Olivia Dunne reacts to Miami Hurricanes' Haley Cavinder quitting basketball at the age of 24

Olivia Dunne gave her reaction as Haley Cavinder announced her retirement from basketball after nearly 18 years in the sport. Cavinder had earlier announced her return to Miami for her fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility in April 2024.

Representing the Miami Hurricanes during the 2024-2025 season, Cavinder averaged 18.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. Before joining Miami, she played for Fresno State Athletics for three seasons.

On Tuesday, March 12, Haley Cavinder reflected on the end of her basketball career with an emotional note via her Instagram handle, but didn't announce her future life plans. She wrote:

“18 years later, and it's time to say goodbye to the game I’ve loved since I was six. Thank you for an amazing basketball career. Nothing will ever fill the void of you or the feeling of accomplishing my dream—playing the sport I love with my twin by my side. The places you took me, the relationships built, and the opportunities you gave me. I will forever be grateful.”

Following her heartfelt retirement note, the fifth-year senior from the LSU Tigers, Olivia Dunne reacted to the post, commenting a green heart emoji:

“💚”

Screenshot of Olivia Dunne’s comment on Haley Cavinder’s post. Credits - @haleycavinder

Meanwhile, Dunne and her teammates were honored during the LSU Tigers’ gymnastics senior night on March 7, with a large crowd in attendance cheering on the 22-year-old and her teammates Haleigh Bryant, Aleah Finnegan, Sierra Ballard, Chase Brock, among others for one final time.

Unfortunately, Dunne couldn’t participate in senior night due to a serious knee injury that has sidelined her from the team.

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Olivia Dunne reflects on intense physical demands of gymnastics

Olivia Dunne during a meet against the Florida Gators in 2024 (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Olivia Dunne opened up about the intense physical demands of gymnastics during her appearance on ‘Best of Both Worlds with Flau'jae’ podcast hosted by Flau'jae Johnson, the LSU women’s basketball star and rapper. In September last year, Johnson questioned Dunne about gymnastics conditioning, to which she said (13:14 onwards):

“Gymnastics is obviously your own body weight and your job is to make it look easy. If you're not making it look easy, then you're not doing it right. So, you actually need to be strong enough to make it look like, ‘Oh, I'm just going to take a few steps and do a round-off back handspring double back,’ or double like, you need to make it look easy.”

Dunne also shared during the interview how every muscle in the body needs to be strong to maintain precision in gymnastics. In addition to cardio, the sport also demands weight training, strength conditioning, and endurance.

The LSU gymnastics star also acknowledged the differences in athletic conditioning across sports, admitting she couldn’t imagine playing basketball due to the constant running involved.