Behind the Stream: Inside the StudBudz' WNBA All-Star Weekend

9 min readIt’s the Wednesday evening after the WNBA All-Star break, and the StudBudz—best friend duo Natisha Hiedeman and Courtney Williams—are finally feeling somewhat back to normal. The previous weekend was a nonstop barrage of brand events, player parties, and the All-Star Game, and, as fans saw on their 72-hour Twitch stream from Chicago, not much sleep.The two WNBA guards returned home on Sunday, and by Tuesday were back on the court for regular-season play—Courtney with the Minnesota Lynx, Natisha for the Seattle Storm.“I’m good now. I ain’t going to lie, the last game, I was dying. But I’m good now,” Courtney says via Zoom from Toronto, fresh off the plane before Thursday night’s game versus the Tempo. The three-time All-Star admits she did not play her best the night before, despite the Lynx getting a win. “I had to take a foul to get out the game. I was so down bad. I'm like, ‘Bro, I can't breathe.’ Why would they have All-Star and then give us a game two days later? That's crazy.”For Natisha, who competed in the WNBA 3-Point Contest, the weekend didn’t seem to affect her game too much (“I got a good day and a half of sleep” after All-Star, she says). She scored a career-high 33 points on Tuesday night, though the Storm didn’t pull out a W against the Indiana Fever. Both StudBudz agree that winning is always the priority over personal performance, though rooting for each other has become slightly complicated now that the former Lynx backcourt duo plays on different teams (Natisha signed with Seattle this offseason).“I be wanting her to hoop. I don't be wanting her to win, though,” Courtney says. “I don’t want her to beat us, but I want her to do a great job.”Nicol BiesekNatisha and Courtney’s Dr. Seuss shirts were a gift from their managers, Tenzin Dekyi and Ogo. “After we heard about the blue hair, it was just obvious,” Dekyi says.Nicol BiesekTwitch put up billboards in Chicago promoting their 72-hour live stream. Both StudBudz had the same reaction to seeing it in person: “That was crazy.”Natisha agrees, adding that the newfound distance between them is a non-factor. “I talk to this joker every day. Every day,” she says. “We be checking in after every game, damn near, with each other, too.”For fans who caught even a glimpse of the StudBudz All-Star stream—whether live on Twitch or via the viral clips circulating social media throughout the weekend—it was clear that their friendship is very much intact. “I feel like we be picking up where we left off at,” Natisha says.Turning Boredom into a MovementThe machine that is the StudBudz—a play on the term “studs,” which describes more masculine-presenting queer women—began last summer when Courtney and Natisha decided to launch a Twitch channel to document their lives as teammates and best friends in the WNBA.Nicol BiesekThe StudBudz set off for the orange carpet. “I feel like we matched. We look good!” Natisha says. “Yeah, we did,” Courtney emphatically agrees.“It was never like, ‘Oh, we could go make a lot of money off of this,’ or, ‘Oh, we can go start getting a bunch of branded.’ That was never the motive,” Courtney says. “It was literally like, ‘Bro, we're bored. We're bored, we’re together. Let's just do something.’”The success was instant, and they signed with a management team soon after. They live streamed the entirety of the 2025 All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, and thousands of viewers were glued to every minute. This year, brands wanted in: Twitch put up billboards of Natisha and Courtney in Chicago, they hosted activations for Chase Freedom and State Farm, and AT&T sponsored everything from the duo’s blue hair and nails to a hotline fans could call throughout the weekend for a chance to appear on the stream.WNBA players were not often seen in a live streaming setting before the StudBudz showed what was possible, but the platform and community they’ve built with their fans have inspired others to do their own thing. “I ain't going to lie, that's rooted from us,” Courtney says. “I ain't never seen this many players around the league hopping on the ’net and being able to feel like they can just go live. Going live used to be a scary thing for a lot of folks."Nicol BiesekCourtney ended up hosting during an appearance at Chase Freedom’s Cashback Courts. “I walked in, they was like, ‘You want to get on the mic and talk about the game?’ I was like, ‘Heck yeah, give it to me,’” she says. “I’m never saying no to the mic.”Nicol BiesekThe StudBudz never filter themselves, even on national television (like when they guested on ESPN’s WNBA Countdown with Monica McNutt, Malika Andrews, Andraya Carter, and Chiney Ogwumike). “Just no cussing on TV,” Courtney says.When you’re live, you can’t take back what you say and do—it’s real life in real time. But the StudBudz have never been afraid to be their true selves in front of the internet. “When me and T started streaming, I feel like that gave everybody else that confidence to be like, all right, they can do it. Especially because we unfiltered, uncut.”While many brands may be afraid of just how unfiltered a 72-hour nonstop party can get, the ones who signed on for All-Star saw a rare opportunity to align with not just highly viewed content, but content that featured their favorite players and personalities in the league. “We ourselves, and I feel like a lot of people right now are really leaning into authenticity,” Courtney says. “We kind of are the motion,” Natisha adds. “You definitely know that a lot of people are going to be with us. We bring the energy, the people. So I think that's good for people's brands as well.”Nicol Biesek“I was clowning with (Marina) Mabrey in the locker room, and she was like, ‘Get me off the stream,’” Courtney says, laughing. “And I said, ‘Girl, you was just all on TikTok Live and IG Live. How you finna be acting shy about the stream?’ And (she) started chasing me around the locker room, and my sock made me slip, so I fell. That’s actually not a fake fall, either. I actually really fell. I slipped.” Natisha adds: “And I’m bent over because I’m laughing.”The Team Behind the StreamCourtney and Natisha had no qualms about sacrificing their privacy for the weekend, and many players didn’t either. “Everybody knows what it is and what it ain’t,” Courtney says. “It's like, if you want to be on the stream, you're going to come rock with us. If you don't want to be on the stream, you probably going to stay away from us.”The majority of the StudBudz’ entourage, though, was their day ones. Fans could see Natisha’s brother help with her tie and Courtney’s dad ironing her clothes before the orange carpet; they could also see their siblings and cousins letting loose in their hotel room in the middle of the night. “Since I known Courtney, the same people that she been around, all her friends, her cousins, her sister, all the same people always show up for us in big moments,” Natisha says. “The people who always show up for us was there, for sure.” And the StudBudz took care of their people, buying bottles for everyone and immediately leaving certain parties that wouldn’t let their entire posse inside.Nicol BiesekNatisha was surrounded by support from current and former teammates at the 3-Point Contest, including Flau’jae Johnson, Napheesa Collier, and Rachel Banham. “I forgot my arm sleeve, and I didn’t win,” Natisha jokes. “It was fun. Just happy to be there, be in it, and be able to shoot with the top players of the league. That was cool, and still some way be a part of All-Star.”Courtney and Natisha also had a team alongside them who were the masterminds behind many of the brand deals and leveled-up moments throughout the weekend: co-managers Tenzin Dekyi and Ogo from management company and marketing consultancy Thirteenth. Their custom “Stud 1” and “Stud 2” T-shirts were a surprise from Dekyi and Ogo, and their tricked-out Studbudz party bus (stocked with Slim Jims, sunflower seeds, honey barbecue Fritos, and orange and blue Gatorade) was also their idea. They were often seen dragging the StudBudz out of the hotel in the morning, keeping them on schedule, and making sure everything ran smoothly.“They've been preparing a whole lot of stuff for us. And it really went very, very fluid,” Natisha says. “It seemed effortless, but I know the work behind that, it wasn't no overnight process. Without them, I ain't going to lie, none of this would've even been possible, for real.” “Facts,” Courtney echoes.Nicol BiesekSports broadcasting veteran Holly Rowe joined the stream at the Shooting Stars and 3-Point Contest. “I love Holly, man. That’s my dawg,” Courtney says. “She’s super cool.” “She’s a good time,” Natisha agrees.Nicol Biesek“[This is] all our inner circle,” Courtney says of their hotel room after hours. A combination of parents, siblings, and cousins joined them in Chicago and went with them everywhere. “This is all our family right here.”Dekyi picked up her own fans on social media over the weekend. “I actually saw an edit of me on TikTok, my first edit ever,” says Dekyi, who works full-time on growing the StudBudz brand as of this year. “It was me working very, very hard. They're like, ‘I haven't even seen her eat.’ And the song was like, ‘A single mom who works two jobs.’ I'm like, ‘That was literally the whole weekend.’” Dekyi likens the All-Star stream to a TV show, with this year’s All-Star stream being season two, featuring all-new characters.Nicol Biesek“There was no drama or animosity in any part of what I saw or felt,” Biesek says of her experience shadowing the StudBudz. “It was all just love and joy and celebration.”Even the photographer for this story, Nicol Biesek, found herself the subject of online attention while embedded with the StudBudz all weekend. In between snapping photos, she was spotted helping them apply ice to their hungover heads and dancing with them on the bus. Fans affectionately referred to her as Edna Mode from The Incredibles; she gained 2,000 social media followers in 48 hours and fans stopped her to take selfies at the All-Star Game.“I think that just shows the influence of everything generated around the StudBudz,” Biesek says. “I'm still in shock that people responded to me the way that they did, but I think when you are streaming all the time, you kind of don't have a choice but to stop performing at some point. You really are just asked to be yourself.”The Art of OversharingThe Studbudz fan base is passionate. They are deeply connected to Courtney and Natisha from the access they’ve been given over the last year—and sometimes demand more, especially when the live stream goes on mute. “Ah, they're nosy!” Courtney says with a laugh. But the pair agree that it doesn’t cross a line, and they’re entitled to a private moment or to decide on a destination without revealing it to the internet. “When we mute, it's for valid reason,” Natisha says. “Me and Courtney are best friends. It's stuff that only me and Courtney is supposed to talk [about] and hear.”Nicol BiesekThe duo’s ultimate hangover cure is BC Powder, an over-the-counter pain relief medication. “Courtney told me (about it). You got to take a BC before you even start drinking, for real,” Natisha says.Nicol BiesekCourtney returned to the hotel room at 6 or 7 a.m. on Saturday, and played in the All-Star Game that night. She scored 12 points and had 7 assists for Team Spoon in their victory. “Dude, I was all right,” she says. She pauses, and Natisha laughs. “I was just like, hey, I’m just going to go out here and have fun and compete.”The fans stay fed regardless, even if sometimes it’s accidental. Various players were caught speaking truths they may not have wanted the stream to hear over the weekend. Some of it came from Courtney, like when she revealed fellow All-Star Marina Mabrey’s current relationship status in the locker room. “I’m like Miss Messy Boots. That's what they love to call me. But I don't do it intentionally. I be thinking I just be saying public knowledge,” she says. “I'm just clowning. But I was a lot more mindful this year of trying to be like, ‘All right, let me watch what I'm saying,’ because everybody don't know everything.”Whether it’s a bit of gossip or a wholesome hug (“I'd be having to get two or three a day from Court,” Natisha says) the StudBudz community overall feels like a welcome reprieve from the toxicity of the internet—and, sometimes, the negativity that can occasionally surround the WNBA. “As many people as there are who are ready to troll on the internet, I think there are just as many people who just want to feel included in something that is spreading joy,” says Biesek, who felt nothing but love from the stream, and was even impressed the commenters spelled her name right.Nicol BiesekThe StudBudz’ ride for the weekend was a branded party bus. “It was a ball, because we had music on there. We had all our people on there. We had everything,” Natisha says. Most often, Courtney is running the playlist. “When we get around a bunch of women, I usually take over the aux, because I like to listen to bad bitch music. She listen to more music for the boys. If you know, you know,” she says.Nicol BiesekCourtney gave Keke Palmer some shooting tips at the State Farm Celebrity 3-Point Contest. “I love Keke Palmer,” Courtney says—but when it comes to basketball, she admits, “she was pretty bad.” The StudBudz hosted the contest. “We killed that one,” Natisha says. “Yeah, we did,” Courtney agrees.Courtney and Natisha are proud of the way their visibility and candor has changed different narratives around the league, like the idea that masculine women don’t root for each other, or even that certain players don’t get along. “You would think a person is a certain type of way, and then you see them on a stream, and you’re like, ‘Oh, dang, they ain't nothing like what I thought,’” Courtney says. “Because all of these narratives, especially [from] the fans, is created through the way folks play basketball.”