Two Minnesota Lynx guards turned the WNBA All-Star weekend upside down, despite one of them not even playing in the game. Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams, also known as the “Stud Budz,” launched an unprecedented 72-hour livestream that became the talk of Indianapolis.
While fans came for basketball, they stayed for something nobody expected: an unfiltered look at what really happens when the cameras stop rolling.
Why Did The Studbudz Stream Become The Weekend’s Biggest Story?
The duo’s Twitch channel exploded during All-Star weekend, pulling back the curtain on a world WNBA fans rarely get to see. On their page, Hiedeman and Williams describe themselves as “just two Stud Budz who hoop and live our best life. Welcome to the Party🎉 -T & Court👩🏼🤝👩🏾.” What started as casual streaming turned into must-watch television.
The stream’s impact reached the highest levels of basketball coverage. During ESPN’s official All-Star Game broadcast on Saturday, play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco said, “You just saw one of the MVPs of the weekend, Natisha Hiedeman. The Studbudz live stream with her and Courtney Williams has been ya, the real MVP.”
Even the game’s actual MVP took notice. When asked about her favorite moment of the weekend, Napheesa Collier said, “Not a favorite moment, but StudBudz has been the highlight of I think everybody’s weekend.”
Ryan Ruocco noting the StudBudz as the MVPs of the weekend pic.twitter.com/i6AKbspTdr
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) July 20, 2025
Kristen Wong of Sports Illustrated explained why the Studbudz made such a significant impact: “The stream has given WNBA fans a rare glimpse into players’ off-court lives, capturing moments that traditional news outlets wouldn’t normally have access to, for example, the behind-the-scenes happenings going on during All-Star parties in Indy this weekend.”
The Minnesota Lynx guards began streaming just two months ago. Their first broadcast featured Williams’s dad, Donald Williams, joining the conversation. Since that humble beginning, they’ve built a following of almost 66,000 on Twitch.
Fans recognized that the duo’s contribution went beyond entertainment. One fan wrote, “Studbudz has done better marketing for the WNBA than the league has done themselves in 29 years.”
Another fan wrote, “Idk if Studbudz will be able to have a moment like this again because fun always gets ruined. But for a moment in time, we got an incredible, authentic look into the WNBA. All love and fun. One of the best things I’ve ever seen that highlights the amazing women in this league.”
Me liking every Paige, Team Collier and Studbudz post online rn pic.twitter.com/W7uck7q5BE
— Jayeee (@Ooh_Im_Fanceyy) July 19, 2025
What Were The Four Most Viral Moments From Their Stream?
Picking just four moments from a stream that dominated social media proves nearly impossible, but these clips defined the weekend.
4. Cathy Engelbert Dancing at Friday Night’s Party
The Studbudz captured Friday night’s pre-game party, showing WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert dancing. The clip spread like wildfire across social media, giving fans a side of the league’s top executive they’d never seen before.
WNBA COMMISSIONER, CATHY ENGELBERT, DANCING TO “KNUCK IF YOU BUCK” BY CRIME MOB????????
STUDBUDZ HAS GONE TOO FARRRRR, BRUH 😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/pWbEwMwvcj
— zavanté (@taylenciaga) July 19, 2025
3. Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd
During their weekend coverage, the Studbudz captured the UConn stars Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers together at the festivities.
In one memorable clip, Hiedeman posed with the duo. Fudd sported a white dress while Bueckers wore a mustard suit with a matching tie and red shirt.
2. Courtney Williams Dancing With Everyone at the Party
I don’t know what’s funnier: The GREAT Courtney Williams acting like Courtney Williams, or the fact that she got a full pizza pie delivered to her while she was grind dancing 😂😂😂 #WNBA
🎥 @TWDTV1 pic.twitter.com/a3ngs0Ju8D
— Andrew Jerell Jones, Luke 1:37 (BlueSky too now) (@sluggahjells) July 18, 2025
Clay Sauertieg of BroBible.com said, “As we’ve learned, if there’s one thing that Courtney Williams knows how to do, it’s have a good time. Apparently, part of having a good time meant dancing on anybody and everybody. Literally, everybody. Williams has so much clout these days that she was even able to get a full pizza delivered while dancing in the club.”
Williams celebrated her All-Star selection by partying with abandon, creating content that had social media users worldwide glued to their screens.
1. Caitlin Clark’s Orange Carpet Entry
Thursday’s Orange Carpet event kicked off the weekend’s festivities. Caitlin Clark, serving as one of the team captains for the All-Star game, showed up more than three hours late. Her delayed arrival created instant drama on the Studbudz stream.
PFSN’s Ravi Shankar wrote, “Their [Studbudz] reactions when Clark joined made for instant social media gold. Williams couldn’t contain her excitement when Clark stepped into view. ‘We told y’all we was gonna have the baby goat on this b****!’ Williams said, welcoming Clark to the show while fans quickly shared clips across social media platforms.”
Beyond these headline moments, the stream delivered countless other viral clips, including one that sparked speculations of Saniya Rivers and Marina Mabrey being involved romantically. At Saturday night’s after-party, they seemingly didn’t recognize American DJ Diplo, with Williams boldly asking him to change his music selection.
The Studbudz transformed sports content with their marathon 72-hour effort. Their groundbreaking stream created a new template for athlete-fan interaction that the sports world won’t soon forget.