Flau'jae Johnson
No. 4 – LSU Tigers | |
---|---|
Position | Guard |
League | Southeastern Conference |
Personal information | |
Born | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. | November 3, 2003
Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
Career information | |
High school | Sprayberry (Marietta, Georgia) |
College | LSU (2022–present) |
Career highlights and awards | |
|
Flau'jae Johnson (born November 3, 2003) is an American rapper and college basketball player for the LSU Tigers.
Early life
[edit]Johnson was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia.[1] Her father, the rapper Camoflauge, was shot and killed in May 2003 about six months before her birth in a case that remains unsolved.[2] Johnson grew up playing baseball as a pitcher and was the only girl on her team.[3]
She played basketball for Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia.[4] As a senior, Johnson was named Region 6-6A Player of the Year, and she left as her school's all-time leading scorer. She earned most valuable player honors at the Jordan Brand Classic after scoring 27 points, and played in the McDonald's All-American Game.[5] Johnson was also the only girl to play in the Iverson Classic.[6] Her number was retired by Sprayberry, and she became the first girl to receive the honor.[3]
College career
[edit]Freshman season
[edit]Johnson entered her freshman season as LSU's starting shooting guard.[7] On November 20, 2022, she recorded a season-high 27 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and five assists in a 100–45 win over Northwestern State.[8] As a freshman, Johnson averaged 11 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, helping her team win its first national championship.[9] She was named the 2022–23 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year.[10]
Sophomore season
[edit]In her sophomore season, Johnson played in 36 games and started 34 of them. Due to illness, she missed one game and played off the bench in another two in November.[11] Johnson improved her averages in every statistical category except for rebounds, and was a key player for the Tigers throughout the season.[12] LSU finished the SEC regular season with a 13–3 record, and Johnson was named in Second Team All-SEC.[13] In the SEC Tournament, Johnson led the team in scoring in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, scoring 25 points against Auburn and then 21 points against Ole Miss.[14][15] In the finals against South Carolina, Johnson was involved in a tussle that resulted in the ejection of six players (Johnson was not among those ejected) and the arrest of her brother.[16] After the game, Johnson apologized to Gamecocks' coach Dawn Staley for her role in the fight.[17] LSU entered the NCAA Tournament as the third seed. Johnson was the top scorer for LSU in their second-round win, 83–56, over Middle Tennessee.[18][19] In the Sweet Sixteen win, 78–69, over the second-seeded UCLA, Johnson recorded 24 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 blocks and was once again the top scorer for the Tigers and an overall key contributor.[20][21] In an Elite Eight rematch of the 2023 championship game against the first-seeded Iowa, Johnson was again the top scorer for the team with 23 points, but LSU lost 87–94.[22]
Career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game | RPG | Rebounds per game |
APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game | BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
TO | Turnovers per game | FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
Bold | Career best | ° | League leader |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TO | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2022–23 | LSU | 36 | 36 | 27.6 | 42.4 | 33.0 | 69.6 | 5.9 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 11.0 |
2023–24 | LSU | 36 | 34 | 32.4 | 50.4 | 38.0 | 76.9 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 14.9 |
Career | 72 | 70 | 30.0 | 46.7 | 35.4 | 73.6 | 5.7 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 13.0 | |
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[23] |
Music
[edit]Johnson is also a rapper signed to Roc Nation.[24][2] She was inspired to pursue a rap career to continue her father's legacy. Johnson has appeared on The Rap Game and America's Got Talent.
