Lady Vols commits, Pauldo twins, inspiring on and off court
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (BVM) 鈥� Identical twin sisters Mia and Mya Pauldo are to the Tennessee women鈥檚 basketball program.
Along the way, the Pauldo twins are also committed to being inspirations on and off the court.听
and are listed at 5-foot-5, tying them as the shortest players on for the Class of 2025. Despite their shorter stature, they want to inspire other young girls to pick up a basketball, no matter their height.
, 鈥業鈥檓 too little. I can’t really do as much as a tall girl can.鈥� And that鈥檚 not true 鈥� we鈥檙e proving them wrong,鈥� Mya told The Players’ Tribune.听听
Mia is a five-star point guard ranked in the 2025 class. In the last three seasons, she has totaled , 444 assists, 402 rebounds and 272 steals. As a junior, she averaged 19.9 points, 5.9 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.1 steals.听
Mya is a four-star PG ranked in the 2025 class. In the past three seasons, she has amassed , 374 assists, 311 rebounds and 231 steals.
Together, they led Morris Catholic (New Jersey) to a 29-1 record and a second straight Non-Public B state title as juniors.听
Interestingly, the Pauldo twins 鈥� 鈥� won鈥檛 lay claim to who the better sibling is.听听
鈥淸On a 1-on-1], ,鈥� Mya told The Players’ Tribune.听
Mia added, 鈥淲e both could guard each other 鈥� anybody in the world cannot guard us except for each other. She knows my moves, I know her moves.鈥澛�
and basketball runs in our blood鈥� 鈥� is their motto.听听
Off the court, the Pauldo twins are focused on giving back to their community. Born in Paterson, New Jersey 鈥� 鈥� the Pauldos use their NIL money to give back to surrounding areas.听
Many may recall that Mia and Mya signed a when they were just 15 years old. They are among the 鈥� if not the youngest 鈥� to book a major shoe/apparel deal.听
鈥淲hen we got our NIL deal, we gained resources that we didn鈥檛 have before,鈥� Mya told The Players’ Tribune. So we thought, 鈥榃hy can鈥檛 we take advantage of that and and urban communities and build on that and help them get opportunities that most players don鈥檛 have.’鈥澛�
Mia and Mya were able to , the Hurban Legends of Jersey. they bought gear, shoes and anything else that the players needed. Their only request was for the athletes to simply show up.
The sisters remain dedicated to giving back even more as their NIL brand grows. So far, they have an impressive 31,000 followers on their collective Instagram page, They even have a mini-reality series out with Overtime, which has garnered a collective .听
Most importantly, the Pauldos are feeling their impact.听
鈥淲hen we were younger, we grew [up around kids] wearing Pumas, and we鈥檇 be like, 鈥榃hat are those,鈥欌�� Mia told The Players’ Tribune. 鈥淣ow, it鈥檚 like, 鈥榊o, that is dope.鈥� (and) I feel like it鈥檚 because of us.鈥澛�
Mia and Mya鈥檚 father, DJ, previously told On3, 鈥淚 think, honestly, , you don鈥檛 really know who we are, right?鈥�
It鈥檚 clear that Mia and Mya are winning both on and off the court. Someday, they hope to join the exclusive group of
the twins collectively said on the 鈥淲ay Up With Angela Yee鈥� podcast.听听
