Who is Aniya Harvey? 5 things to know on ex-NBA player Donnell Harvey's daughter cast in Love Island 8

Love Island USA newcomer Aniya Harvey is making waves before Season 8. She's the daughter of former NBA player Donnell Harvey and played college volleyball.

On Thursday, the cast of Love Island USA Season 8 was released by Peacock, and it packed a few surprises. One of them was the fresh face Aniya Harvey, who instantly caused buzz among fan of the reality TV show, given that many were not familiar with the 23-year-old from Tyrone, Georgia.

Aniya Harvey has been cast in Love Island USA season 8. (@aniyaharvey02/ Instagram)

As she makes her debut on Love Island at 8pm EST on Peacock tonight, her life and family is once again back in focus.

However, she comes from a family with a strong legacy in sports that goes as high up as the NBA! Harvey is the daughter of former NBA player Donnel Harvey, who played in the league for four seasons for five different teams after being drafted in the 2000 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. Aniya Harvey, meanwhile, played volleyball at Atlantic University across her college years.

1. Volleyball player at FAU: Aniya Harvey majored in Computer Science at FAU (2020-2023) and played volleyball with the Florida Atlantic Owls team. She was primarily a Middle Blocker and Right Side Hitter. She played three seasons in total for the FAU, missing the 2023 season.

2. Boyfriend and relationships: She is not known to publicly be in a relationship. Her Instagram profiles do not mention a partner and features mostly her fashion content. It is unclear if she dated anyone at FAU.

3. Instagram and social media: She regularly posts sizzling fashion content on Instagram. Her Instagram account @aniyaharvey02 has over 25,000 followers, as of this writing. Her follower count has been increasing steadily since the Love Island USA Season 8 announcement.

4. Dad's basketball career: Her dad was a career basketball player. After few seasons in the NBA and the NBA G League, he went on to play in European and Chinese leagues. He has donned the jersey of many top European clubs, such as Beşiktaş, and in China, he has played for Tianjin Ronggang and Shandon Lions, among other.

5. Career as insurance professional: Her LinkedIn profile states that she is currently a insurance professional in training. It states that she has been volunteering with the Reconstructing Youth Foundation in the marketing team. She is also a fledging model on social media.