Te-Hina Paopao

Personal: Paopao is the daughter of Diana and Paul Paopao. Her cousin, Megan Faraimo, led the Talons to the 2025 Athletes Unlimited Softball League title. Paopao was honored as the 2020 Gatorade California Player of the Year after leading La Jolla Country Day School to a 32-1 record and a No. 1 national ranking. She averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game as a senior.

Other Professional Experience: Paopao was selected by the Atlanta Dream with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Paopao appeared in 43 games as a rookie with 15 starts. She contributed 5.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 38.6 percent from three-point range. She logged nine double-digit scoring efforts, including a season-high 16 points three times. She shot 6-for-8 from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range, against Washington on June 15, 2025, and also went 6-of-8 in a 16-point performance against New York on June 17, 2025.

International Experience: Paopao led Team USA to a Gold medal at the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup, averaging 9.1 points and 4.6 assists per game.

At Oregon and South Carolina: Paopao was a three-year letter winner at Oregon before completing her career at South Carolina. Paopao amassed 1,738 points with 502 rebounds over five seasons while starting 152-of-153 games. She was a two-time All-America honoree at South Carolina who led the Gamecocks to the 2024 NCAA Division I title. She also guided the Gamecocks to a pair of Southeastern Conference regular season titles in addition to back-to-back SEC Tournament crowns. Paopao earned Second-Team All-SEC distinction in each of her two years at South Carolina and was a finalist for the 2023 Nancy Lieberman Award as the nation’s top point guard. She is one of two players in South Carolina history to hail from California. She set the South Carolina record by converting 46.8 percent of her three-point attempts during her senior season, which led NCAA Division I. Paopao ranks second on the Gamecocks’ career three-point field goal percentage chart (.422). She knocked down 87 three-pointers as a junior, the third-highest total in South Carolina history. She was a starter in all 39 games during her final year at South Carolina who averaged 9.4 points per outing and shot 37.0 percent from three-point range. Paopao helped South Carolina win a program-record 38 games in addition to the 2024 NCAA title, where she contributed 11.0 points per game. She scored in double figures 24 times, including a season-high 21 points against Georgina on February 18, 2024. Paopao was a three-time All-Pac-12 Conference honoree at Oregon who earned a starting assignment in 76-of-77 games. She averaged 12.5 points per game for the Ducks while shooting 38.0 percent from three-point range. She helped the Ducks earn a pair of NCAA Tournament berths, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2021. She scored in double figures 51 times in 77 career games, including 11 outings with 20 or more points.