“Which is two different things,” Natisha says.“It's two different things,” Courtney echoes. “The way somebody hoop and who they are off the court is two completely different things.”Nicol BiesekThe most surprising person the StudBudz bonded with over All-Star weekend? “I got to spend a little bit more time with that boy Jake from State Farm,” Courtney says. “I feel like we actually got to really talk and have more than just a, ‘Hey man, we need that State Farm commercial.’ You know what I’m saying?”Nicol Biesek“We always be hugging,” Courtney says. “Low key, you don’t really see friendship from two studs, though. We really changing the narrative. It’s like this narrative that masculine women don’t get along because they be in competition. But we don’t be on that.”Two Beds, One StreamThe StudBudz shared a hotel room with two beds for All-Star weekend, though it served mostly as headquarters for friends and family to get ready, hang out, and party into the wee hours of the morning. “Everybody was trying to say we needed a bigger room, but we don't want one,” Natisha says. “We want the beds right next to each other.” “That's what I'm saying,” Courtney agrees. “How is everybody going to see us if we have this big ol’ room? We got to have people be able to see the both of us.”A suite, Courtney says, would make it all much more complicated. “What if I just want to lay down and T wants to go party? Then we're going to have to move the stream every time, versus T can lay down, I can take shots, and folks can see the both of us.”Nicol Biesek”We all out here having fun,” Courtney says. “Don’t think too deep. Don’t make it too serious. We all just out here having a ball and that’s what we going to continue to do. We going to keep having a ball and having fun.”Many shots were taken over the course of the weekend, which the StudBudz say is just part of All-Star for them. As professional athletes, they sacrifice their bodies and minds all year round. All-Star is their chance to let loose. “It's that break mid-season where it's like, you don't got to worry about games. You can just worry about turning up and having fun,” Courtney says. “That's what All-Star weekend is supposed to be about.”They’re already planning to stream again at the 2027 All-Star Game, and there’s no limit to where they might take the StudBudz brand next. Ultimately, they just want to have a blast, not take themselves too seriously, and share it all with the fans.Nicol BiesekThe StudBudz stream went out during halftime of the All-Star Game. “T the technician, so I knew she would get it back up,” Courtney says. “Little bit of technical difficulties ain’t never hurt nobody.” They were back up and running in no time. “We just had to take a minute, take a breath, but I figured it out,” Natisha says.Nicol Biesek“We love Ellie,” Natisha says of the New York Liberty’s wildly popular elephant mascot. “She had just given me a kiss on my cheek right before this.” Reflecting on the weekend, Natisha says watching her best friend play and attending parties were some of her favorite moments. “The whole thing was a movie. We was nonstop.”“When we all come together and have an All-Star weekend, you get obviously the basketball with the All-Star Game, but you get so much more,” Natisha says. “You get to see people’s personalities, them just in regular mode. Same with us, you know? We really just all kicking it and having a good time. It’s like, when else are you gonna see that?”“Exactly,” Courtney says, always in lock step with her twin.Nicol BiesekAmanda Lucci is the director of special projects at Women’s Health, where she works on multi-platform brand initiatives and social media strategy. She also leads the sports and athletes vertical, traveling to cover the Paris Olympics, Women’s World Cup, WNBA Finals, and NCAA Final Four for WH. She has nearly 15 years of experience writing, editing, and managing social media for national and international publications and is also a NASM-certified personal trainer. A proud native of Pittsburgh, PA, she is a graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism. Follow her on Instagram @alucci.