Home Is Where the Hoop Is: 4 WNBA Stars Take “AD” Inside Their Off

Until recently, the basketball stars of the WNBA lacked a home court advantage. Since the league’s inception in 1996, players’ wages were so low that the athletes often spent their off-seasons chasing more lucrative contracts outside of the United States. Some were able to see the world in style; retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi was set up with a personal driver and expansive views of Yekaterinburg, Russia’s fourth largest city. Others landed farther from the lap of luxury; for 2026 WNBA All-Star Marina Mabrey, it was a Latvian apartment with miniature appliances and no clothes dryer. But league-wide, settling into a permanent home in the States remained a hoop dream. That quest to remain in the US year round is a major part of what drove the women of the WNBA to the bargaining table to fight for a new union contract that would raise their salaries. In May of 2026, after more than a year of heated negotiations between the players’ union and the league, a landmark collective bargaining agreement was reached. The minimum salary this season is $270,000, a 300% increase from 2025’s $66,079 minimum, and the league’s supermax salary is now capped at 1.4M. While these salaries are still only a fraction of what men in the NBA make, the increase is life changing for many WNBA players. Still, not every team member will be moving into new digs overnight. “We need players to be afforded an opportunity to build the wealth so that they can afford housing,” says Nneka Ogwumike, president of the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, explaining why the union pushed back when the league proposed to immediately and entirely stop providing player housing (as it has since 1999). Ultimately, the league agreed to have player housing phased out more slowly—a major win. Ogwumike hopes that this new era of the WNBA will allow players to be able to “focus only on basketball,” with the freedom to live however, and wherever, they want. Right now, that ranges from a family home in Las Vegas to a league-provided high-rise in Seattle. Below, four ladies of the W invite us inside their spaces—each a different kind of slam-dunk. Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks Ogwumike’s nickname in the WNBA is “Madame President,” an affectionate moniker she earned while leading the union over the past decade. In August, she announced her plan to retire after the 2026 season, but her legacy as a tireless advocate for the players, especially in their battle for housing, will endure. For Ogwumike, homeownership is a reflection of her identity. She now owns two homes: one in Houston, where she grew up as the eldest sister in a close-knit Nigerian-American family, and the other in Los Angeles, where she’s spent most of her WNBA career. Ogwumike purchased her West Coast condo in 2022 after years of careful saving (“frugality is definitely my default,” she says). Decorated in bold colors and with a distinctly '70s vibe, the home is so full of natural light, it gave her a sunnier outlook and stronger sense of herself when she looks in the mirror. “I actually have become more confident,” she says. The walls are hung with vibrant artwork by her cousin, Los Angeles-based photographer Chinaedu E. Nwadibia, and her family’s influence is felt throughout. The reddish orange shade of one of Ogwumike’s favorite pieces of furniture—a vintage orange sofa—reminded her sister, ESPN broadcaster Chiney Ogwumike, of the Nickelodeon logo, prompting her to name the room where the power forward does weekend Pilates workouts “the Nneka-lodeon room.” By creating a home for herself in LA, Ogwumike’s also built a haven for her family. “My dad likes to call it The Hotel,” says the player, whose relatives are invited to use the condo whether or not she’s in town. That generosity includes making her closet available to her younger sisters. “My only real rule is you have to ask before you borrow something,” she says with a laugh. Lexie Hull, Indiana Fever Not all the neighbors recognized Lexie Hull as a guard for the Indiana Fever when she and her fiancée, Will Matthiessen, first moved into their Indianapolis home two years ago. Now, team flags wave proudly down the block, and many neighbors are season ticket holders. They support Hull’s career in small ways, too, offering to help with the garbage when the Fever are on the road, or lending a hand with the yard—a Midwestern kindness that the West Coast native discovered since moving to Indiana. The athlete never expected to live in the heartland. Hull and her identical twin sister Lacie grew up in Spokane, Washington, before competing together at Stanford University. In the spring of 2022, Hull was drafted to the WNBA and went straight to Indiana. “Honestly, flashback to four and a half years ago, and I was like, I’ll never consider Indiana home,” she recalls. Still, as an elite defender, Hull quickly became a core member of their young team. Soon, Matthiessen joined her in Indianapolis, and the couple decided to put down roots, falling in love with a three-bedroom ranch with soaring ceilings. “It