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Change the game for the better. That's what the greats have always said. Make this space your own, trailblazers have advised. Be yourself and find a way to make the League yours, everyone has hoped. But how?
We’ve seen players carve out their own paths through tough breakaways, deep range and lockdown defense. But it’s rare to see someone create a lane beyond the lines of the court. A lane that’s never been driven before. One that takes boldness, creativity and a fearless mindset behind the wheel.
Enter Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, better known as the “StudBudz,” the duo that flipped the script and created a new wave in the social space. They’ve blended their on-court skills with their off-court personalities to give fans an authentic, behind-the-scenes look at themselves and the League’s brightest stars.
In just three months, the StudBudz have amassed over 111,000 followers on Instagram, finding their niche by doing the one thing that never goes out of style: being unapologetically yourself.
In July, the W community got a real-time glimpse into their world with a 72-hour All-Star livestream: a marathon of laughs, viral moments and unforgettable cameos from Napheesa Collier, Angel Reese, Skylar Diggins, Caitlin Clark and even Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who joined in on the fun dancing to “Knuck If You Buck.”
All-Star was 72 hours that gave fans a look at the WNBA like never before. Stripped of game-day pressure and uniforms, it was a reminder that these stars are also just people, relatable and real.
As we sat down with the pair, Williams was third in scoring on the Lynx with 13.9 ppg and led the team in assists with 6.3 per game, and Hiedeman had two big games recently, scoring 13 against the Liberty and 17 against the Aces. And while the Lynx are leading the League with the closest team far back in the rearview, all people want to do is get to know the twins, as they affectionately call each other, even better.
SLAM: When did this duo officially begin?
Courtney Williams: This was like seven years ago. She was my baby, she came in as my rookie.
Natisha Hiedeman: I was fresh out of college. Court was turnt. I was like, Yeah, I want to be with her. And that’s how it happened.
CW: I invited her out to my birthday. She was the only one on the team I invited out. She is the only one turnt enough that can hang out with me. And she came out with me.
NH: Shol did. [Laughing in unison]
SLAM: How have things changed over that seven-year span?
CW: Oh man, it’s gotten deeper. This is my best friend. For real. I ain't getting married. But if I was, she would be my right hand man.
NH: Facts. It’s deep now.
SLAM: Courtney, how have you seen T change since her rookie year, on the court but also off it?
CW: I think it's just her confidence. Like, seeing her come in as a baby and just trying to maneuver through and figure out where her place was in this League. Now to see her seven years later, like driving, flourishing and then us being on the same team again. I couldn't have written the story any better, for real.
SLAM: T, with Courtney as your vet now, how has it been seeing her redefine her game?
NH: I mean, my dawg was an All-Star this year. That speaks for itself. She just be putting in a lot of work. Just really focusing on her and her leadership, her peace, everything. Like, my dawg just going, both on and off the court. So she deserved to be an All-Star. And that's why this team is so successful.
SLAM: What was the original idea behind StudBudz? How did it all come together?
NH: I ain't going to lie. I think it was just, like, we were [talking] as we were going to the locker room one day. We were with each other every day already. So she was like, Let's do something with the time. So we just started streaming and then, yeah, it was just like learning curves along the way.
CW: It was literally random. We were sitting in the locker room like, We could do that. Let’s see if we can do that. We walked into the training room, and we were like, We need a name. And this joker just said, Well, we are studs that’s buds. StudBudz. All of this was literally so random.
SLAM: Did any of the attention scare y’all?
NH: Nah. We were really just chilling in the crib with like 50 people in [the stream]. I remember we used to be geeked when 50 people were in there.
CW: Facts, on me!
SLAM: What does it mean to be a Stud Bud?
CW: We’re representing the community, you feel me? So we got a gay community on our back. Man, I feel like we showing the world like, the gays is here, baby. And we lit.
SLAM: In past years, W stars have spoken out about the League being “fem” forward. You have been able to introduce and shine a light on more “masculine” vibes. How have fans responded to that, and what does it mean to you?
