Heidi Burge Horton, basketball star and Disney inspiration, dies at 54

Heidi Burge Horton, a former University of Virginia standout and WNBA player, has died at the age of 54 following a battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Horton was diagnosed with grade four glioblastoma in October 2025. Although her cancer initially entered remission following radiation and chemotherapy, the disease returned in July 2026.

Horton and her twin sister, Heather Burge Quella, served as the real-life inspiration for the 2002 Disney Channel movie ‘Double Teamed’. During her collegiate career at Virginia from 1989 to 1993, Horton helped lead the Cavaliers to three Final Four appearances, playing alongside Hall of Famer Dawn Staley.

Following her college career, Horton played overseas and later competed in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks and Washington Mystics between 1997 and 1998. After retiring from professional play, she worked as a physical therapist, a private basketball coach, and an intern for the Houston Comets.