Before Flau’jae Johnson was a household name, she was just another young athlete waiting for her moment. Today, she’s a cornerstone for the LSU Tigers, where she has averaged 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and shot 46.8% from the field over 106 games in three seasons. In the 2024-25 campaign alone, she posted 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 85 assists across 34 games. That’s the version of Johnson the world knows now, but her journey to the top started with a single, chaotic game that changed everything.
How Was Flau’jae Johnson Discovered Before the Recruiting Battle Began?
Recently, Johnson shared a video on her Instagram story, originally posted by her former AAU coach, Jay Moore, that chronicled her discovery. The clip detailed how she first grabbed the attention of college scouts while balancing her passions for basketball and music. Reposting the reel, Johnson wrote, “This is how I got discovered, no cap, mid-game at Lovejoy. If this didn’t happen, idk where I’d be. All thanks to this guy, ©coachilk and #noigal.”
Moore was the coach who helped put Flau’jae Johnson on the recruiting map, and he vividly recalled that pivotal moment in his video. He described showing up mid-game at Lovejoy High School and walking into pure chaos. The ball was flying up and down the court, the crowd was electric, and a young Johnson was already making her presence felt.
“So I pull up. I’m standing upstairs. She — who? I see Flau’jae. She goes up and down the floor three times. I caught him. I say, ‘Man, I want her,’” said Moore. His energy is palpable as he remembers navigating the scene, figuring out how to get her attention, convincing her mother, and ultimately earning the chance to coach her.
Reflecting on that first impression, Moore knew he had found someone special. “From the moment I met her, she be popping. And so from that moment, we’ve been like this. And every move, everything like that, I’ll be behind her,” Moore added. He saw the confidence, poise, and unmistakable energy that signaled Johnson was destined for bigger stages.
How Did Music and Family Shape Her Path?
Long before LSU came calling, Johnson’s story was already unconventional. As a young rapper, she appeared on America’s Got Talent at 14 and on the reality series “The Rap Game” at 12. With over 105,000 YouTube subscribers, she built a name for herself in the music world well before her basketball career took off.
Her mother, Kia Brooks, initially hesitated to let her pursue rapping. However, she eventually saw the immense talent and drive, noting, “You never know what God’s story is for her. She may complete her dad’s story and what it was supposed to be.” Johnson’s father, Jason Johnson, known professionally as Camoflauge, was a rapper who was tragically killed in an unsolved shooting just six months before she was born.
Despite her focus on rap, basketball was always Johnson’s first love. She tossed balls around the house by age two and played on a co-ed team by four. Even with music calling, basketball remained her foundation, and the combination of the two would eventually fuel her confidence and on-court presence.
As Johnson herself put it, “Rapping gave me a confidence booster. Before, I was cautious on how I played. But when I am rapping, I have all the confidence in the world. That translates to basketball.” Her breakthrough moment arrived after transferring to Sprayberry High School in Marietta, Georgia, where she led the team to its first regional championship in 29 years.
That championship run, amplified by Moore’s FBC BounceNation AAU team, got her noticed. In fact, a highlight reel from that season secured her first offer from Ole Miss within minutes. Other top programs nationwide quickly followed. “Receiving those offers gave me so much confidence,” Johnson said. “It showed that people believed in me. I knew I could play on that level. My first offer was from Ole Miss, a Power 5 school. It was crazy getting that offer.”
Soon, scholarship offers rolled in from programs like Florida, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, St. John’s, South Florida, Southern Miss, Vanderbilt, and Virginia Tech. Ultimately, she chose to play for coach Kim Mulkey at LSU. Now entering her fourth season, Johnson is ready to build on her legacy and continue proving why she is one of the most exciting talents in the game.