The Cavinder Twins built a following on TikTok with their basketball skills
Haley and Hanna Cavinder, known on social media as the Cavinder Twins, are famous not only for their success on TikTok but also for their basketball prowess.
The college athletes led the Miami Hurricanes to the NCAA’s Elite Eight during the 2022–23 season, but their popularity started on social media when the twins took up posting on Instagram and TikTok as something to pass the time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, posting on the platforms to their nearly 5 million followers has become a part of Haley and Hanna's daily routine.
As they became more popular on social media, Sports Illustrated reported that the Cavinders were among the first student-athletes to sign endorsem*nt deals after a groundbreaking NCAA decision in 2021 that allowed student-athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL).
In spring 2023, the twins almost said goodbye to college basketball for good, and were thinking about working with the WWE, but ultimately Haley decided to pursue her final year of playing eligibility at Texas Christian University. Hanna chose to go with her twin to Texas to cheer her on.
Above all, the duo have said they want to continue being an example for other female athletes. During an April 2023 appearance on the Today show, Hanna said they were excited "to show the younger generation that if you prioritize NIL in college, you can set yourself up for success beyond basketball or beyond your sport." She added, "Being a female athlete, there's very little chance to go pro and be successful for women's basketball."
The influencers have said that keeping their priorities straight helps them to be successful. Hanna told GQ in September 2023 that their bond as twins “is stronger than being basketball players or being an athlete. Right now we gotta do life together.”
Here’s everything to know about the Cavinder Twins, Haley and Hanna Cavinder.
Haley and Hanna were born in January 2001
According to ESPN, Haley was born one minute before Hanna on Jan. 13, 2001, and was a pound larger at birth.
Their mother, Katie Cavinder, shared that they were bold and athletic from a young age. She recalled them doing backflips without floaties off of a rock wall into the family’s pool at just 3 years old.
They were raised in Arizona
Haley and Hanna were born in South Bend, Indiana. The family moved to Arizona when they were young, and it was there that the twins really began their basketball careers at Gilbert High School, where their older sister Brandi also played.
“Even though I’m older than them, I still look up to them,” Brandi said of Haley and Hanna in a 2016 interview with the East Valley Tribune. “They’ll do some cool stuff, and they’ll teach it to me ... We just get along really well.”
Their coach at the time, Kyle Pedersen, commented on the twins' boisterous personalities, nodding to what would go on to make them so popular on TikTok years later.
“Some days they’ll just be going crazy," he said. "We’ll be doing a drill and they’ll just be cracking the whip or doing whatever dance move. When they’re done with weights they’ll form a team video doing dance stuff and they’ll sing on the bus."
They have three sisters
In addition to Haley and Hanna, the Cavinder family includes eldest sister Brooke, second-eldest sister Brandi and youngest sister Natalie.
In August 2023, the sisters all got together for Brandi’s bachelorette party in Nashville. Haley and Hanna posted a series of pictures on Instagram with the caption, “thank u nashville & @brandicavinder for getting married 👰🏼.”
Brooke, who was Brandi’s maid of honor, posted a carousel of photos from the weekend on Instagram with the caption, “Lots of love this weekend for the future Mrs. Perkins." Brandi and her fiancé, Jake Perkins, got married in October 2023.
Haley and Hanna have more than 4 million followers on TikTok
The twins have more than 4.5 million followers on TikTok and more than 300,000 followers on their shared Instagram account. They also have large followings on their individual Instagram profiles: Haley and Hanna each have over 750,000 followers.
They first started posting TikTok videos in August 2020 when they were “bored and stuck at home in lockdown,” according to GQ. Within a year, the Cavinder Twins had 3 million followers and had signed a contract with a sports marketing agency.
As their TikTok and Instagram profiles took off, Haley and Hanna saw the benefits of working on both their social media and basketball careers.
"Why wouldn't we try to do both? Why wouldn't we try to capitalize off of it?" Haley told ESPN. "That'd be stupid of us not to be able to set ourselves up for the future."
They played basketball for Fresno State, University of Miami and Texas Christian University
The Cavinder twins began attending California State University, Fresno in 2019.
By the time they finished their junior year, they’d collected plenty of accolades, including repeat seasons named to the All-Mountain West Team and several Mountain West Player of the Week and Player of the Year recognitions.
After their junior year, Haley and Hanna transferred to the University of Miami for the 2022–23 season. The twins helped the Miami Hurricanes to its best finish in program history, reaching the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. Haley was the team’s leading scorer.
At the end of the season, the Cavinder Twins forwent a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, which was granted to student-athletes as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To everyone who has supported us through our basketball journey — we can't thank you enough for all the love you gave each and every game. What started as us playing basketball 16 years ago, turned into something bigger than we could ever imagine,” they shared in a joint statement.
In November 2023, though, Haley decided to un-retire and commit to playing her final year of eligibility at Texas Christian University. Hanna moved with Haley to Texas but decided to remain retired.
They might be headed for WWE careers
In June 2023, PEOPLE reported that the Cavinder twins would try out for the WWE. At the time, they had an active NIL deal with the organization but weren’t signed to a contract yet. Haley and Hanna were introduced to the fan base in front of a live NXT audience and posed for pictures.
In September, GQ reported that the twins were continuing their WWE education with media training and watching other aspiring professional wrestlers run drills. When asked by a WWE producer about how they would “withstand the pressure of being punched in the face,” Hanna responded, “We’ve had pressure our whole lives, so we'll definitely adjust.”
On the Today show back in April, Haley said that she and Hanna were “excited about the future” with the WWE and that they “love the WWE, their fan base, the sport, the fitness side of it.”
Haley is dating NFL player Jake Ferguson
In October 2023, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson and Haley sparked dating rumors when he posted a photo to his Instagram Story of the pair hugging during his bye week.
A month later, Haley called the football player "Bae Ferguson" on her podcast with Hanna, and in November 2023, Haley confirmed the dating rumors, attending one of Ferguson's games with her friends.
"When your friends all support your boyfriend," she wrote on a TikTok of her girl group wearing Cowboys jerseys and blue outfits.
Ferguson also hasn't been shy about the relationship. He has a highlight on his Instagram account called "With Shorty" where he shares photos from their dates, including a movie hang and basketball game outing, both in December 2023.
They host a podcast
Haley and Hanna host the podcast Twin Talk, where they interview guests about health, dating, business and pop culture. Guests have included Tyler Cameron of The Bachelorette and influencer and boxer Jake Paul.
In April 2023, the Cavinder twins signed a deal with the gambling and media company Betr, making their show exclusive to the company and becoming equity partners and creative directors, according to a press release.
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