Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Jul 30, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams (10) celebrates scoring against the Toronto Tempo during the second half at Scotiabank Arena.
Minnesota Lynx star Courtney Williams is a number of things. She’s a three-time WNBA All-Star. She’s one half of perhaps the league’s best backcourt next to superstar rookie Olivia Miles, and she’s a star on the StudBudz Twitch stream alongside former teammate Natisha Hiedeman.
One thing Williams is apparently not, however, is financially savvy, and she’s not afraid to own up to that fact.
The majority of WNBA players received a massive pay raise this season as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, and not all of them were quick to put that money into savings.
Consider Williams among the many players who recently told ESPN that they immediately spent their newfound wealth in a frivolous manner.
Courtney Williams Says She Spent Her First Big WNBA Paycheck In The Strip Club
To her credit, Williams is unapologetically herself, and she has no problem being honest about her likes and dislikes. One of those likes, it seems, is strip clubs.
“I went to the strip club and blew a bag,” Williams told ESPN. “No, I’m being dead serious. Like, that particular strip club will never see me for the rest of my life. Like, I did too much in there.
“Man, they probably know me by my name.”
Williams’ streaming co-host, Hiedeman, spent her money in a different, yet equally fascinating way. She purchased Williams a custom, 7-foot-tall statue of Goku from the anime series “Dragon Ball” as a birthday gift.
“I ain’t gonna lie, I spent a little bit on that,” Hiedeman said. “They had to make it, ship it, do everything.
“She been saying she wanted one … and she’s putting her little crib together. But we said we’re done buying each other expensive gifts now. So, that was her last gift from me.”
Not every player spent their money the same way. Washington Mystics forward Kiki Iriafen was a little more practical.
“I definitely saved a lot of my money, invested a lot of money,” Iriafen said. “I finally did my 401[k] this year; I did not do that last year, so I was really proud of myself for doing that.”
Meanwhile, controversial Indiana Fever star Sophie Cunningham is focused on investment properties.
“I’m about to probably buy one in Nashville and Florida, and so I’m just starting to make a business outside of the court,” Cunningham said. “It’s good, it’s fun. I’m trying to buy places that I want to go visit, so when I’m there, I don’t have to pay for it.
“I think it’s a long time coming. But now you have to be smart with that money. You can’t just go out and blow it all or not invest. I think it allows all of us to kind of grow and be businesswomen.”
Safe to say, the WNBA’s growing stars are enjoying the growing pay raises as well.