The Minnesota Lynx’s Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman — better known online as Stud Budz — have figured out that sometimes all it takes to get past a velvet rope is dropping Caitlin Clark’s name.
The duo sat in on Complex Sports for a round of “Fact, Fiction, or F**k Out of Here,” where the topic came up. Did they really use Clark’s name to slide into places? Hiedeman didn’t hesitate.
“Fact,” she said. “I did it at the (2025) All-Star.”
Williams grinned and backed her up. “I just did it. Anywhere I’m at. If I can’t get in there, don’t make me make that phone call.”
It helps that Clark isn’t just a WNBA superstar but also a friend of the pair. During All-Star weekend, she admitted to Williams that she had been locked in on their Twitch streams.
“I was streaming (Stud Budz) all last night,” Clark told her. “I had it on my TV downstairs. I was commenting.”
Caitlin Clark’s signature shoe era begins
Caitlin Clark’s rookie season flipped the league on its head, and the momentum hasn’t slowed since. She’s now the face of the Indiana Fever, a nightly draw, and the WNBA’s biggest marketing magnet.
Earlier this year, Nike dropped a Kobe 5 Protro colorway in the Fever’s dark blue and orange, tied directly to Clark’s breakout year. The shoes flew, proof of how much weight her name already carries in the sneaker world.
Now comes the real milestone. Nike confirmed this week that Clark will become just the third WNBA star with her own signature sneaker, joining Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson.
The debut pair is slated for 2026. A release date hasn’t been locked in, but the buzz is already running hot. For fans and collectors alike, Clark’s first signature shoe is shaping up to be the must-have drop of next year.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
