“My twin flame”: Notre Dame’s Kylee Watson & South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao get a matching tattoo to honor their friendship

Notre Dame women's basketball star Kylee Watson and South Carolina star Te-Hina Paopao marked their deep friendship by getting matching tattoos on their arms.

Watson posted the tattoos on Instagram, which she captioned:

"My twin flame 2day 2morrow 4ever."

Paopao shared the post on her own Instagram story on Thursday. The post shows the players's tattoos with a similar flame symbol and alphanumeric dates. Watson's tattoo is black, while Paopao's tattoo is in red.

Kylee Watson and Te-Hina Paopao get matching tattoos to mark their friendship. (Credits: IG/ @tehinapaopao)

A twin flame refers to two people who share the same soul. Once they meet, there is an intense attraction and connection between them. Te-Hina Paopao and Kylee Watson were teammates at Oregon before they joined South Carolina and Notre Dame, respectively. But they have remained besties despite playing for different teams.

Te-Hina Paopao talks about relationship with South Carolina HC Dawn Staley

Since she transferred from Oregon, Te-Hina Paopao has been a key player for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Under coach Dawn Staley's tutelage, Paopao has thrived as a committed leader and team player. The senior guard helped the Gamecocks to their third national championship in an undefeated 2023-24 season.

In the 2024-25 season, Paopao has emerged as a standout player for the Gamecocks, averaging 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists on 49.1 percent shooting per game. In an interview with Yahoo Sport's Cassandra Negley on Jan. 15, the point guard credited her stellar form to her relationship with coach Staley.

"Our relationship has grown a lot, you know. At first, she [Dawn Staley] didn't, you know, get on me as much as this year. I think last year, just because we had so much depth. I mean we have depth this year but she's definitely got on me more this year," Paopao said. (7:32)

"She's being in my ear more this year which I really appreciate because she's been, you know, she's been through it all and she knows what she's talking about and she's been a pro. She's been, you know, experienced everything. So when she talks, I definitely listen because she's been doing this more than I have, obviously." (8:04)

"When she talks, I listen and I, you know, appreciate everything that she's done these last years of my life," she added.

In the second-ranked South Carolina's 101-60 win over Oklahoma on Sunday, Te-Hina Paopao recorded 11 points, two rebounds and three assists in 21 minutes of action. She is expected to continue her stellar form in the Gamecocks's College GameDay matchup against SEC rivals, No. 5 LSU, on Friday, Jan. 24.