"Me and her have been dating" - Courtney Williams recounts her mom's shocked reaction at her coming out of the closet

Courtney Williams has had a career revival since joining the Minnesota Lynx last season. She has become a key contributor to the Lynx's back-to-back successful campaigns. Williams played in her career's second All-Star nomination in this year's All-Star weekend.

Last season, she helped Minnesota reach the WNBA Finals, and this season, she has helped the team finish at the top of the table. On Thursday, in an article for "The Players' Tribune", the Lynx guard recalled her journey to becoming the player she is today.

She started her story from her college days, where she was dating her roommate. During one segment, Williams recalled the conversation from the time she revealed her sexuality to her mother.

"My mama goes, “So what’s going on?” I’m like, “I don’t know.” If this was a movie, right here is where they would cut to my sister looking at me. Cut to me looking at my sister. Then cut to shorty over here bawling," she said.

"My mom is like, “Courtney, I’m going to ask you one more time.” I put my head down. I said, “Me and her have been dating.” When I tell you it felt like a bomb exploded in my heart…. Oh. My. God."

Later, Courtney Williams revealed that she and her then-girlfriend broke up. The Lynx guard later got engaged to her longtime girlfriend, Shya, in November 2024.

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Courtney Williams recalls a fight that changed her life

Later in the same interview with The Players' Tribune, Courtney Williams talked about her roots and growing up on the streets. She revealed that, despite making it in a professional basketball league, she has not forgotten her strong sense of right and wrong, nor the street rules.

While discussing her early life struggles, Williams recalled a story from her sophomore year in which a fight resulted in her missing out on a key part of her school experience.

"In my sophomore year of high school my life changed because of a fight. Someone got into it with my cousin, and they didn’t know she was pregnant so I jumped in to defend her. The cops came, they arrested us, and took us all to jail. I ended up having to go to court with my mama. And they sent me to an alternative school for the rest of the year," She said.

"Something I wish more people knew about alternative school is that a lot of them don’t help the kids there... For one, the schoolwork is super easy. And two, you’re almost completely isolated. We weren’t allowed to ride the bus with the other kids. I couldn’t go to any games, nothing. I missed prom that year. My school experience was just over."

Courtney Williams is averaging 13.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists this season. She will next play for the Lynx in the team's first-round matchup against the Golden State Valkyries.