HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Tetairoa McMillan is heading to the Carolina Panthers.
The Waimanalo native was the eighth pick in the NFL Draft and one of the highest selections for a player of Hawaiian decent.
While the Arizona wide receiver attended the draft in person in Green Bay, Wisconsin, his family celebrated here at home.
The McMillan ohana packed The Three4 Bar & Grill to watch his life-changing moment.
His brother, Wyatt, called the moment humbling: “You know us Hawaiian people, we’re real, real tight. We’re all about our culture, and there’s not much Native Hawaiians that can do that, what he did.”
“He showed our culture on that draft,” he added. “My auntie and my grandma made his seven-strand lei and he gave it to (NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell). That’s big time right there. Nobody done it. We showed that Polynesian people was here and we’re going to continue to come in the NFL and any pro sport.”
Tetairoa McMillan is bringing a wealth of experience to Carolina with over 1,300 receiving yards this past season and 26 touchdowns over his career.
Other players with Hawaii ties still on the board: Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel and fellow Wildcat offensive lineman Jonah Savaiinaea.
‘We are very proud of him’: Waimanalo native McMillan expected to go high in NFL Draft
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