going.”
Oh, that’s Paige.
Paige frantically grabbed her phone out of her back pocket and proceeded to smack it against the edge of the table as she brought it up. It fell to the ground with a clatter.
Azzi couldn’t help but let out a laugh, smile widening when she saw Paige’s features get a little redder. She pursed her lips and bent down to grab her phone and delicately set it on the table, mumbling a quiet, “Stupid.”
She pointedly cleared her throat, and the room gradually fell silent as all eyes turned to the blonde.
“Good morning, everyone. Azzi Fudd, our newest Golden State Valkyrie, is here for her introductory press conference. We have 20 minutes today. As you all know, you may raise your hand to indicate that you have a question, and I will point to you accordingly. We only have one mic for everyone today, sorry about that, so make sure to pass it around, please.” She took a deep breath before continuing, “Remember to keep your questions respectful and within the previously stated guidelines. Ms. Fudd is able to decline any questions she feels are unfit, but please don’t make her have to do that. It’s not fun for anybody. Alright, time begins…now.” She set her phone back down on the table and Azzi peered at it out of the corner of her eye. She could make out a timer on it that she’d probably started at the end of her speech.
She returned her attention to the media and saw that nearly every reporter’s hand was up.
Ugh. This is gonna be a long day.
“Hello, Azzi, this is Valerie from ESPN. Over here, yes.”
Azzi squinted a bit, looking through the mass of people before locating Valerie and nodding once with a small smile.
She was known as the league’s media darling for a reason.
“To us reporters at ESPN, this move seemed quite sudden. Why, when you were the most successful athlete in Liberty franchise history, especially when the team had rebuilt itself around you, did you decide to leave New York?”
She knew this would be the first question she’d be asked, but naively hadn’t fully prepared for it. The players. Yeah. She ran her fingers through her hair before starting to answer.
“Hello, Valerie. It’s nice to see you again. On the other coast this time, I guess.” She earned a few chuckles. “Thank you for labeling me as a successful athlete within the Liberty franchise. I’d firstly like to thank all of my teammates that I spent years in New York with, for allowing me to reach those heights. I wouldn’t be here without them, and I most certainly wouldn’t be labeled as a ‘successful athlete’,” she gestured with air quotes, smiling, “without them. I’m also very grateful for the trades and moves that were made in my time there, that, as you said, built around me, and other players like Sabrina, Marine…all of them, really.”
She swallowed, wringing her hands together under the tablecloth. “I’ve spent a few years with the Liberty, as mentioned, but after speaking with my agents, we felt as though it was best for me to branch out…to try new things.”
Um- that was a blatant lie.
Azzi had not told her agents she was interested in signing elsewhere until the last possible second. There was no ‘branching out’ conversation that had occurred. They, too, like the media, had no idea she had wanted to leave the Liberty at all. They were completely blindsided when Azzi had requested, well actually, demanded a trade. Especially with it being so close to the start of the new season, well into April.
Her personal agent had been quite angry with her at first, at how late she had mentioned her desire for a move. And it made total sense to Azzi. She had maintained to her that there wasn’t a solid reason of why she wanted to do it, which had only frustrated her further (understandably), when she wasn’t able to give Azzi a list of possible fits with what little information she had chosen to share with her.
But Azzi had latched onto the idea of becoming a Valkyrie ever since her agent had first mentioned it to her in passing as a possibility. Even when she had given her bullshit excuse of ‘I want to play with the Valks cuz they have great athletes, so it’d be an excellent opportunity’, and her wonderful agent didn’t believe her, she never pressed Azzi for the truth, and had just worked out the details of the trade. Bless her.
So the media certainly wasn’t getting the truth out of her, either.
Stick with the lie. ‘Wanting to play with the great athletes here’.
She drew in a deep breath.
“The Valkyries roster really appealed to me. I saw names like Gabby Williams, who I’ve also played with before, in college. Veronica Burton, another all-star caliber athlete. Janelle Salaün, who’s just on a league of her own- I could go on and on about my new teammates. I absolutely admire their skills, but it was also a cultural fit. I felt as though the Valkyries’ team identity fit well with my own. I’ve spent a total of about two minutes here, and I already feel like a true Valkyrie.” She smiled as she finished her…somewhat truthful answer.
Also bullshit. Well, not the first part. I do love those three. But no way in hell do I feel like a Valk already- I feel like an idiot for leaving New York, actually, after hearing that question.
Hands in the audience instantly raised again.
Azzi waited for the mic to be passed to another reporter, glancing around the room to try and guess who’d be picked next, but Valerie simply held onto it as the arms around her remained in the air.
“Paige!” Natalie hissed again, a little louder this time.
Azzi glanced over at Paige again, who seemed to be in her own world, honestly. The blonde’s eyes were rather glazed over, looking as though she had been daydreaming or something.
“Oh, sorry-” She whispered to them before turning to the crowd and calling on the next reporter.
Azzi smiled to herself again, allowing her gaze to linger on Paige for a bit. If she had been red before, it was nothing compared to what she looked like now. She felt kind of bad for her, but returned her attention to the reporters as another started speaking.
“Thank you. It’s nice to see you in the bay again, Azzi, but not as a competitor this time.”
Azzi flashed a genuine smile at him. It was Mark Gronn, one of the longtime reporters for the Valkyries. He was always fun to speak to, even after they typically got destroyed in Ballhalla, always making her laugh after tough performances.
“It’s nice to see you too, Mark.” Azzi said, leaning further into the microphone halfway through her sentence.
“Oh, yeah, I’m Mark. Um-” The room laughed again and Azzi heard Natalie huff out a laugh beside her as well. “I don’t want to grill you on why you personally left the Liberty, Azzi.”
Thank you, Mark!
