"Your day": Notre Dame's Kylee Watson supports Te-Hina Paopao as South Carolina star waits to get drafted tonight

Modified Apr 15, 2025 00:30 GMT

NCAA Womens Basketball: Final Four National Championship - Source: Imagn — South Carolina's Te-Hina Paopao - Source: Imagn

Te-Hina Papao is feeling the love on WNBA Draft day. The South Carolina guard is in her hometown of Oceanside, CA alongside friends and family as she waits to hear her name called in Monday's draft.

Notre Dame's Kylee Watson, Paopao's close friend and former teammate at Oregon, celebrated Paopao's big day on her Instagram story. Watson posted a picture of Paopao holding a child, along with the caption:

"Your day!!🥹," Watson's Instagram story read.

Kylee Watson attends Te-Hina Paopao's draft party

Watson also gave fans an inside look into Paopao's party, posting a picture of the dessert table. Desserts included fresh fruit, cupcakes, two small cakes with the logos of WNBA teams on them, and a large cake with a basketball player silhouette and "Te-Hina" printed on it.

The dessert table at Te-Hina Paopao's draft party

Following the Gamecocks' loss to UConn in the national title game on April 6, Paopao discussed her decision not to attend the 2025 WNBA Draft.

"I'll be having the draft party at home just because I want my family to be there," Paopao said. "I want to start with the people that have been there for the journey, for the ride. I'm just really excited for my next journey and just super proud."

What Te-Hina Paopao brings to the WNBA

Paopao is expected to be a late first round or early second round pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. The 5'9" guard has spent the past two seasons at South Carolina after beginning her college career at Oregon.

In her two seasons with the Gamecocks, Paopao has served as a starter who spends more time on the court than on the bench. Her stats experienced a dip this season, but the guard is still a strong shooter who has emerged as a dominant defender.

This season, Paopao put up 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. Her point and assist values were both career lows, down from 11.0 and 3.7 last season. The guard did find increased defensive success this season, recording 1.1 steals per game.

Paopao is capable of setting up shots and is a clutch three-point shooter. She shot 37% froom beyond the arc this season but shot an impressive 46.8% in her first year with the Gamecocks.

Paopao is a solid two-way guard with a high ceiling and experience at a top program. Her skill set will serve a WNBA squad nicely.

About the author

Lindsey Ware is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over five years of experience working with publications such as The News & Observer, The Daily Tar Heel, Triangle Tribune and Cardiac Cane. She has also worked for Major League Baseball, The Holly Springs Salamanders, The Tri-City Chili Peppers, Tuffy Talk, Super Meteors Basketball, Just Good Network and Living Sport.

Lindsey has a Bachelor’s Degree in Media and Journalism from UNC Chapel Hill. Her education allowed Lindsey to gain experience in sports communication, which she honed in internships. Other than being a storyteller and sports fanatic, Lindsey is also a social media and marketing specialist.

Her favorite college team is UNC, although she grew up a N.C. State fan as both of her parents are Wolfpack alumni. Michael Jordan was a huge deal in North Carolina when Lindsey was growing up, and after a summer spent at UNC’s Sports Journalism Camp back in high school, Lindsey was set on being a Tar Heel.

Lindsey's favorite college coach of all time is Roy Williams. During her time attending UNC Chapel Hill and writing for The Daily Tar Heel, Lindsey was lucky enough to meet and speak with Williams a few times. He was like a celebrity on UNC’s campus and was beloved for his coaching style and success with the Tar Heels, accumulating three NCAA championship titles in 18 years.

When not watching or writing about sports, Lindsey enjoys reading, trying new restaurants and coffee shops, and spending time with my friends, family and dog. She also likes to journal, watch movies and paint.

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Edited by Brad Taningco