Flau'Jae Johnson (born November 3, 2003) is an American rapper and college basketball player for the LSU Tigers.

Flau'Jae Johnson
Johnson with the LSU Tigers in 2024
No. 4 – LSU Tigers
PositionGuard
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2003-11-03) November 3, 2003 (age 21)
Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Career information
High schoolSprayberry (Marietta, Georgia)
CollegeLSU (2022–present)
Career highlights and awards

Early life

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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

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Freshman season

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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

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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

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Legend
  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

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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

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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

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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] In December 2024, Johnson signed a similar NIL deal to Paige Bueckers with Unrivaled.[27]

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.[28][29]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b Jones, Maya A. (April 3, 2023). "The fire that drives Flau'jae Johnson". ESPN. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ Shipp, Sonny (April 16, 2022). "LSU signee Flaujae Johnson Named MVP of Jordan Brand Classic". 247Sports. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Caldwell, Bailey (March 17, 2023). "NCAA Basketball Flau'Jae Johnson is basketball's next megastar". FanSided. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Sulkowski, Frank (March 1, 2023). "Savannah native Flau'jae Johnson named SEC Freshman of the Year". WJCL. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  11. ^ "Flau'jae Johnson scores 17 to lead No. 7 LSU over SE Louisiana 73-50". AP News. November 18, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Brune, Matthew (January 10, 2024). "Flau'Jae Johnson has become a relentless two-way star at LSU". On3. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "Reese and Williams Lead Strong SEC Postseason Award Class For LSU". LSU. March 5, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  14. ^ Darcey, Reed (March 8, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson leads LSU women to dominant SEC tournament win over Auburn". NOLA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  15. ^ "LSU Advances To SEC Championship With 75-67 Win Over Ole Miss". LSU. March 9, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  16. ^ "Brother of LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson arrested after SEC Tournament championship fight". AP News. March 11, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ McKeone, Liam (March 30, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson is Only Getting Better as LSU's Title Defense Continues". SI.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Barnes, Katie (April 2, 2024). "Months of adversity and the final 40 minutes of LSU's reign". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  23. ^ "Flau'jae Johnson College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  24. ^ Samuel, Chris (April 5, 2023). "Meet Flau'jae Johnson: LSU Basketball Player & Emerging Rapper". SOHH. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  25. ^ Goodman, Talia (June 17, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson takes her NIL valuation, brand building seriously". On3. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  26. ^ Reid, Pauleanna (April 25, 2023). "How LSU Basketball Star Flau'jae Johnson Earned $2 Million In NIL Deals". Forbes. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  27. ^ Young, Grant (December 5, 2024). "Flau'jae Johnson Joins Paige Bueckers With Unrivaled NIL Deal". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
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