MIAMI — Haley and Hanna Cavinder, the former Miami Hurricanes twin basketball guards, said they are “excited” about a future with the WWE.
The announcement comes two days after they said that they would not return to Miami for their fifth season of eligibility and, instead, would move on to “a new chapter.”
Turns out the new chapter is professional wrestling.
The Cavinder twins had already signed a name, image, and likeness deal with WWE in December 2021, and have been a part of WWE’s “Next in Line” program, which prepares athletes and other celebrities for careers in the ring.
The Cavinders fit both categories. They are elite athletes coming off an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament and they are social media influencers with 4.4 million TikTok followers. They also have more than $1.5 million in combined NIL sponsorships with 30 brands.
“We love the WWE,” Haley said Thursday during the twins’ appearance on The Today Show. “The fan base, the sport, the fitness side of it ... they’re great, our partner, and we’re very excited in a future with them.”
The 22-year-old twins spent their first three seasons at Fresno State and transferred to Miami in April 2023.
Haley, who was UM’s leading scorer this season, had said she wanted to play her fifth season, but Hanna wanted to move on. In the end, they both decided to bid farewell to basketball.
“I think after playing all four years together, we just decided there are more opportunities besides basketball,” Haley said. “Obviously it’s such a difficult position to be in, because we wanted to take our fifth year and continue to play, but I think it came down to just optimizing all the opportunities that we have ahead of us.”
The twins are in the top five of all NIL earners across all college athletes.
