WNBA Rookie Gets Brutally Honest on Brittney Griner Moment: 'A Little Dramatic'

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Holcomb | Last updated May 25, 2025 6:42 PM ET

Atlanta Dream forward Brittney Griner did her best to help her rookie teammate but to no avail.

Griner yelled out "screen" to first-year Dream guard Te-Hina Paopao on a play during the first quarter against the Indiana Fever in Thursday's matchup.

But Paopao didn't hear her. So, the screen resulted in the rookie landing flat on her face.

It worked out for the rookie, though, as the play was called for an offensive foul due to a moving screen. Paopao suggested that was her hope after initial contact.

The rookie went through the whole sequence with Clutch Points' Malik Brown before Saturday's game versus the Dallas Wings.

"I told her I didn't hear her," Paopao said while smiling. "But there were many pictures where she was like this [points finger to her ear].

"I was like, 'No, I didn't hear you.' But at the same time, I was like, being a little dramatic when I fell. But yeah, that screen was hard."

The Women Hooping YouTube channel posted the replay of Paopao's fall as a short.

The account referred to the play as guard's "welcome to the W" moment.

I asked Te-Hina about this play and if she heard BG calling out the screen:

“I told her I didn’t hear her”

She said she was being a little dramatic when she fell https://t.co/7fpn5UWmvr pic.twitter.com/DzXPIG2cP7
— Malik Brown (@_MalikATL) May 24, 2025

Paopao survived the hard screen versus the Fever, but the rookie guard suffered a face injury Saturday versus the Wings. She exited the game after six minutes and didn't return.

The rookie guard didn't play Sunday versus the the Connecticut Sun either.

The Dream selected Paopao with the No. 18 overall pick in the second round of the 2025 WNBA Draft. Atlanta didn't have a first-rounder, so the guard was Atlanta's first selection in 2025.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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