Who is Aniya Harvey? Meet ex-NBA player Donnell Harvey’s daughter joining ‘Love Island USA’ Season 8
Calling all islanders! 'Love Island USA' Season 8 officially premieres on June 2, 2026, at 9 PM ET, exclusively on Peacock. The popular reality television show gathers 12 contestants and puts them together in a villa, completely isolated from the outside world. As the contestants form bonds and develop connections, the show is filmed and telecast live. As time passes, the initial novelty fades away, and a sense of fierce competition kicks in with the onset of new challenges and eliminations, determined by the audience's votes. The upcoming season will be held in Fiji, and 'Vanderpump Rules' star Ariana Madix will feature as the host.
Among the other contestants, 23-year-old Aniya Harvey has attracted a lot of attention. The Tyrone, Georgia, native is the daughter of former NBA athlete Donnell Harvey, who played for four seasons with five separate teams between 2000 and 2005. He was picked by the New York Knicks as the 22nd overall pick in the first round of the 2000 NBA Draft. He was soon traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Aniya comes from a sound educational background and majored in Business Marketing at Florida Atlantic University. During her college years, Harvey played volleyball and represented the Florida Atlantic Owls for three seasons.
Aniya was chiefly known as a Middle Blocker and Right Side Hitter. She is quite active on social media, and her Instagram profile has over 40k followers. She mostly posts photos from her vacations, apart from her regular life events. A quick glimpse at her LinkedIn profile gives a picture of her professional life. She was an Athletic Marketer with Florida Atlantic University between 2023 and 2024. Apart from this, she has also been contributing to the Reconstructing Youth Foundation since 2018. According to her work information, she now functions as the Regional Marketing Head for the Southwest zone. As she is hopeful of winning on ‘Love Island USA’ and even getting a man for herself, it remains to be seen whether her optimism will last her through the rest of the season.
Among the other standout contestants is Zach Georgiou, who also happens to be the brother of 'Love Island USA' Season 7 islander Charlie Georgiou. Charlie's brief stay in Fiji heated up when his relationship with Hannah Fields exploded, thus driving most of the drama in the aftermath of the season's end. Another contestant worth mentioning is Beatriz Hatz, a Paralympic athlete who was awarded the bronze medal in Para Track and Field at the 2024 Paris Games. By the end of the season, one lucky couple will be presented with the Split of Steal offer, in which they can either keep the $100,000 cash prize for themselves or split it with their partner.