The unlikely road back to Miami for Haley and Hanna Cavinder

Hanna Cavinder – one-half of the social media and basketball duo the Cavinder Twins – seemed ready to put her playing days behind her after she and her sister, Haley, took the 2023-24 season off. 

But as Haley prepared to play next season at TCU, the fire began to reignite inside Hanna once again to get back on the court. 

“When I made the decision to stop playing, I was excited to get more involved in the businesses and brands we are part of,” Hanna told The Post in an email interview. “But watching Haley train and get ready for the season made me realize that I wasn’t ready to stop playing. I love basketball and I know I won’t be able to play it forever. Being with my sister is the perfect way to finish out my career.”

Hanna not only announced that she would return for one final season at the University of Miami earlier this year, but Haley announced a day later that she would return to South Florida as well to give a run at a national title one more go side-by-side with her sister after helping lead the Hurricanes to an Elite Eight appearance in 2023. 

Considering how attached at the hip the pair is, it was only fitting they would spend one more season on the court together. 

“We both feel like we have more to give,” Haley said. “We want to end our college basketball careers on a high note, and we wanted to do it together. The support from our coaches, teammates, and family made it clear that this was the right move for us. We both knew we had unfinished business on the court and wanted to give it one more shot, together.”

Business has become as much a name of the game for the Cavinder Twins as their play on the court has – Haley led Miami in scoring during the 2022-23 season averaging 12. 3 points and shot 87.8 percent from the free-throw line that year – and the pair’s social media influence has shown the branding opportunities that are out there for college athletes thanks to NIL. 

The Cavinder Twins have been at the forefront of the NIL revolution in college sports following a landmark 2021 Supreme Court decision that has opened up the door for student-athletes to earn compensation from their name, image and likeness. 

Haley and Hanna Cavinder taken advantage of their massive social media presence to earn millions of dollars through brand deals with Slate Milk, Boost Mobile, Champs Sports, WWE, Intuit Turbo Tax, PSD Underwear and Raising Cane’s.

Earlier this month, they announced that they had become co-founders in the athletic-inspired beauty company, Hustle Beauty, calling the move into the beauty space one of their goals for 2024. 

Under Armor announced a three-year endorsement deal with the Cavinder Twins and earlier this week, the duo launched their first product for Hustle Beauty, the Brightening Under Eye Balm.

What sets the Cavinder Twins – or just “The Twins” – apart from other college athletes, Hustle Beauty CEO Courtney Jones Louks told The Post, was that they’re “the ones fighting” for NIL. 

NIL in college athletics has become a hot-button issue, dividing college sports fans and decision-makers, while also drawing the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. 

Earlier this year Hanna and Haley Cavinder took part in a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill hosted by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) in defense of student-athletes being able to earn money off their name, image and likeness.

It was the same event that former Alabama football coach Nick Saban said that “all the things” he believed in “no longer exists” in college sports. 

“They were the first ones and everyone else kind of had to follow in their footsteps,” Louks said about the Cavinder Twins’ NIL impact. “They’re up at Capitol Hill talking about NIL and they’re actually the ones fighting for it. For all of these girls that are taking advantage of it and I think that’s pretty incredible. … These girls are going up there to fight for it because they’ve seen what it’s done for them and the opportunities in their life, and they do want to give it to the other girls.”

Louks, a former collegiate and professional soccer player, credited the two as being a part of the growth in interest in women’s sports over the past several years, with other women’s stars such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Olivia “Livvy” Dunne helping to bring more attention. 

The three have also utilized their massive followings to earn NIL money during their time in college – Dunne is ranked second in On3’s NIL Valuation list. 

“Every athlete wants to take advantage of NIL, and colleges are beginning to help connect athletes to specific opportunities,” Hanna said. “We still have a long way to go, especially on the women’s side, which is why Haley and I are doing our best to bring awareness to female athletes and the influence they have on their campus.”

The Cavinder Twins will turn their attention to their final collegiate season this year after taking time off in 2023-24, which helped Hanna and Haley “recharge and come back with a renewed sense of purpose and excitement for our final season,” Hanna explained. 

After that, Haley and Hanna Cavinder will explore what’s next. 

The pair took part in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show in June and Hanna told The Post that they hoped to be a part of the SI Swimsuit issue in the future. 

“After our final season, we will continue to focus on growing Hustle Beauty and exploring new business opportunities,” she said about the future. “We’re always looking for new ways to challenge ourselves and make an impact.”