FLAU’JAE

Flau’jae Johnson has skyrocketed into a position not many players find themselves in.

After winning SEC Freshman of the Year and a national championship in her first season as a Tiger, Johnson improved in almost every statistical category in her second season and became a star for one of the best teams in the nation.

Now, heading into her third season at LSU, Johnson is taking full advantage of her offseason.

“Just working, working out, doing music stuff. [The offseason] has been great,” Johnson said.

Johnson had a meet and greet this offseason at the grand opening of a new The Athlete’s Foot store and was swarmed by fans. The line stretched out of the building and the fans kept coming. 

“I’m just happy I’m able to have an impact in BR,” Johnson said. “People actually come out to see you, like take their time out of their day and that means a lot to me.”

Johnson has played a key role in the most popular era of women’s basketball ever. The national championship game her freshman year was the most viewed women’s game in history at the time with 9.9 million average viewers. The rematch between LSU and Iowa in the Elite Eight this year broke that record with 12.3 million average viewers.

This many eyes have never been on the women’s game, and Johnson said that it’s a special feeling to be a part of it.

“Not a lot of people have the opportunity to be at the forefront of NIL, college basketball and all that, so it’s kind of an honor to be in the middle of it all,” Johnson said. “Just being able to play with legendary players and share the floor with great players. It’s something I take in every day.”

Johnson, now entering her third year in the spotlight, said she is looking forward to taking on a leadership role for the younger players as she becomes one of the more experienced players on the team.

“[I have] been taking a leadership role,” Johnson said. “Trying to prepare them for what’s to come and just help them stay poised.”

But despite the popularity and fame that has been thrusted on Johnson, her focus remains on the same thing: another title. Regular season wins and SEC Tournaments are nice, but LSU has set a different standard in recent seasons. For Johnson, it’s natty or bust.

“Just to go out and win,” Johnson said. “We want to win games obviously. We kind of have like a standard now. We gotta make a pretty deep run in the tournament and if we don’t do that it’s kind of a failure of a season. Just getting as far as we can in the tournament. The tournament, the tournament. It’s all I really care about.”