Hanna and Haley Cavinder, also known as the Cavinder twins, are leaving college basketball behind for what looks to be an intriguing career path with professional wrestling.
The twin sisters appeared on NBC’s Today in New York to discuss their decision to forego a final season of college hoops and pursue other opportunities, with the duo looking stunning in colorful dresses.
Haley wore a beautiful long mint green dress with a plunging top portion and a high slit that revealed much of her tan and toned legs.
Her twin sister, Hanna, went with a vibrant pink strapless dress and neutral-colored high-heel sandals. Among her visible accessories were the elegant wristwatch and bracelet she showed in two photos.
Both sisters kept their hair styled up with a part in the middle and either a ponytail or bun tied at the back.
In an Instagram carousel post, they shared two photos with their 205,000 followers, featuring them striking different poses in the fenced-off set for NBC’s Today.
“Thank you @todayshow for having us on this morning ?,” they wrote in their caption.
Over 20,000 likes arrived for the Cavinder twins, with 160-plus comments reacting to their appearance, including their tease of working with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The Cavinder twins talk about foregoing their final year of college basketball and working with WWE
While sitting down for an interview with Today’s Tom Llamas on Thursday, the Cavinder twins spoke about their decision to forego their final year of eligibility to play basketball with the Miami Hurricanes. The duo was part of a magical March Madness run featuring their squad reaching the Elite Eight.
Based on their comments, they saw other opportunities apart from playing basketball.
“It was a difficult decision. We wanted to play our fifth year, but I think it came down to just optimizing all the opportunities we have ahead of us,” Haley said.
Her twin sister Hanna said she was thinking about on the plane ride to New York how they started their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal in New York and are ending it there now.
A 2019 NIL decision from the NCAA allowed college athletes to earn revenue from their name, image, and likeness while still at the collegiate level and before possibly turning pro.
For years, college athletes could not benefit from their name, image, or likeness and had to wait until leaving college or joining a pro sports league to get major sponsorship deals and partnerships.
Along with the Cavinder twins, LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and LeBron James’ son Bronny are examples of notable NIL earners, which officially came into play in 2021.
Toward the end of their interview, they mentioned they would focus on working with WWE in the future, a move that might surprise many college basketball fans.
“We love the WWE – their fanbase, the sport, the fitness side of it. That fits Hanna and I’s brand and aligns with us and so they’re a great partner, and yeah, we’re very excited with the future with them,” Haley said.
With a large following on social media, the Cavinder twins are likely to benefit even more from the visibility that being part of WWE’s brand can bring.
Recently, WWE’s most famous twin sisters, Brie and Nikki, aka The Bella Twins, revealed their exit from working with the company and a return to using their real last name, Garcia.
Since cutting down on their in-ring appearances and matches, they’ve launched other businesses and a podcast together, which they’ll likely continue to focus on along with their respective families.
During the Today appearance, Hanna mentioned they’d also signed two long-term deals, one of which is with controversial Caktus AI, which assists students with completing assignments. She didn’t reveal the other brand, only mentioning it was a “media company,” but said they were excited to announce these in the coming week.
Hanna and Haley Cavinder shared their college basketball season workout
Hanna and Haley Cavinder often reveal their daily nutrition and workout routines on their YouTube channel.
A year ago, they presented an example of their circuit workout during the college basketball season.
Their workout opened with warming up, which included rolling out their feet with a small ball underneath the sole. That was followed by a trainer using a kettlebell to roll on their legs and other areas as full-body tempering.
The workout routine featured various exercises with or without weights, including squats, pushups, and lat pulldowns.
A second circuit in the video featured clams using bands, back extensions, and mountain climbers while balancing on a large physioball.
While there’s been no official announcement on when the Cavinder twins will begin any potential training or work with WWE, the duo seems ready to put in the hard work and transition into bigger stars than ever.
WWE NXT airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on USA.