Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman are creating buzz for women’s basketball with their daily streams, let’s see what they’re all about.
The long-overlooked WNBA has experienced a surge in interest these past few years, with viewership on the rise. The WNBA has historically faced a lack of media coverage and consistently been overlooked. Women’s basketball players have not always received the same celebrity treatment that famous men’s players did.
In recent years, it has been the college players whose star power and transitions to the WNBA have increased interest in the league. This includes players like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, and Kiki Iriafen, to name a few.
The start of Studbudz
It’s not just newcomers making waves, though. Courtney Williams and Natisha “T” Hiedeman aren’t new to the WNBA. Previously on separate teams, both recently moved to the Minnesota Lynx during the 2024 season. The two started streaming this year on May 31 under the name “Studbudz” and have quickly amassed a following on the Twitch platform.
The term “stud” has its roots in Black lesbian culture and refers to a masculine-presenting lesbian. Hiedeman told Forbes that the name is about embracing “who we are as people, who we are as athletes.” “We’re just two stud buds hanging out,” she said.
The duo has been gaining traction and was recently featured on Vibe Check, ESPN’s newly premiered female-led sports show, which streams on Disney+. Williams and Hiedeman told interviewers that starting streams after games was “actually very natural for [them] because [they] sit up and talk regardless.”
The two also discussed how they think streaming comes across as more authentic and less calculated. “It’s not like, oh we got to edit this, we got to edit that,” Williams said on Vibe Check. Hiedeman mentions how they talk about “real life stuff,” and the stream is really just two best friends hanging out.
The ESPN W’s Instagram seems to have caught on to how the stream can be insightful for deciphering in-game moments.
One post compares clips from the Studbudz stream to broadcast footage from a Lynx versus Dallas Wings game. In the clips, Williams voices her frustrations about being sidelined by an injury. This allows fans to gain a better understanding of the situation when players are not mic’ed up for games.
Early viewers
Before gaining recognition by big sports outlets, it was smaller TikTokers who were pointing out Studbudz’s potential. Women’s sports content creator, Aliya Kisivo, called Studbudz “the best PR the Minnesota Lynx could have asked for.” Kisivo mentions in her TikTok that fans previously felt that it was difficult to root for the Lynxs because they were “boring”. This problem has certainly been fixed with the addition of Williams and Hiedeman.
@aliyaakae @studbudz what’d cheryl say about all this 😭🤣 I love it!! #wnba #studbudz #minnesotalynx #funny #bestfriends #wbb #twitchstreamer ♬ original sound – Aliya Kisivo (Kae)
Another creator, “itscwaysworldesq“, was an early supporter of the Studbudz stream. She captioned her video highlighting the stream with this: “@studbudz deserve all the love! From iconic fits to hilarious streams, we’re here to spotlight the joy, talent, and culture they bring. Let’s keep supporting and laughing right along with them.” It is clear that the duo is bringing a lot of laughs to women’s basketball fans.
One stream clip featured in her video is one that brought early buzz to the Studbudz stream. Williams and Hiedeman gave a hilarious breakdown of a confrontation between Lynx and Seattle Storm players that occurred during the Commissioner’s Cup.
Hiedeman describes approaching Storm player Skylar Diggins to be the “de-escalator” of the situation. After the confrontation between players continued, Hiedeman tells Diggins that “the whole little crush that I thought I had, it’s out the window.” To which Diggins apparently replied, “Shut up, you still like me.” The whole story is made even better by the duo’s comedic delivery and Williams’ hysterical laughter.
@itscwaysworldesq We’ll say it louder every time: @studbudz deserve all the love! From iconic fits to hilarious streams, we’re here to spotlight the joy, talent, and culture they bring. Let’s keep supporting and laughing right along with them 💯✨ #StudBudz #wnba #minnesotalynx #courtneywilliams #natishahiedeman #wbb #womensbasketball #streams #funny #skylardiggins #lasparks #womensbasketball #fyp #fy #cwayspeaks ♬ original sound – C ⚖️🏀🏅| Sports Content
Insight into the league
Compared to some other athletes, these WNBA stars are much more transparent about their lives both on and off the basketball court.
Williams and Hiedeman opened up to viewers about how they stop getting paid once the regular season ends. “Honestly, you’re just playing for pride at that point,” Williams said in regards to playing unpaid in the playoffs.
They both revealed that the bonus for making it to the finals after a month of playoffs was only $3,000. This is significantly lower than the bonuses that NBA players make in the playoffs. This year, the NBA had a playoff pool of $35 million to be split among the teams.
@teamstudbudz Ok so this is actually insane @studbudz live on twitch now! #courtneywilliams #natishahiedeman #studbudz #minnesotalynx #WNBA #fyp ♬ original sound – ✨b
Most recently, the Studbudz made big waves in the WNBA world for their 72-hour livestream covering the WNBA All-Star Weekend. Fans got to see their favorite women’s basketball stars up close and candid with three days’ worth of footage. From the all-night party kicking off the first night to All-Star practices, Studbudz captured it all.
Fans online were eating up the content. Many posted how they felt the stream changed the entire dynamics of All-Star Weekend, and they want this kind of coverage every year. There is some debate about whether the drunken chaos of the stream would bring some negative publicity along with the good.
One hot topic from the stream was relationships. Many fans have created ships and conspiracies about which WNBA players are dating. Some of these have proven to be true, like the newly confirmed relationship between Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.
Some feel that Williams and Hiedeman accidentally confirmed the relationships of numerous players during the party. Whether true or not, it provided for a lot of debate and excitement on social media.
@thebaddiegalore #fyp #xyzbca #trending #wnba #wnbaallstar #wnbaallstarweekend #wlw #wlwcouple #wlwtiktok #wuhluhwuh #studbudz #courtneywilliams #natishahiedeman #paigebueckers #azzifudd #marinejohannes #gabbywilliams #marinamabrey #saniyarivers ♬ original sound – Scoops Galore 📝☕️
Only the beginning
The hype around the Studbudz stream has only been growing over the past few months. The duo has started to be featured on larger sports sites and has gotten shoutouts from many prominent players. The two recently announced the arrival of Studbudz merch, along with a collab t-shirt with Togethxr. They have also received multiple sponsorship deals, including an amusement park trip paid by Cash App.
I think the stream is a perfect opportunity to start creating excitement around the WNBA. The two have a very likable star quality to them, which helps draw people in to become invested in the league.
Many rival fans feel that the stream is bringing everyone together; it doesn’t matter who you normally root for. It’s fun and lighthearted, a perfect start for someone new to the sports world or who just wants to watch two funny friends hang out.