“Instead, I wanted to ask you if you’re excited to be living in California now. The culture is definitely quite different from New York, so what do you think adjusting to life over here will be like?”
“Y’know, that’s a great question, Mark, thanks. I’m honestly not sure. I’ve heard so many great things about Cali, of course, but I’ve also heard it’s so different from New York, like you said. I’m not sure if it’s in a bad or a good way, but I guess I’ll find out soon. I’m especially excited to go out and explore the city with my teammates. I know Gabby’s already planned some outings for this week. I’m already so close with her, and I know it’ll be great to spend even more time with her. I’m glad we found our way back to each other in the league.”
Azzi turned towards Paige when she heard a particularly loud click coming from her general direction. Paige was still extremely red, and seemed to quickly look away from Azzi right as she turned towards her. She was still fidgeting with the pen in her hands, clicking it obsessively as Azzi noticed her leg nearest to her was shaking under the tablecloth as well.
Does this girl have ADHD or something?
She nudged her foot. ‘What?’ she mouthed when Paige turned to her. She was now…an impressive shade of red, at this point.
She shook her head rapidly before looking away and calling on the next reporter. Azzi’s gaze remained on her as she heard the mic get passed around, frowning.
The hell was that?
“This is Knox Daniels from The Athletic.”
Azzi closed her eyes upon hearing that voice, turning towards the audience again. She had history with this one. With this whole journal, really. He had written several hitpieces on her over the last four years, always having a lot to say about her performances, and especially the poor ones. He had also been the reporter to rob her of a unanimous ROTY accolade. Not that she actually cared about the matter, but it was the fact that he seemed to simply…hate her.
She wasn’t sure if Paige knew anything about their history, since she seemed rather naive from what Azzi was witnessing today, but she was pretty sure that Paige wouldn’t have called on him with any malicious intent.
“Piggybacking off of what Valerie asked earlier, I was wondering not why you chose the Valkyries, but more so why you chose to leave the Liberty? Like Valerie said, the team was clearly building around you, and you probably left some sort of a mark on the organization.”
Fucking bitch.
“All that to say, why did you leave the Liberty? Great players exist everywhere, on every single team, and you had a rare amount of them with you on the Liberty. With such great talent surrounding you there, was there something that made you decide, ‘I’m too…good for this. I deserve better’, or something of the sort? Because I, along with others at The Athletic, are struggling to see why someone would have such a mindset after being gifted such great opportunities on a fantastic team like the Liberty.”
“What a long question.” Natalie joked beside Azzi who sat rigidly in her seat. A few reporters laughed with Natalie as Azzi’s jaw tightened. “Did you even catch the question, Azzi? I don’t remember half of what he said, to be honest.”
Azzi heard the room break further around her, but she still didn’t crack a smile. Didn’t even breathe, really. She knew her answer to Valerie’s question had been pretty pathetic, but she didn’t expect to be called out for it in the same press conference. That was more of a JustWomensSports-post-the-next-morning type of vibe. She didn’t expect to be seeing Knox here, either, though. So…whatever.
What do I even say to that? There were so many disses in there about me, bruh. Okay, breathe, Fudd, breathe.
Azzi remained silent for a beat longer and focused on her breathing, using what her therapist had told her of imagining she was the only one in the room. She cleared her throat before looking down at her lap, squeezing her legs together.
I can’t say why I left-
She felt something foreign brush up against her arm. Her eyes snapped onto it and she saw a pale hand hovering over her forearm. A few of its fingers gently tapped her twice, as if to get her attention. Azzi brought her gaze up the arm and onto the individual’s face. It was Paige. She had been discreetly trying to get her attention under the table, clearly asking her if she needed to shut down the question. Her eyes pierced into Azzi’s brown ones as she simply froze.
They’re so fucking…blue.
Tap tap
Her cheeks are so red- they’re literally getting redder-
Tap tap tap
Azzi blinked out of her reverie. She glanced down to see Paige tapping her arm again, with a little more force this time. She looked up at her to see her wearing a confused expression.
Oh my god, did I just freeze?
She registered that she hadn’t given Paige a response yet and slowly nodded in confirmation, gaze flicking between her bright-ass eyes.
Paige cleared her throat and broke their eye contact, leaning towards her own microphone and directing everyone’s attention to her, cutting through the awkward silence. “We appreciate the, um, very detailed question, Mr. Daniels, but we politely decline.”
Azzi exhaled in relief as the room began to bustle again, hands raising once again. She refocused on her breathing as Paige retracted her hand, her gaze following her movements. Paige tilted her phone at her, showing her that there were only 13 minutes left. She mouthed a little ‘thank you’ before Paige abruptly dropped her phone against the table and ripped her gaze away with an even deeper blush dusting her cheeks.
It brought a smile to Azzi’s face, though. She appreciated how…awkward Paige seemed to be. It was exactly what she needed at the moment.
The rest of the presser went on as any other would, and she thankfully wasn’t asked any more questions about why, specifically, she had chosen to leave the New York Liberty.
When it was all over and the reporters had filed out of the room, Natalie dragged her back to the gym and handed her over to one of the assistant coaches who was labeled as her personal tour guide. She was given a thorough tour of the training facility, where Azzi pretended that she wasn’t going to forget where everything was by tomorrow morning.
Valkzzi x PR Manager!Paige Bueckers (ft. Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, and Janelle Salaün) - 1/?
Synopsis:
Azzi Fudd wanted nothing more than a clean slate; a new opportunity. To spread her...purple wings.
The exciting trade created more commotion than just ESPN headlines, spreading...internally?
The Golden State Valkyries PR Manager, Paige Bueckers, had long been obsessed with the girl before the trade even occurred. It takes all of her energy + a little help in Ballhalla to make Azzi even bat an eye(lash).
Azzi had always been reserved, thoughtful, and rather nonchalant.
