{"id":883962,"date":"2026-10-16T04:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T04:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883962\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T04:52:13","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T04:52:13","slug":"heidi-burge-horton-dead-wnba-player-inspired-a-disney-movie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/883962\/","title":{"rendered":"Heidi Burge Horton dead: WNBA player inspired a Disney movie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Heidi Burge Horton, a former WNBA player who started her basketball career alongside her twin sister at Palos Verdes High School<\/a> and inspired a Disney Channel Original Movie, has died. She was 54. <\/p>\n

Horton died Oct. 5 after a battle with gliobastoma, a type of brain cancer, according to an online obituary<\/a>. The former University of Virginia standout<\/a> was reportedly<\/a> diagnosed with the Grade 4 cancer last year and briefly went into remission, but the tumors returned in July, according to Houston news site Chron. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are deeply saddened by the passing of Heidi Burge Horton,\u201d the Virginia women\u2019s basketball team said in a statement last week on X<\/a>. \u201cHeidi was a cherished member of the Virginia Women\u2019s Basketball family, her legacy will forever be a part of Virginia Athletics.\u201d <\/p>\n

Horton and her identical twin, Heather Burge, played four seasons at Virginia, where they helped the team win three Atlantic Coast Conference titles and make three NCAA Final Fours under future Hall of Fame coach Debbie Ryan. Among their teammates at college was Dawn Staley, the Hall of Famer and Olympian who coaches the University of South Carolina. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all heartbroken!\u201d Staley wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cWe love you Heidi. May your soul rest in peace and your body pain free.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Heidi <\/p>\n

The University of Virginia\u2019s Heidi Burge, right, with sister and teammate Heather Burge during the 1991 NCAA women\u2019s championship game against Tennessee. <\/p>\n

(Jim Gund \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

After graduating from college, Horton and her sister headed overseas to play professionally in Europe. When the WNBA was formed in 1996, she joined the Sparks to play in the inaugural season alongside a familiar face, Lisa Leslie<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cI played with the twins since we were 14 years old,\u201d Leslie wrote, along with a broken heart emoji, in the comments of the WNBA\u2019s Instagram post<\/a> announcing Horton\u2019s death. \u201cI\u2019m so sad to hear this! I pray for the whole family.\u201d <\/p>\n

Heidi Ann Burge was born six minutes after her twin sister, Heather Marie, on Nov. 12, 1971, in Harbor City. She grew up in Redondo Beach before her family moved to Palos Verdes so the sisters could attend the high school there, according to a notice by Eickenhorst Funeral Services<\/a>. <\/p>\n

The twins didn\u2019t grow up playing basketball but were recruited by Palos Verdes High\u2018s coach, who noticed their towering height. Both sisters were 6 feet 1 by ninth grade and would grow to be 6-5. <\/p>\n

Horton was more resistant to trying out than her sister, and both were novices when they joined the team. The sisters would become star players over the course of their high school careers, but they were praised more for their character and work ethic than their impact on the court. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019ve had a weekend off in three years,\u201d their coach, Wendell Yoshida, told The Times in 1989<\/a>. \u201cThey\u2019ve practiced when they didn\u2019t want to practice. They\u2019ve worked through the tears, the sweat, the hurt, the pain. That\u2019s what made them special. They didn\u2019t make it just because they\u2019re tall.\u201d <\/p>\n

Horton was known as the more outgoing and gregarious of the pair, but both sisters were described as being inquisitive, opinionated, fiercely loyal and competitive.<\/p>\n

The adjustment to the college game was a bit rough for them at first, and the sisters did not get much playing time together until their junior year. They developed a reputation for being prone to mistakes and turnovers and were considered a bit soft. But once again, the sisters put in the work to improve and became key pieces for their team. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we did cry it was mostly out of frustration,\u201d Horton told The Times in 1992<\/a>. \u201cJust not being able to do the things the other players could do. … Our defense wasn\u2019t effective enough for us to deserve to be out there together. Now, we\u2019ve proved offensively and defensively that we are an unstoppable pair when we get to play together.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"Heidi <\/p>\n

Heidi Burge, right, rises up to block Houston Comets guard Kim Perrot during a game on July 16, 1997. <\/p>\n

(Mark J. Terrill \/ Associated Press)<\/p>\n

After graduating with degrees in Spanish and rhetoric and communications studies, Horton played professionally in Europe. She played for the Sparks in 1997 and the Washington Mystics in 1998 before retiring from the WNBA after two seasons. <\/p>\n

Horton and her sister inspired the 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie \u201cDouble Teamed,\u201d a fictionalized account of the twins\u2019 time at Palos Verdes High. Horton was portrayed by Annie McElwain. <\/p>\n

After retiring from playing, Horton moved to Houston, where she briefly served as a commentator for the WNBA\u2019s Comets. She later became involved with Hoops-School, a youth camp where she served as a coach and mentor. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you had the kind of coaching I did, you have to work really hard,\u201d Horton told the Buzz Magazines<\/a> in 2024. \u201cBut I also want to give a lot of credit to my coaches. Now I get to give the golden nuggets of wisdom to the kids I coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cSecond-graders, fifth-graders, they listen,\u201d she added. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest reward in your whole life. I had so many people pour into me, and I get to just pour it right out. That\u2019s the torch.\u201d <\/p>\n

Horton is survived by her husband, Patrick; their children, Jonathan and Holly; her twin sister, Heather Quella, and other loved ones. <\/p>\n