Flau'jae Johnson: LSU Sensation’s Viral Rise Shakes Up College Basketball and Hip-Hop Fans

BATON ROUGE, La. — Senior guard Flau’jae Johnson has never been shy about big stages, but the clash she circled in red comes Sunday when No. 6 LSU hosts No. 3 South Carolina in a game poised to reshape the SEC title race. “I’ve had enough of them, so that’s motivation in itself,” the rapper-turned-hooper told reporters, adding that she woke up this week believing it was already game day. Johnson enters averaging 13.8 points, 4.4 boards and 2.7 assists on 47 percent shooting, numbers that have Tiger fans dreaming of back-to-back national titles under Kim Mulkey. The matchup also rekindles her personal rivalry with Dawn Staley’s guard corps; LSU dropped two of three meetings to the Gamecocks last season, and Johnson has said repeatedly that the losses still “play on loop” in her head. Off the court, the 22-year-old is having a February almost as busy as her stat sheet. Puma released her first player-edition sneaker, the All-Pro Nitro 2 PE, earlier this month, making Johnson the only active women’s college player with a nationally sold signature colorway. The drop sold out online in under six hours, further boosting an NIL valuation already estimated at $1.5 million—highest among women’s college athletes this season. Brand power is only part of Johnson’s expanding résumé. WNBA scouts project her as a top-five pick this April thanks to improved three-point efficiency (38 percent) and a wingspan-driven defensive rating that ranks second in the SEC. Still, she insists the draft conversation can wait: “Pro dreams are cool, but right now I’m chasing another ring for Baton Rouge,” she said after scoring 10-7-4 in Tuesday’s win at Auburn. Sunday’s tip inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center is sold out, and secondary-market prices have tripled since Johnson’s viral post about “clearing the calendar” for South Carolina. With ESPN moving the game to a prime-time window, viewership records for regular-season women’s hoops could fall again—something Johnson calls “great for the culture.” Key to an LSU upset? Johnson’s downhill drives against Carolina’s freshmen backcourt and her newfound patience in Mulkey’s half-court sets. If she delivers, the Tigers inch closer to a No. 1 seed, her sneaker gains more shine, and her rap career—set to drop a new single titled “Clutch Gene” next week—adds fresh fuel from the hardwood. For now, she’s laser-focused on the Gamecocks. “I’ve been ready,” Johnson smiled. “And Baton Rouge is about to feel that energy.”