Heidi Burge Horton, WNBA Player Who Inspired Disney Movie, Dead at 54

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The sports world is saying goodbye to a legend on the court. 

WNBA star Heidi Burge Horton, who along with twin sister Heather Burge Quella inspired the 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie Double Teamed, died on Oct. 5 at the age of 54.

Horton had been diagnosed with grade four glioblastoma, an aggressive and fast-growing brain tumor, in October 2025, according to her obituary. She underwent several cancer treatments, including radiation and chemotherapy, prompting her cancer to go into remission before returning in July 2026. 

Shortly after her death, her alma mater the University of Virginia paid tribute to the basketball player, writing on X Oct. 8, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Heidi Burge Horton.”

“Heidi was a cherished member of the Virginia Women’s Basketball family, her legacy will forever be a part of Virginia Athletics,” they continued. “Our sincere condolences to her family and loved ones.”

Horton and her sister Quella, born Nov. 12, 1971, began their basketball careers in high school, playing for Palos Verdes High School in California, with both receiving scholarships to the University of Virginia. Horton played center and power forward, while her sister preferred the center position. 

Following her graduation, Horton played professional basketball overseas from 1993 to 1997, competing for France, Hungary, Italy and Greece, per her obituary.

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She returned to the United States in 1997 where she joined the Los Angeles Sparks for one year, before moving to the Washington Mystics in 1998. Horton played her last WNBA game with the Mystics on Aug. 19, 1998 against the Charlotte Sting. 

Following her retirement from basketball, Horton moved to Houston where she worked for the Houston Comets as a press and media broadcasting intern and was also a physical therapist as well as a private basketball coach. 

In 1991, Horton and Quella were recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest female twins, standing at 6 feet 5 inches, although the record was broken in 2007 by twins Claire and Ann Recht, who are each 6 feet 7 inches tall. 

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And while Horton will be remembered for her athletic skills, she and her sister will also be remembered for Double Teamed, which starred Annie McElwain as Horton and Poppi Monroe as Quella, and dramatized the sisters rise to basketball stardom. Of course, the movie did make some changes to their story. 

“They did take the major themes of our lives, like the big move and having to fit the new, whole wealthier neighborhood,” one sister shared on the Magical Rewind podcast in July 2025. “They added things to make it more drama, like the girl that was really bad on the team and was trying to get us off the team and the guy.”

The two also said they never faced off against each other as portrayed in the final scene of the film. 

Horton is survived by her husband Patrick Horton, as well as their children Jonathan, 23, and Holly, 21.