Kia Brooks, the mother and manager of Louisiana State University basketball star Flau\u2019Jae Johnson, has gone viral for her comments following the Tigers\u2019 79-72 loss to South Carolina on Feb. 14. During a livestream after the game, Brooks addressed the loss by telling her followers that her daughter was basically better at life than the entire South Carolina roster.<\/p>\n
The matchup was a historic broadcast, with ESPN reporting an average of 1.7 million viewers, making it the fourth most-watched regular-season women\u2019s college basketball game in the network’s history. Johnson finished the game with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and one block, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 2-of-6 from the free-throw line. For South Carolina, Tessa Johnson also recorded 21 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range.<\/p>\n
In her video, Brooks told her audience that the game\u2019s outcome didn\u2019t matter, since her daughter is already “set for life” due to her off-court business ventures and won\u2019t need to rely on a professional basketball salary. “These girls trying to go to the WNBA to get paid, she already paid,” Brooks said. “Flau’Jae don\u2019t need the WNBA to be real, they need her.” She also said that Johnson was the best player on the floor during the game and predicted that she would be a top-five pick in the WNBA draft, adding, “No South Carolina player is going before Flau’Jae in the draft and that\u2019s no disrespect.”<\/p>\n