Jennifer Lynn Azzi ( ; born August 31, 1968), is an American business development officer and former basketball player and coach. Most recently, she was the chief business development officer for the Las Vegas Aces from 2021-2025.
Azzi played collegiate basketball at Stanford, where she was national player of the year and won the NCAA national championship in 1990. She played professional basketball from 1990-2003, including five seasons in the WNBA. She was the coach of the University of San Francisco women's basketball team from 2010-2016. Azzi was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.
Early life and education
Azzi was born on August 31, 1968, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. After receiving a scholarship, Azzi attended Stanford University in 1986 to study economics and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1990. She helped lead the Shock into the playoffs that year.
International career
In 1988, Azzi was named to the Jones Cup team. The USA team ended the competition with a 3–2 record, winning the silver medal. Azzi averaged 5.4 points per game. On September 15, 2016, Azzi stepped down as head coach of the Dons.
Business development
From 2005 to 2008, Azzi served on the Board of Directors of USA Basketball. Between 2010 and 2021, Azzi led Azzi Academy, a youth basketball program at Tamalpais High School. Azzi's partner, Blair Hardiek, is still listed as an Aces employee.
Awards and recognition
- Named to the Kodak All-America First Team in 1989 and 1990.
- 1990 recipient of the Wade Trophy and Naismith Award.
- 1990—Winner of the Honda Sports Award for basketball
- NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and the West Region MVP in 1990.
- Pac-10 Player of the Year award in 1989 and 1990.
- Three time All-Pac 10 First Team selection
- Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009
Career playing statistics
College
Source
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!Points
!FG%
!3P%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!SPG
!BPG
!PPG
|-
|1986–87
|Stanford
|27
|247
|45.3%
|0
|68.4%
|3.7
|6.1
|NA
|NA
|9.1
|-
|1987–88
|Stanford
|32
|405
|43.3%
|43.2%
|79.2%
|3.9
|6.0
|3.0
|0.0
|12.7
|-
|1988–89
|Stanford
|31
|513
|54.4%
|49.5%
|78.7%
|4.2
|6.5
|2.2
|0.3
|16.5
|-
|1989–90
|Stanford
|32
|469
|49.7%
|44.2%
|79.8%
|3.8
|6.0
|1.9
|0.2
|14.7
|-
|Career
|
|122
|1634
|48.5%
|45.2%
|76.6%
|3.9
|6.2
|1.8
|0.1
|13.4
|}
WNBA
{| class="wikitable"
|-
|style="background:#E0CEF2; width:1em"|
|WNBA record
|}
Source
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1999
| style="text-align:left;"| Detroit
| 28 || 19 || 29.9 || .514 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|.517° || .827 || 2.2 || 3.8 || 0.9 || 0.1 || 2.0 || 10.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2000
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 15 || 15 || 37.3 || .452 || .417 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|.930° || 2.7 || 6.1 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 1.9 || 9.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| style="background:#D3D3D3"|32° || style="background:#D3D3D3"|32° || 37.7 || .408 || style="background:#D3D3D3"|.514° || .917 || 3.1 || 5.3 || 0.7 || 0.3 || 2.2 || 8.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| style="background:#D3D3D3"|32° || style="background:#D3D3D3"|32° || 36.0 || .460 || .446 || .798 || 2.2 || 4.9 || 0.8 || 0.4 || 2.1 || 9.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2003
| style="text-align:left;"| San Antonio
| style="background:#D3D3D3"|34° || style="background:#D3D3D3"|34° || 33.4 || .403 || .402 || .785 || 2.7 || 3.3 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 1.8 || 7.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|5 years, 3 teams
| 141 || 132 || 34.7 || .445 || bgcolor="EOCEF2" |.458 || .845 || 2.6 || 4.5 || 0.8 || 0.3 || 2.0 || 9.1
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 1999
| style="text-align:left;"| Detroit
| 1 || 1 || 40.0 || .154 || .167 || – || 5.0 || 3.0 || 0.0 || 1.0 || 2.0 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2001
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 2 || 2 || 37.5 || .250 || .286 || 1.000 || 1.5 || 5.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 2.5 || 4.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2002
| style="text-align:left;"| Utah
| 5 || 5 || 37.2 || .394 || .368 || .875 || 2.6 || 6.8 || 0.8 || 1.0 || 1.6 || 8.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"| 3 years, 1 teams
| 8 || 8 || 37.6 || .310 || .313 || .889 || 2.6 || 5.9 || 0.6 || 0.9 || 1.9 || 6.8
|-
Head coaching record
Personal life
Azzi has been married to Blair Hardiek Azzi since 2015. Both reside in Henderson, Nevada with their two children: a son, Macklin and a daughter, Camden.
2025 NCAA Champion and Tournament MOP Azzi Fudd takes her namesake from the elder Azzi's surname, according to her mother Katie Smrcka-Duffy Fudd. The younger Fudd went on to don Jennifer's No. 8 as her jersey number while winning the 2021 FIBA U19 FIBA World Cup. The two met in 2015, with Jennifer later stating "When I heard there was a child named after me, not my first name, but my last name, which is pretty unique... that's a huge honor."
References
</references>
Sources
External links
- University of San Francisco profile
- WNBA player profile
- San Antonio Silver Stars farewell tribute to Azzi
- October 7, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle article on Azzi's life after basketball
- July 2007 "Marin Magazine" Article on Azzi's life in Marin