5 Months After Calling Out NCAA, Retired College Basketball Star Haley Cavinder Makes Contrary Career Announcement

Haley and Hanna Cavinder are no new names to the NCAA basketball scene. The Cavinder twins, two exceptional athletes have been the face of the NIL era in college sports. They announced their decision to leave the Miami Hurricanes after only one year, even though the NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility for the pandemic-affected season. However, they turned it down opting to pursue WWE instead. They made their grand exit by taking a final jab at the NCAA.

Yet, as the old saying goes, life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs. Barely six months after retiring from the NCAA, Haley Cavinder recently made a contrary career announcement.

Haley Cavinder makes a significant career announcement

The NIL’s dynamic duo, the Cavinder Twins – Haley and Hanna – have put their WWE dreams on a temporary hold. Rewind to 2021, these two young athletes signed groundbreaking NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals with WWE, setting their sights on reaching the legendary status of WWE Hall of Famers, The Bella Twins. Their contracts allowed them to balance college basketball with the rigorous WWE training regimen. And it seemed like their WWE journey had officially kicked off when they made a memorable appearance on “WWE NXT” in June alongside Thea Hail. However, fast forward to today, and it appears that the Cavinder Twins’ WWE career has been put on hold.

According to reports from ESPN, Haley Cavinder, who’s been shining as a guard for the Miami Hurricanes, intends to return to the NCAA for the 2024-25 season. This announcement comes as a surprise, considering Haley’s earlier retirement from college basketball, a decision she made back in April. What’s more: she’s entered the transfer portal and is open to playing for other schools if her spot with the Hurricanes is not secured.

On the comeback reel posted by Haley, her sister Hannah wrote, “SHESSS BACK” and “on friday the 13th… that’s crazy.” The question on everyone’s mind now is whether Hanna will follow suit and make a comeback to the court. However, there have been no updates on her status since her retirement.

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Jeff Hoffman, the Cavinder Twins’ agent from Everett Sports Marketing clarified their ongoing partnership with WWE. Talking about the decision to return, he said, “This is about passion and sport and competing, and recognizing that that clock is finite.”  Notably, Haley Cavinder averaged 12.2 points per game during her last season. Her stellar performance earned her a well-deserved spot on the second-team All-ACC.

As for their WWE journey, clarified, “We’re still in deep and heavy conversations with WWE. We were out the training facility a few months ago. We were discussing upcoming trainings.” Notably, Hanna has seemingly “graduated” from the WWE NIL program, but Haley’s return to the basketball court might change the dynamics of their WWE journey. Nevertheless, Hoffman emphasized that the opportunity for the twins to work with WWE is still very much alive, and the details are being ironed out.

However, the twins’ fourth year with the Hurricanes ended with a twist.

The Cavinder twins take a jab at the NCAA

In February, the Hurricanes faced a momentary setback as Miami was placed on probation for a year. Following a comprehensive investigation by Sports Illustrated into the University of Miami’s women’s basketball program and its recruiting practices, it was revealed that Haley and Hanna Cavinder, alongside their parents, had a dinner meeting with John Ruiz, a prominent Hurricanes booster, at his Miami residence on April 13, 2022. Notably, this occurred while the sisters were in the transfer portal.

Shortly after their meeting with Ruiz, Haley, and Hanna made their transfer from Fresno State to the University of Miami on April 21, 2022. This raised eyebrows, especially after Ruiz posted a photo on Twitter showing the Cavinder family standing outside his home just over a week before their transfer. This photo prompted the NCAA to launch an investigation. The NCAA’s findings resulted in the Hurricanes’ head coach Katie Meier receiving a three-game suspension for her role in orchestrating the meeting.

Yet, in true Cavinder fashion, the twins took to TikTok for one final hoop-la before graduating. Donning their graduation regalia, they shared a video captioned, “Us calling the NCAA to see if we’re allowed to graduate.” Haley kicks off the act by pretending to make a phone call, which she hands over to Hanna. The video concludes with the duo flashing bright smiles and posing with their graduation caps.

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Back in April, when the twins made their retirement statement, they left behind their last season of NCAA eligibility, all in pursuit of a career in the WWE. This choice freed them up to intensify their training at the prestigious WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and also provided them with more time to grow as content creators. With a staggering 4.5 million followers on TikTok, their presence in the world of social media is undeniable. Notably, their decision to leave the NCAA behind and the controversy surrounding it hasn’t hindered their success. Haley and Hanna are two of the highest NIL earners in college sports. They have earned an estimated seven figures in NIL deals since the NCAA ruled in July 2021 that athletes can profit from NIL.

What are your thoughts on Haley’s return to the NCAA? Let us know in the comments below!