Who are the Stud Budz? Understanding the sensation of WNBA All-Star Weekend

New York Times

22-07-2025

The tunnel beneath Gainbridge Fieldhouse was eerily quiet as the WNBA's biggest stars lined up to strut their pre-All-Star-Game looks Saturday night. Red carpets and tunnel walks are usually cacophonous, but at this game, the media were oddly hushed.
Then Courtney Williams walked in. The WNBA's unofficial and unparalleled hype train had arrived.
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'We need some music back here, some energy!' Williams exclaimed to the small crowd. Then, turning to the line of All-Stars as the night's soon-to-be MVP Napheesa Collier started her tunnel walk, 'Yes, Phee! Period! You look good!'
The crowd laughed. The stars laughed. Everyone loosened up.
Williams, a guard on the Minnesota Lynx, is one half of the now-viral streaming duo known as the 'Stud Budz.' The other half is Williams' teammate Natisha Hiedeman.
Their Twitch stream was the thing everyone at All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis was talking about.
'I was streaming (Stud Budz) all last night,' Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark told Williams on Saturday. 'I had it on my TV downstairs. I was commenting.'
All across the events in Indianapolis, the gregarious duo with matching pink close-cropped hair transformed every space they entered. Their recipe of behind-the-scenes access, buddy-comedy vibes and true-to-themselves authenticity became an instant viral hit.
Here's what to know about the WNBA's newest media sensation.
The 'Stud Budz' are two people: Williams (or 'Court') and Hiedeman (or 'T').
The basketball stars have a combined 17 years in the WNBA, with Williams drafted by the Phoenix Mercury in 2016 and Hiedeman by the Lynx in 2019. But they recently added another accolade to their resumes as viral streamers.
In June 2025, just a few weeks before the All-Star break, Williams and Hiedeman launched a Twitch channel that they dubbed 'StudBudz,' and it amassed more than 10,000 followers in their first two weeks. It's now up to 70.8K and climbing.
Here's the proposition: Ever want to just hang out with your favorite professional ball players? Now you can. Williams and Hiedeman film their everyday lives — travel, practice, hotel stays or hair-dyeing escapades. They react to WNBA games. They interview competitors and teammates. And they just hang out.
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With their livestream cameras in hand, Williams and Hiedeman provided fans with a unique behind-the-scenes look at All-Star festivities, broadcasting everything over the three-day event, from locker room moments to early-morning hotel room wake-ups to the 'orange carpet' runway.
'I was glued to my phone watching the stream all weekend, and I was in Indy,' WNBA fan and Cleveland native Sam Kavander told The Athletic. 'We got to see the players as people, not just athletes. I really do believe Stud Budz brought a majority of the hype to All-Star weekend, especially from a fan perspective. It just really brought the players and the fans together.'
The Athletic's Ben Pickman broke down some of their most viral moments in his list of 'winners' from the weekend:
'Stud Budz has been the highlight of everybody's weekend,' Collier said.
For many, the Stud Budz create a vibrant-pink visual representation of the WNBA's distinctive connection between fans and stars, and the league's earned role in championing every type of female athlete, no matter their identity, expression, orientation or body type.
For a few years now, WNBA stars have been setting the standard across sports in terms of access and authenticity around their interaction with fans. Both Williams and Hiedeman are out, LGBTQ+ players who embrace their identities, something that was more difficult for LGBTQ+ players to do even a few years ago.
'I think my favorite thing about Stud Budz is just their authenticity,' Kavander said. 'They're so unapologetically them. Not only are they entertaining, they do it all with kindness. Getting to see different players on different teams hang out, who you normally wouldn't expect (to see together), was awesome.'
Courtney Williams on the StudBudz stream showing the positive side of the WNBA
'I think it was dope just for everyone to see we really are a community… We show each other love all the time so I think it was kind of nice for everybody to look in on how we give it out' pic.twitter.com/l4yt6uUOWr
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) July 21, 2025
As The Athletic's Sabreena Merchant wrote: 'Whatever format the duo pursues, they have already proven that every type of player in the WNBA is marketable, no matter their sexuality or if they present more feminine or masculine.'
Fans are speculating already, hoping the Stud Budz get involved in other major events like the ESPYs or the Met Gala.
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'I want Stud Budz to stream from everywhere. The Grammys. The ESPYs. Essence Fest. A Cowboy Carter concert. The Senate Floor. An Ecumenical service. The Gracie's Corner Tour. My kid's storytime. EVERYWHERE,' writer and activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham posted to Threads.
Because of their rising profile since this weekend, branding opportunities and broadcast offers are likely next for the duo.
For now, Williams said at the Lynx's first practice after the weekend, she and Hiedeman 'drank some electrolytes, some water, got a little rest, (and) we're back.'