felt like home the minute we walked in,” says Hull. Now, she's exposing others to the charms of the Midwest. “This opening weekend for the WNBA season, I had seven people staying with us,” she says. The pair also entertain friends and family in the backyard, a central feature to their home. Matthiessen maintains it with pride, gardening and dutifully mowing the lawn. “He really takes it to heart,” says Hull, who loves soaking in the sun during off-days. But the true MVP at Hull’s house is her miniature Australian labradoodle, Libby—even though it seems her chosen sport is not soccer but track and field. Libby runs alongside the short slatted fences over which Hull and Matthiessen chat with passing neighbors. It’s that sense of community Hull most appreciates about where she lives. “I definitely don’t take it for granted.” Natisha Hiedeman, Seattle Storm In 2025, Natisha Hiedeman and her friend and Minnesota Lynx teammate Courtney Williams went viral. The duo, better known as the StudBudz, started livestreaming unfiltered, behind-the-scenes content on Twitch, including a now-annual 72-hour romp through WNBA All-Star Weekend. While the StudBudz popularity continues to grow, the duo now play on different teams, with Hiedeman enjoying a new role as starting guard for the Seattle Storm. She’s living on the West Coast for the first time in her life, in an apartment that rises above the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows and views out to Mount Rainier. For Hiedeman, the big-picture view resonates. While the Storm is currently at the bottom of the WNBA pack, she remains boldly optimistic about their potential. “I think that team is going to be one of the best in the near future…We’re starting to build toward that,” she says. In Seattle, Hiedeman opted for housing provided by the franchise, requesting an apartment large enough to house her two dogs, Frankie and Finn, and pair of cats, Maverick and Saint. The felines roam freely indoors, gazing out the windows and perching in little hammocks that allow them to be “anywhere the sun can hit.” Seattle, says Hiedeman, is a “very pet-friendly city”; her dogs often draw admirers, especially Frankie, whose hair is styled into a mohawk. The apartment features three bedrooms, two balconies, and a dining room table long enough to seat more than half of the Storm’s roster. Of all the apartments provided by WNBA teams she’s played for, Hiedeman says, it is “by far the nicest.” She appreciates the sleek and modern design, and she’s injected the space with furniture that reflects her energetic personality. “I like colors, unique things, just very hype,” she says. One of her favorite pieces is a bright orange BE@RBRICK, modeled after her favorite comic, Garfield. Hiedeman still has close ties to Green Bay, Wisconsin, where she was born and raised. Last year, she purchased her first piece of real estate in her hometown. Now she’s on the hunt for unique pieces to decorate it with. Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas Aces “It’s something you dream of as a kid,” says four-time WNBA champion Chelsea Gray of her Las Vegas home. Gray and her wife, Tipesa, designed their dream-come-true to be elegant yet unmistakably welcoming and personal. “When you come into our house, I want it to be warm, sophisticated, and to feel like, Oh yes, Black people live here,” she says. Over her 12 seasons in the WNBA, Gray has become one of the most decorated players in the league and is affectionately known by fans as the Point Gawd. But Gray and Tipesa met before that, as college basketball players 15 years ago. After graduation, they lived across the world while building their careers, and in February of 2024 welcomed their son, Lennox. With their son’s arrival came a new vision for the family and their living space. Both moms sought to build a home that gave Lennox tools to develop. “We wanted to have little bits and pieces of him everywhere he went,” says Gray. That philosophy is evident in the home's open floor plan, which encourages interaction. An experienced cook, Gray’s preferred vantage point is from the kitchen, where she whips up meals without “missing the party” in the nearby living room. In the mornings, Lennox can be found playing sous-chef, standing on his toddler tower, carefully cracking eggs before passing them back to his mom. “It’s our thing,” says Gray. Throughout the home, art and furniture celebrate family history and community. There’s a warm collage of family photos in the living room and a large pool table much like one Gray grew up with in California. In the office, both moms’ basketball jerseys are proudly displayed on the wall. A movie room is wrapped in rich chocolate tones, with posters featuring leading Black actors on the walls. You might find the family here, cuddled up together on the couch or listening to music. Throughout the home, the layout is flexible, and the design is meant to evolve with Lennox. “We can switch things out as he grows,” says Gray. “It’s meant to grow with him,” and for the Gray family to continue growing together, playing as a team, rooting for each other, and putting down deep roots.