The final score read 85-84 in favor of Las Vegas, but the mood inside State Farm Arena — and in the Atlanta Dream’s post-game press conference — told a more complicated story. Despite the one-point defeat, Te-Hina Paopao and Madina Okot sat before the media with composure, pride, and a clarity of purpose that suggested this team is far from finished processing what Sunday’s game revealed about who they are and who they’re becoming.
A Building That Felt Like Home
The first and perhaps most emotionally resonant theme of the press conference was the atmosphere inside State Farm Arena. With 17,000 fans filling the building for Atlanta’s home opener — a significant contingent of them decked out in garnet and black — both former Gamecocks acknowledged feeling something that transcended a typical regular-season environment.
For Okot, a rookie still adjusting to the professional game, the crowd delivered something she didn’t quite expect: familiarity.
“Yeah, I feel like it felt good. It almost felt like home, like back at South Carolina,” she said. “And that is so motivating. Like, you making a layup and you hear somebody cheer you up loudly — that is so motivating.”
That one quote, brief as it was, speaks volumes. For a 21-year-old center who just months ago was competing for the Gamecocks in front of a passionate collegiate fanbase, finding that same energy in the professional ranks — on her first home floor — is the kind of thing that shapes a career. The transition from college to the WNBA is notoriously jarring. Finding a crowd that makes you feel like you never left helps.
Paopao, more seasoned in her engagement with the media and the fanbase, elaborated on the energy with characteristic warmth and honesty.
“I love the crowd. I mean, obviously they’re here to support us, so you gotta give love back. They poured into us, we gotta pour into them. So win or lose, I’m always gonna say hello to fans and take pictures,” she said. “I’m happy how turnt it was and how lit it was when we came back. There was a lot of pops during the game, which was really fun.”
The Gamecock Faithful Travel — And Paopao Noticed
When asked directly whether the visible presence of South Carolina fans in the stands provided extra motivation — particularly given the loud cheers that greeted both players when they hit baskets — Paopao didn’t hesitate.
“I mean, it’s great. I love South Carolina, I’m sure she loves South Carolina,” she said, gesturing toward Okot. “They travel really well, and they’ve always shown love ever since I got here last year. And they always support and show love from afar. And for them to come down here and watch all the Gamecocks play, it’s a great feeling.”
That last line opened the door to something larger, and Paopao walked through it deliberately.
“And that just speaks to Dawn Staley’s legacy as well.”
It was an unprompted acknowledgment — and a meaningful one. The fact that South Carolina fans would travel to Atlanta for a regular season WNBA game to cheer on former Gamecocks is not an accident. It is the direct byproduct of a culture that Staley has built over 18 years in Columbia, one where loyalty to the program extends well beyond graduation and into professional careers. Paopao recognizes that, and she said so without being asked.
The Rookie Class Stepped Up — And Paopao Saw All of It
One of the more telling portions of Paopao’s press conference came when she was asked about the Dream’s younger players. Her answer revealed not just awareness, but genuine investment in the next generation of talent around her.
“Yeah, I know the rookie class came in, stayed ready. They were ready from the start when they got in. I’m super proud of Navarre, she did what she had to do when she entered the game, and Madina, and Izzy, and all of them,” Paopao said. “So I’m just super proud of them. They got to experience what it’s like to play on the court in front of all these great fans, and, you know, seventeen thousand in State Farm Arena.”
For Okot in particular, that experience — recording a double-double in your first home WNBA game in front of 17,000 people — is the kind of confidence-building moment that accelerates development. And Paopao framing it as something the rookies “got to experience” rather than “survived” reflects the kind of veteran mentality that raises the collective ceiling of a young roster.
No Measuring Stick But Their Own
Perhaps the most substantive and revealing exchange of the press conference came when Paopao was asked whether Las Vegas — the defending WNBA champions — represented the standard the Dream should be chasing.
She pushed back firmly, but without dismissing the Aces’ status.
“We’re gonna create our own measuring stick. I mean, we have a lot of things that we wanna do. It’s still early in the season. Like I said, we’re gonna be a whole different team when everyone’s healthy and we get all the kinks out and get the chemistry going. But we’re gonna create that measuring stick for other teams as well. Obviously Vegas is a powerhouse of a team, but we’re also our own team, and we’re just really excited to get better day in and day out.”
That answer deserves to be taken seriously rather than dismissed as typical athlete-speak. Atlanta played without Rhyne Howard and Brionna Jones on Sunday, mounted a 16-0 run to briefly take the lead against a team that had led by 19, and lost by a single point on a fadeaway jumper with 3.6 seconds left. This is not a team that looked up at Las Vegas from a distance — they looked them directly in the eye and nearly won. Paopao knows that. And she’s clearly not interested in defining success relative to anyone else’s ceiling.
Fight, Resilience, and the Honest Truth
Paopao also addressed the elephant in the room — the Dream’s developing habit of finding themselves in massive deficits before rallying. She didn’t sugarcoat it, but she didn’t panic about it either.
“We’re tired of being in the moment… We’re tired of coming back from a twenty-point deficit, but at the same time, I’m just super proud,” she said. “I’m really proud of our fight and that this is gonna help us along the season because we’re experiencing it early in the season when we’re not even at full strength.”
That nuance matters. There is a version of this quote that reads as concerned, and another that reads as confident. Paopao is threading the needle between both — honest enough to admit the pattern is not ideal, but grounded enough to recognize that building the muscle memory of a comeback early in a season, before the team is whole, carries real developmental value.
Paopao and Okot: A Bond Still Being Built
The lightest and perhaps most endearing moment of the press conference came when Paopao was asked about her chemistry with Okot — the point guard and post dynamic that could define Atlanta’s frontcourt connection for years.
“We’re still developing it. I mean, obviously she’s a post, I’m a guard, and we have that kind of like point guard and post relationship,” Paopao said with a grin. “She’s really funny. She’s getting there. She’s a little quiet at times, but I’m just super proud of her. She’s gonna come out of her shell soon, and we’re gonna have more relationship as the season goes on. And she loves me.”
Okot, characteristically, said nothing in response — which only confirmed Paopao’s assessment perfectly.
The Bottom Line
One game into their home slate, the Atlanta Dream lost by one point to the defending champions. But what emerged from Sunday’s press conference was a team with genuine identity — veteran poise from Paopao, quiet confidence from Okot, and a collective refusal to shrink in the face of the league’s biggest stage.
When everyone is healthy, when the kinks are worked out, when the chemistry between a former Gamecock guard and her fellow Gamecock rookie post reaches its full potential — Paopao made very clear she believes this team will be setting the measuring stick, not chasing it.
The season is young. And in Columbia, they’re already watching.
