With one of the two All-Star teams led by Lynx MVP candidate Napheesa Collier (the other captained by Caitlin Clark), Minnesota was bound to be a major player in the weekend’s festivities. However, what the league didn’t plan for was fellow Lynx All-Star Courtney Williams and her best friend, Lynx guard Natisha Hiedeman, providing an unforgettable look into the behind-the-scenes. The result? A record-breaking, comedy-filled celebration of the rapidly growing league, while making time for an important message as well.
Lynx Steal the Show at WNBA All-Star Weekend
Lynx Star Collier Breaks All-Star Game Scoring Record
Clark and Collier led all players in All-Star voting, earning them the right to captain a squad. Before the game, both women participated in a draft where they selected a roster of players from the remaining All-Stars. Clark ended up missing the game due to injury, and Collier’s team took full advantage. The Lynx star, who leads the league in scoring at 23.2 points per game, set a new WNBA record. Her 36 points in the All-Star game eked out last year’s All-Star MVP, Arike Ogunbowale, who scored 34 points in the 2024 contest. Collier’s big scoring night helped her take home a trophy at the end of the evening, adding an All-Star MVP to her 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year.
Off-Court, the “StudBudz” Make a Splash
Fellow Lynx guards Williams and Hiedeman might have been the real stars of the weekend. Although it was Collier leading the way on-court, the self-proclaimed “StudBudz” provided an insight into life off-court. The pair, who stream on Twitch, committed to stream for 72 hours straight, the entire weekend. Williams, an All-Star herself and participant in the WNBA Skill Challenge, and Hiedeman, a veteran guard with a big personality, streamed from everywhere, including the hotel room to afterparties. Viral moments from the stream included dancing with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Englebert and DoorDashing scooters to their hotel after missing the team bus. Stars from across the league made appearance such as Clark dancing and Aliyah Boston popping in to say hi. It was a hilarious look at the sisterhood of the WNBA. Thousands of viewers tuned in live to see the chaos they created.
“Pay Us What You Owe Us”
The stars were not just in Indiana to play in an exhibition game. They took full advantage of the national television coverage to make a statement to the league. Instead of the league-sanctioned warm-up shirts, the women came out in tops stating, “Pay Us What You Owe Us.” The shirts, which also included the WNBPA logo, alluded to recent collective bargaining agreement talks. The conversation on pay has soured relationships between the league and its players. Adding fuel to the flame was the announcement by Unrivaled, a three-on-three league founded by Collier and Breanna Stewart, that the winner’s prize would be doubled from $50K to $100K for the upcoming season. When Collier was handed her MVP trophy, ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked, “What’s important to you and the players right now?” Collier responded by alluding to the fans, who had been chanting, “Pay them!” throughout the game. She said, “The crowd is saying it for us,” ending a spectacular weekend with a call to action.
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