Atlanta Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao is the “annoying little sister” of the team, and she likes it that way.
The former South Carolina guard has found comfort in Atlanta. Look across the Dream’s media accounts, and you’ll find clips of Paopao with a huge smile across her face in numerous clips. “God has put me here for a reason,” she told the media during a recent practice.
What’s more, the Dream guard has formed a bond with her veteran teammates. Peruse through X and you’ll find multiple posts between the accounts of Paopao, guard Allisha Gray or forward Rhyne Howard, giving one another a shoutout or trolling one another.
“They call me the annoying little sister, and I take pride in that,” Paopao said Thursday.
“I’m just doing what little sister does. I be like poking them, pushing them, and be like talking to them — crazy — but they have good comebacks. It’s just not as good as mine.”
But Paopao admits that everything is just jokes between her teammates, and they like to keep it lighthearted.
“They make coming in every day really fun, and they like to play around as well,” she explained. Gray seemed to share the same sentiment ahead of a June 20 matchup with the Mystics.
“She is the annoying little sister, Gray said, smiling. “But I mean it’s cool. We like to have fun. She’s young. She always like to keep the energy up. She’s a great rookie to be around. Glad to have [Paopao].”
In a sense, Paopao has moved from “Dawn’s Daycare” at South Carolina to Kindergarten with the Dream. But, Gray might be a bit unsure if the graduation has actually happened yet.
“I don’t know. Paopao’s childish,” Gray said jokingly.
So, maybe Pao’s not ready to “grow up” yet. If she isn’t ready, that seems to be just fine with her teammates because she’s seemingly having the time of her life.
“Little bruh’s just trying to be like big bruh,” Howard said after a Liberty game. “She’s just trying to fit in.”
Paopao’s teammates have embraced her and she’s embraced their love back. She’s landed in the perfect spot to continue developing her sisterhood with the Dream.
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