Money keeps pouring in for Fresno State basketball’s Cavinder twins. New deal is next-level

Fresno State basketball players Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who could earn close to or more than seven figures this year through Name, Image and Likeness endorsements, have landed an innovative deal with a new clothing company that includes a 25% ownership stake and one of three seats on its board of directors, according to Forbes.

The company, Baseline Team, was founded with former Fresno State cross country runners David Vartanian and Mehdi Brahim and its main focus for now is basketball shorts.

“We gave them 25% of the company for a couple of reasons,” Vartanian told Forbes. “One, because of their following, because of who they are and what they represent. And then we also added a board seat,” explaining that move “gives more weight and element to this for them. There are three board seats, and they have one of them.”

The Cavinder twins, who signed a deal with Boost Mobile on the first day college student-athletes could profit from their name, image and likeness and have since landed a number of high-profile deals, are believed to be the first to land a seat on a company’s board of directors.

“It shifts the mindset from what I call the ‘vending machine transaction,’ of here’s $10,000 to make a post and we get all the upside of it as a company, but good luck with your 10k,” Vartanian told Forbes.. “Maybe you should be asking for stock. Maybe you want meaningful shares.”

Vartanian and Brahim were seniors on the 2007 Bulldogs cross country team.