Natisha Hiedeman
Natisha Hiedeman is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association and for the Hive of Unrivaled. She was drafted with the eighteenth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft, which is the highest of any Marquette basketball player in school history
and the highest draft pick for the Big East Conference since conference re-alignment.
Early life
Shortly after her birth, Hiedeman had to wear a full-body harness due to a hyperextension in her left leg. Her mother had her at 19. As a child, Hiedeman also played baseball and was the only girl on her team.Hiedeman attended Green Bay Southwest High School, where she had the nickname "T-Spoon" after former WNBA star Teresa Weatherspoon. She holds school records in triple jump, high jump, long jump, and 100 meter hurdles.
College career
Hiedeman was recruited to Marquette [Golden Eagles women's basketball|Marquette] after being the leading scorer in the Green Bay Metro area in high school while attending Green Bay Southwest High School. In her first year at Marquette, she was named to the Big East All-Freshman Team. In the 2017–18 season, she was named to the Meyers Drysdale Award Watch List. Hiedeman finished her career as Marquette's third all-time leading scorer, just 27 points shy of the program record. Additionally, she was the first Marquette player to reach 300 made three-pointers and finished sixth on Marquette's all-time assist chart.Professional career
WNBA
Hiedeman was drafted 18th overall in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Minnesota Lynx. During the draft, her rights were traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Lexie Brown. She was eventually waived by the Sun. On June 19, 2019, the Atlanta Dream signed Hiedeman as a EuroBasket 2019|EuroBasket] replacement for Alex Bentley. Hiedeman did not make an appearance for the Dream before Bentley returned to the team. Upon Bentley's return, Hiedeman was waived.Connecticut Sun (2019-2023)
Hiedeman was re-signed by the Connecticut Sun after her exit from Atlanta Dream. She made her WNBA debut with the Sun. On July 10, 2019, she scored her first WNBA points. As a rookie, Hiedeman averaged 3.7 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per game across 20 appearances. In the playoffs, she appeared in seven of the team's eight games, scoring a then career-high eight points on two separate occasions.During the 2020 season, Hiedeman played in all 22 regular season games, leading the team in points and assists off the bench. She averaged a career-high 6.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game. Her 45 made field goals on 127 attempts nearly doubled her total from her rookie season.
On January 8, 2021, she signed the qualifying offer to return to the Sun. In the 2021 season, Hiedeman continued to make an impact as a key contributor off the bench. She was one of four Sun players to appear in all 32 regular season games, averaging a career-best 20.1 minutes per game. That season, she set new career highs in scoring with 7.6 points per game, along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
The 2022 season marked a breakout year for Hiedeman as she entered the starting lineup five games into the season and helped lead the Sun to its fourth WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history. She averaged career bests of 9.1 points, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 25.0 minutes per game during the regular season. On July 24, she tied her career-high with 19 points in a 86–79 win over the Minnesota Lynx, hitting a career-best five three-pointers. In the Finals, Hiedeman recorded a postseason career-high nine assists and played a playoff career-high 34 minutes in Game 3 against the Las Vegas Aces. By the end of the postseason, she ranked 12th all-time in scoring, eighth in assists, 12th in steals, and third in three-point field goals made in Sun playoff history.
On February 3, 2023, Hiedeman signed a two-year contract to remain with the Sun. She started all 40 games of the 2023 season, averaging 8.5 points, a career-high 2.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 26.7 minutes per game. Her standout performance came on July 20 against the Dream, when she scored a season-high 24 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including a career-best 6-of-7 from three-point range, along with three rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Hiedeman became the first player in Sun history and the 10th in WNBA history to record +20 points on six or more three-pointers with four or more steals in a single game.
Minnesota Lynx (2024-present)
On January 30, 2024, Hiedeman was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in exchange for Tiffany Mitchell and the 19th pick in the 2024 WNBA draft. During the 2024 season, Hiedeman appeared in all 40 games for the Lynx, averaging 4.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 0.8 steals in 15.2 minutes per game. She also played in all 12 postseason games, including all five games of the WNBA Finals, where she averaged 5.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 0.7 steals while shooting 45.5 percent from the field in 14.4 minutes per game. Serving as a backup to starting guard Courtney Williams, Hiedeman adjusted to a new role coming off the bench. She made an impact among the second unit and provided the Lynx with a valuable veteran presence both on and off count, maintaining a strong relationship with Williams in particular.On February 1, 2025, Hiedeman re-signed with the Lynx. After what was considered a "down" year in 2024, she used the offseason and her growing familiarity with the Lynx's system to deliver a strong comeback. Throughout the 2025 season, Hiedeman provided consistent production off the bench, frequently stepping into the lead guard role when Williams rested or struggled. Appearing in all 44 games as a reserve, she averaged 9.1 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 rebounds per game in 18.9 minutes. Her scoring average tied her career high, while her field goal percentage marked a new career best. In the final five games of the regular season, Hiedeman delivered a standout stretch, averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 steals per game over 27.2 minutes. She scored over 20 points in four of those five games and ranked seventh among all WNBA players in scoring during that span. On September 11, Hiedeman was named the winner of the Sylvia Fowles Altruism Award, an honor given annually to the Lynx player who best embodies the altruistic traits of kindness, selflessness and overall regard for the well-being of others throughout the community.
International
In 2020, Hiedeman was signed by the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League champions Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan.Hiedeman played for Inner Mongolia in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association from November 2024 to January 2025.
Unrivaled
On January 17, 2025, Phantom BC signed Hiedeman to a relief player contract due to Marina Mabrey sustaining a right calf injury in the pre-season. And on January 27, she was reassigned to the Laces BC, due to Alyssa Thomas and Jackie Young being unavailable. She rejoined Phantom from March 3–8 due to Sabrina Ionescu's exit from the league due to Ionescu's previously planned Asia tour with Nike.On November 5, 2025, it was announced that Hiedeman had been drafted by Hive BC for the 2026 Unrivaled season.
Coaching career
In October 2022, Hiedeman joined her former collegiate coach Carolyn Kieger at Penn State [Lady Lions basketball|Penn State] as the Director of Player Development. Hiedeman was promoted to assistant coach for Penn State in August 2023.Career statistics
WNBA
Regular season
''Stats current through game on July 12, 2025''Personal life
Hiedeman's brother, Sandy Cohen, is a Hapoel Afula B.C. player and also played at Marquette.In September 2021, Hiedeman announced her engagement to former Connecticut Sun player Jasmine Thomas.
Hiedeman co-hosts a Twitch channel, StudBudz, with her Lynx teammate Courtney Williams. Their channel gained popularity during the 2025 WNBA All-Star Game, when they live streamed the behind-the-scenes of the whole weekend, including the game, in which Williams was one of the players. Since then, they have appeared on the cover of Slam and done a feature and photo shoot for Vogue.