LSU star Flau’jae Johnson cited loyalty when asked about returning to school this season while spurning the WNBA as the Tigers pursue yet another NCAA title win
Flau’jae Johnson is having a strong start to March MAndess(Image: Getty Images)
LSU senior Flau’jae Johnson is one of the best upperclassmen in the nation and has her school in contention to win another national championship.
Johnson likely could have jumped to the WNBA — she likely would have been a first-round pick — after last year, a season where she earned her first All-America nod. Instead, she decided to stay in Baton Rouge for another season to pursue a second March Madness title (the Tigers won in 2023).
Last fall, ESPN asked Johnson why it was important for her to stay for another campaign. The LSU star cited her loyalty to the program and unfinished business after losing in the Elite Eight last season.
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“I didn’t want to go out on a loss if I didn’t have to,” Johnson said. “I feel like I have more to prove. Why not go out as a champion? I feel like I owe it to LSU, I owe it to Baton Rouge. I’m loyal to the soil.”
LSU has lost in each of the last two Elite Eights, losing to UCLA in 2025 and a Caitlin Clark-led Iowa in 2024 (when Hailey van Lith struggled on defense all night). Unfortunately for Johnson, LSU’s journey ended in the Sweet 16 this time around with a last-second defeat to Duke.
Flau’jae Johnson shared an emotional moment with coach Kim Mulkey her last LSU home game last weekend(Image: Getty Images)
Johnson is also still pursuing a rap career: the changes in NIL provisions for college athletes have allowed the LSU star to sign for Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s agency.
Despite balancing a basketball career and an upstart clothing line, Johnson has garnered over 250,000 subscribers on YouTube. Her top song, ‘Came. Out a Beast’ with Lil Wayne, has over three million.
Flau’jae Johnson celebrates LSU’s 2023 NCAA tourament win(Image: Getty Images)
Johnson announced her return to the Tigers last April. “Yes, I’m coming back to LSU,” she told Front Office Sports. “This is my last year. I definitely want to win, but it’s also like I wanna make sure that I’m being developed to be the player that I want to be in the WNBA … I want to be as prepared as possible.”
In 2024, she hinted that the WNBA’s changing CBA also may be keeping her in college longer. “You go to college, and you’re treated like a pro,” Johnson told USA Today.
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“Then, you go to the pros, and you’re treated not like a professional. In that way, I say the league can be better … I think just the conditions for the players ― living arrangements, travel arrangements ― that’s very important to the athlete.”
Johnson averaged 14.3 points on 46.7% shooting this year to go along with 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists, earning her second-straight Third-team All-American nod.