NH: We need some love, too. I think it’s great, all the support we’ve been getting. Like, it's really crazy. And they just get to see our energy and our vibe off the court, which I think is important for us. Show who we are.
CW: I think you can see the shift in the W space because [of] the way the W has been so supportive. Even during All-Star, they let my dawg go everywhere. They really leaned into us. I think Cheryl [Reeve] said it best. Years ago to this, like that wouldn't have been a thing, I was a part of this League when that really wasn't a thing. So to really see how the League has shifted and leaned into more of their masculine players, we’re happy to be here, twin.
SLAM: Does any of it feel real yet?
NH: Nope, not to me. I ain’t gon’ lie, we definitely did talk about it. Everything. Where we want to go. But it's different when you’re just sitting there talking about it. We dream big. But I feel like it’s really happening.
SLAM: What were some of the big dreams you’re talking about?
NH: Everything.
CW: We were like, We're going to be at the Met Gala, at the Grammys. We were like, Yo, we’re the first ones to do this in the space. We gotta turn up. We got to go up here. We were saying that from day one, like, Man it’s about to be a movie ’cause nobody ever did it like how we about to do it.
NH: Facts.
SLAM: Do you have a favorite StudBudz moment?
NH: I ain't gonna lie, I feel like my favorite is when we first started shooting, we had our whole team come through. Literally everybody came through. Everybody was so geeked about it. And I remember going online, and they were clipping everything. Everything was clipped and we were like, Wow.
CW: This [was] going crazy. On the first day. Our first stream. We had all our teammates come through our hotel room and they all had their little moment of just coming through saying hey to the stream and getting up out of there. And they literally clipped everything. They just went viral from there, the first time we streamed.
SLAM: Y’all have the timeline on lock.
CW: Yeah! I mean, obviously All-Star. I feel like All-Star was a movie, man—72 hours. They had us booked and busy. To have everybody be able to kind of peek their heads in on how people are in their regular day. Like, not just that competitive basketball lane. It was like, y'all got to really see everybody off the court. And I think that was so important for people to see because, you know, we hate each other on the court. But then when we’re outside and we’re having fun, it's like, these our dawgs for real.
SLAM: How has it been seeing so many players show love and be a part of what you’re building?
NH: That's just us being ourselves. We always been cool with everybody. Like, we don't got no smoke with nobody. So it's just, we bring people together. And everybody just wanted to be on our stream. They love StudBudz.
CW: They love us for real. We good energy with everybody.
NH: It’s a vibe, like, they know if we there, then the party there.
CW: Straight up.
SLAM: How does it feel going to games and seeing signs that say “We Love StudBudz” or fans with pink wigs? Is it different than just seeing jerseys?
CW: Yeah, I think so. The first time we walked in and we saw that first StudBudz sign, we were like, Yo, it’s a StudBudz sign!!!
NH: We were on the road!
CW: It’s definitely different. She couldn’t even move because everybody was like, That’s a StudBud, where’s your other StudBud?
NH: I was like, I know you are not going to believe this, I couldn’t even move. Everybody was in there, “StudBudz!!!!” It was all different types of people, too. Wow, they really were watching us for real.
SLAM: Do you feel like your sisterhood is a little different on the court? How is the vibe different?
NH: On the court, we just always in each other's ears trying to make each other better. But I feel like that's real life, too. We try to make each other better, hold each other accountable. You can’t have someone tell you everything you want to hear all the time. You gotta get real with each other. I feel like we’re real with each other.
SLAM: Do y’all feel any pressure with everybody watching you everywhere—on stream, on the court and in real life?
CW: Nah, cause we don’t have to change. How we are in front of the camera is the same way we are if we had no cameras.
NH: I ain’t gonna lie, though, the craziest thing—I be seeing this when people put us up on a TV in the living room. They, like, hook it up to the TV and they watch it like a show.
CW: They will literally tag us and be like, My favorite show is on.
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