It's nearly impossible to miss seeing UConn star Azzi Fudd when tuning in for March Madness, as she's all over TV commercials and social media.
“Really fortunate to have done some really amazing and fun deals and have some great partnerships,” Fudd said in a Zoom interview with The Associated Press. “I'm super excited to see everything just start to roll out. It’s going to be crazy to see everything I’ve done. I feel like a lot of things are being posted now.”
Fudd is one of the most recognizable stars of women’s basketball, whether in Planet Fitness ads, Marriott Bonvoy spots or Geico commercials.
“Companies are figuring out how to best use college athletes in the moment and you can’t watch a men’s or women’s game without seeing a commercial with Azzi Fudd in it,” said Joe Favorito, a longtime sports consultant and professor in Columbia’s School of Professional Studies. “She had the benefit of being around great players for a while and she’s a great comeback story.”
Fudd, who was an AP All-American this season, said that much of the content was shot earlier in the year so as not to put extra time demands on her during the busiest time of her season.
“I’m excited since March is the best time of the year. I’m excited for everything,” she said.
Partnering with Planet Fitness was a natural fit for Fudd, who has dealt with injuries for much of her college career.
“It’s an essential part of literally every single day — some form of recovery,” Fudd said. “So to be able to partner with them and really put that emphasis on how important it is to make sure you’re recovering and take care of yourself physically, mentally, no matter if it’s a massage chair, if it’s blowing out, like, whatever it is, you have to put that time with that to take your comfort."
She missed 11 games as a freshman with a foot injury. The next year she suffered a knee injury in December that cost her 22 games, including time after she reaggravated it.
The next season she tore her ACL in early November and only played in two games. She's been healthy the last two years, helping UConn win its 12th national championship in 2025 and now has the Huskies four wins away from repeating and capping off an unbeaten season.
“Having gone through the injuries, I learned a lot about how important it is to have a great warmup and how extremely vital it is to also have a great recovery,” Fudd said. “I’m always doing contrast — the cold tub and hot tubs. I’m rolling out for literally an hour before and after practice and work out, it’s using the sauna, it’s stretching. It’s getting those massages. It’s a massage chair. It’s any resource I can find.”
Fudd credits her mother Katie, who played at N.C. State and Georgetown, for helping her understand how to take care of herself early on.
“I have a mother who’s also been through a ton of injuries, so she stressed the importance of taking care of our body from a young age,” Fudd said.
The mother-daughter combo teamed up in a fun social media spot for Celsius beverages, playing a version of the basketball game “Horse." Fudd loses to her mom, who hits trick shots to beat the UConn star — who had 34 points in her final home game on Monday night that advanced the Huskies to their 32nd consecutive Sweet 16.
“This started a little before Caitlin Clark and then it exploded,” Favorito said. “Not just for women's basketball fans, but for people who love sports and pop culture. She's top of the list right now and where (UConn) goes in the next two weeks will continue to add to that.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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