Personal life
[edit]Johnson is estimated to be one of the highest-earning college basketball players from name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals.[25] She signed NIL deals with brands such as Puma, Meta, JBL, and Taco Bell.[26] Johnson was featured on The Money Game: LSU, a six-part NIL-focused docuseries by Prime Video that followed her, Jayden Daniels, Angel Reese, Livvy Dunne, and Alia Armstrong through LSU's 2023–24 sports season.[27][28]
References
[edit]- ^ Sulkowski, Frank (March 8, 2023). "Remembering her Roots, Savannah native Flau'jae Johnson makes surprise stop at Boys & Girls Club". WJCL. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Jones, Maya A. (April 3, 2023). "The fire that drives Flau'jae Johnson". ESPN. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ a b Diaz, Cory (March 22, 2023). "Before Flau'jae Johnson thrived for LSU women's basketball, she was a baseball phenom". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Gardner, David (March 1, 2022). "In hip-hop and basketball, Flau'jae Johnson is a two-way star". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Shipp, Sonny (April 16, 2022). "LSU signee Flaujae Johnson Named MVP of Jordan Brand Classic". 247Sports. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Caldwell, Bailey (March 17, 2023). "NCAA Basketball Flau'Jae Johnson is basketball's next megastar". FanSided. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Darcey, Reed (March 2, 2023). "Flau'jae Johnson has a remarkable story. You already know some of it. Here's the rest". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
- ^ Kleinpeter, Jim (November 20, 2022). "Flau'jae Johnson's breakout lifts LSU women to 5-0 in 5th consecutive 100-point game". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Tidwell, Sara (April 4, 2023). "Who is Flau'jae Johnson? What to know about LSU star's rap career, potential Lil Wayne feature". The Sporting News. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Sulkowski, Frank (March 1, 2023). "Savannah native Flau'jae Johnson named SEC Freshman of the Year". WJCL. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ "Flau'jae Johnson scores 17 to lead No. 7 LSU over SE Louisiana 73-50". AP News. November 18, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Brune, Matthew (January 10, 2024). "Flau'Jae Johnson has become a relentless two-way star at LSU". On3. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Reese and Williams Lead Strong SEC Postseason Award Class For LSU". LSU. March 5, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Darcey, Reed (March 8, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson leads LSU women to dominant SEC tournament win over Auburn". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "LSU Advances To SEC Championship With 75-67 Win Over Ole Miss". LSU. March 9, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Brother of LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson arrested after SEC Tournament championship fight". AP News. March 11, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Darcey, Reed (March 10, 2024). "South Carolina beats LSU women after on-court scrap plunges game into chaos, ejections". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Rabalais, Scott (March 24, 2024). "Scott Rabalais: Fast-learning Flau'jae Johnson helps LSU 'cut the head off the snake'". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Darcey, Reed (March 25, 2024). "How the LSU women unleashed a deluge of points — and why it may have saved their season". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ McKeone, Liam (March 30, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson is Only Getting Better as LSU's Title Defense Continues". SI.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Darcey, Reed (March 30, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson keeps LSU women's season alive, lifting Tigers over UCLA in Sweet 16". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ Barnes, Katie (April 2, 2024). "Months of adversity and the final 40 minutes of LSU's reign". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
- ^ "Flau'jae Johnson College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
- ^ Samuel, Chris (April 5, 2023). "Meet Flau'jae Johnson: LSU Basketball Player & Emerging Rapper". SOHH. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
- ^ Goodman, Talia (June 17, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson takes her NIL valuation, brand building seriously". On3. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
- ^ Reid, Pauleanna (April 25, 2023). "How LSU Basketball Star Flau'jae Johnson Earned $2 Million In NIL Deals". Forbes. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
- ^ Darcey, Reed; Riley, Koki; Rabalais, Scott (September 11, 2024). "Amazon released 'The Money Game' docuseries about LSU and NIL. Here are the main takeaways". NOLA.com. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- ^ Toby, Mekeisha (September 10, 2024). "Everything you need to know about Prime Video's new docuseries 'The Money Game: LSU'". AboutAmazon.com. Retrieved October 28, 2024.
External links
[edit]- 2003 births
- Living people
- American women's basketball players
- Basketball players from Savannah, Georgia
- LSU Tigers women's basketball players
- Guards (basketball)
- American women rappers
- Roc Nation artists
- Rappers from Georgia (U.S. state)
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- America's Got Talent contestants
- 21st-century American sportswomen