“Everybody needs to have the pleasure of coaching a Flau’Jae Johnson. She makes our life so joyful,” Kim Mulkey said back in September. It’s not every day that you meet someone who is a real-life incarnation of Hannah Montana! The 21-year-old is a well-respected college basketball player for half of the day, then an aspiring music artist for the other half. Despite that, Johnson, now in her senior year, remains the most energetic on the court; in fact, she’s the most joyous player Mulkey claims to have seen in 40 years of coaching!

The LSU women’s basketball team was ranked No. 5 in this year’s preseason AP Poll. The expectations are sky-high, but Mulkey is confident that Johnson can handle it. “I just know how hard she works. You can’t imagine the hours she spends doing music, then coming to workout with us, and you see the growth. She shows leadership now as a senior. Her and Mikaylah wanted to stay together and play for LSU,” the head coach told LSU reporter Matthew Brune.

Flau’Jae Johnson has played under the guidance of stars such as Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow. For years, she’s let them have the difficult conversations while she focuses on her own game. But now, with both players gone to the pros, Johnson, in what is described as her final year at LSU, needs to assume the leadership role. And this would be a task.

Kim Mulkey once said, “Flau’Jae, she leads by what she does with her music. I think she’s always been reluctant to be a leader of teammates because she wants them to like her. She never felt comfortable doing it because she’s always had that great older player in the locker room.”

Fortunately, although she may not realize it, Flau’Jae Johnson possesses enough experience to make the transition smoothly. She secured the NCAA title in her sophomore year. Over the course of 3 seasons, she has played in 106 games, started in 104, and averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

Johnson recorded her career-high stat line in the previous season, averaging 18.6 points per game, 46.8% from the field, 38.3% from deep, and 81.0% from the free throw line. That, combined with the hard work Mulkey claims the star player puts in, does make her prepared for her new duties.

Even the fourth-year college star came to this realization some time ago. “I realized if I don’t do it, we will be a leaderless team, and you can’t win like that. I’ve already had some uncomfortable conversations and asked players what I need to do to become a better leader for them. I got some answers I didn’t really want, so I have been working on myself every day and trying to stay accountable,” Johnson said.

Meanwhile, the 22-year-old can also continue to focus on her music career. If she doesn’t have the time to go out and seek collaborations, then she can always sneakily seek Sue Bird’s help! After all, the WNBA legend got her an important gig not so long ago.

Flau’Jae Johnson Recalled How Sue Bird Secured Her Collab With Lil Wayne

Flau’Jae Johnson has been pursuing music since the age of 7, when her uncle encouraged her to become an emcee, believing it was in her DNA. She pursued this goal by keeping her late father’s inspiration in mind. She doesn’t choose to work under a label because, “I think trying to make music that fits is kind of the dumbest thing ever. I hate when I go meet with a label… You go there and they try to tell you what to make, they try to tell you how to dress, they try to tell you how to look. No, you know what I mean,” Johnson said. However, that doesn’t stop her from collaborating with big names.

Back in June 2024, Flau’Jae Johnson teamed up with rap legend Lil Wayne for Came Out A Beast, a standout track from her debut EP, Best of Both Worlds. In a recent interview with ‘Billboard Hip-Hop’, Johnson recalled that the foundation for this collaboration was laid after her freshman year.

“We had just won the championship. He was on ESPN after the game doing like correspondence stuff with Sue Bird. And Sue Bird was like, you know, when you gonna work with Flau’Jae? Woo. And then he was like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna work with Flau’Jae,’” she revealed.

Being a five-time Olympic gold medalist and a four-time WNBA champion, Sue Bird is as big a name in the WNBA circle as there can be. Therefore, if she gives you a shoutout live on the air, you best believe something good is going to come out of it!

Flau’Jae Johnson, by being herself, has ensured that the eyeballs remain on the LSU Tigers. While we expect her to have a good season on the court and make the best use of her new leadership role, as fans, we hope that her music career doesn’t take a back seat.