Flau'jae Johnson has completed four seasons with the LSU Tigers women's basketball team without entering the transfer portal, a contrast to the mobility seen in the NIL era of college sports.[1]
The guard from Savannah, Georgia, committed to LSU on November 17, 2021, as the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2022 and the first McDonald's All-American signed by coach Kim Mulkey at the program.[2][3]
Johnson's connection to the Baton Rouge campus extends beyond basketball; she buried her deceased pet bearded dragon, named Four after her jersey number, under a tree there, as she revealed in a September 2024 interview.[4]
She has brought her surviving bearded dragon, Champ, to team practices, where teammate Izzy Besselman once discovered it in a basket.[1]
Mulkey, a four-time national champion coach, praised Johnson's loyalty on senior night, highlighting her decision to stay and graduate amid a landscape where players rarely remain four years.[1]
Johnson, a recording artist signed to Roc Nation since 2023, recently entered an NIL partnership with the Unrivaled women's 3-on-3 league, planning to join after college.[5][6]
Johnson is set for her final games in a Tigers jersey during the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, where LSU competes in the postseason.[1]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "LSU star Flau'jae Johnson defies transfer portal by staying loyal amid NIL era", March 2026 (approximate, based on draft context), https://www.foxnews.com/sports/lsu-flaujae-johnson-final-season-ncaa-tournament-bearded-dragon
- ESPN, "Top recruit Flau'jae Johnson signs with LSU, Kim Mulkey", November 17, 2021, https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32539881/top-recruit-flaujae-johnson-signs-lsu-kim-mulkey
- LSU Sports, "Flau'jae Johnson - Women's Basketball Roster", accessed October 2024, https://lsusports.net/sports/wbball/roster/flaujae-johnson/7802
- LSU Reveille, "Flau’jae Johnson talks NIL, Roc Nation, basketball and burying her bearded dragon on LSU’s campus", September 5, 2024, https://www.lsureveille.com/article/2024/09/sports-flaujae-johnson-interview-ncaa-investigation-angel-reese-hailey-van-lith-kim-mulkey-lsu-football
- Billboard, "Rapper and LSU Hoops Star Flau'jae Johnson Signs With Roc Nation", May 16, 2023, https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/flaujae-johnson-signs-roc-nation-1235319078/
- Unrivaled Basketball, "Flau'jae Johnson Becomes Latest NIL Partner", December 4, 2024, https://unrivaled.basketball/news/flaujae-johnson-becomes-unrivaleds-latest-nil-partner
