BATON ROUGE — This past season’s WNBA All-Star Game in Phoenix repeatedly plays over in Andraya Carter’s mind.
ESPN’s brightest up-and-coming basketball analyst was watching the best women’s professional basketball players in the world put on a show in front of the sold-out crowd. Carter took in much of the game with basketball legend, multi-time NCAA and WNBA champion Candace Parker next to her.
But before and even during the game, both Carter and Parker found themselves watching Flau’jae Johnson, the LSU women’s basketball star, who was seated courtside.
“I’m standing next to Candice Parker, watching Flau’jae and we’re both are like in awe,” Carter said.
Johnson’s spirit — aura, if you will — and how she carries herself, the confidence and energy she emits forces those around her to notice the successful rapper and hooper.
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She’s magnetic. And she’s uber-talented in both basketball and the music industry.
Johnson is a pioneer, doing something all that are paying attention have never seen. It’s why they must watch her.
And it’s also why, in the current women’s college basketball landscape where casual fans have questioned whether the dramatic rise in popularity of the sport is in jeopardy because of the departure of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese to the pros, Johnson is poised to be one of the faces of the sport and be a driver in increasing interest.
Flau’jae Johnson brings fans into the sport in multitude of ways
Johnson has plenty of company on the mantle of women’s college basketball this season. JuJu Watkins at USC, Paige Bueckers at UConn, Hannah Hildalgo at Notre Dame and MiLaysia Fulwiley at South Carolina are also the biggest names in the sport right now.
Where LSU’s star differentiates herself is her other successful avenue: her music.
Just this offseason alone, Johnson has released her “Best of Both Worlds” album which featured one of the biggest rappers of all time on it in Louisiana native and LSU fan Lil Wayne.
Johnson mass appeal heightens not only her game but women’s basketball as well.
“(It is) one way I always thought women’s sports could benefit, because so many athletes in women’s sports have a lot of talent beyond just basketball,” said ESPN’s Michael Voepel, who has covered women’s basketball and other sports for the better part of three decades. “Women have always been given the responsibility to market themselves, nobody was going to do it for them.
“Flau’jae has a whole other audience and those are gateways to new fans for women’s basketball. That’s a huge part of the last few years for women’s basketball, has been reaching brand new fans. All sports benefit from stars, one person that everybody wants to watch. Flau’jae has the game, the personality and this aura about her that gets people in.”
It helps that Johnson plays for coach Kim Mulkey and LSU, a brand that’s storied and recognizable. It’s a top-5, top-10 program in women’s hoops. With Johnson, LSU remains must-watch and that has a domino effect, Carter said.
“When you have someone that specializes in other passions, it can allow an entire community to come to the game of basketball. They love Flau’jae’s music so they say, ‘Let me turn the game on,’” Carter said. “They watch for her and then they start liking her teammates. That opens the door.”
‘Flau’jae is selling something we’ve never seen before’
Johnson would be the first to tell you that Name, Image and Likeness has played a big part in her rise.
Already a signed rapper by the time she got to college, she’s a first-generation NIL student-athlete and she’s made all the right moves. Presently, she’s got deals with Apple Cash, The Athlete’s Foot, JBL Audio, Amazon, Doritos and a number of other companies, and has appeared in TV ads for Powerade and Experian. She was featured in a Super Bowl LVIII commercial.
She’s everywhere. Johnson is on the court, on your phone, on your TV.
“Flau’jae is part of this first wave of NIL athletes,” Voepel said. “Coming into college and when she enters the WNBA, she’s a brand name. That’s something that never existed among the very best players in women’s basketball.”
“She’s a dual-talented young person who I think understands what branding is all about. She’s able to brand herself in a way that is very comfortable for her and who she is. She is so talented in both areas, and she has something to sell.
“Flau’jae radiates starpower. She wouldn’t be able to be a performer in one area and not another. That’s something that catches people’s eyes. None of it is forced. It’s authentic. And that’s another draw to Flau’jae. Once people see somebody is authentic, they’re drawn to that.”
Arguably just as important, Johnson is creating the blueprint for young women that come after her. Just another way she’s growing women’s basketball.
“Flau’jae is selling something we haven’t seen before and she’s showing young women coming after her that you can be great at two things,” Carter said. “They can chase dreams off the court. I think that’s cool. Flau’jae is showing that it’s possible and I hope she knows that.
“I hope she gives herself a lot of credit for that and we will continue to give her, her flowers.”
Why Flau’jae Johnson is set to lead LSU women’s basketball
Part of the criteria for being one of the faces of your sport is you must be the face of your team. For this season’s LSU team, that’s Johnson.
And she’s attacked that responsibility loudly to open this season as she’s top 10 in the country in scoring and top five in made baskets. Johnson is leading the deep Southeastern Conference in both categories.
Before the season, Mulkey laid out the challenge to Johnson.
“I think Flau’jae is a well-known player, not just because of her rap but because of her talent,” Mulkey said. “It’s kind of like an evolution of a next era. I think she’ll have to lead and guide us.”
Johnson is ready to guide the Tigers onto the next stage.
“The way she plays, her personality, she’s so likeable,” Carter said. “The way she speaks, carries herself, her work ethic on the court and in the music studio, she’s someone that will be one of the faces of our game and the program she’s in. It’s a program that has a lot of eyes on it. She’s ready for that.
“She, in the best way, enjoys attention and to have the pressure on her. She meets the moment and that’s so enjoyable. She is on the list of the future faces of the game.”
For a sport that is still ascending, women’s basketball needs a vanguard that embraces and thrives in the spotlight.
Queue Flau’jae’s music.
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Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Why LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson is one of the faces of women’s basketball
