Flau’jae Johnson is Wrapping Up Her NCAA Career in Style

Flau’jae Johnson is hooping with a sense of urgency. The 22-year-old senior star of the LSU women’s basketball team is dancing her way to the Sweet 16 this week, following dominant wins in the first and second rounds and looking towards a match-up of heavy hitters against Duke on Friday. After beating Texas Tech at home in Baton Rouge on Sunday, her last game at LSU’s Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Johnson was clearly moved by the moment, thanking the fans and Coach Kim Mulkey with tears welling in her eyes. But with a long way to go before her chance at a second national championship, Johnson is poised beyond her years, able to immediately bring her focus back to the road ahead.

“It’s a sense of urgency this year that feels different,” Johnson told Sole Retriever in an interview ahead of LSU’s Sweet 16 match-up. “Last year, it was like ‘I’ve got another year,’ but now? It’s over with. It’s a different type of feeling.”

Johnson, who helped LSU cut down the nets as a freshman alongside Angel Reese in 2023, is the poster woman for the professionalization of college sports in the NIL era. In addition to her team-leading 14+ points per game, Flau’jae is an accomplished rapper with a YouTube page full of hits and features with the likes of Bossman DLow, Lil Wayne, Wacka Flocka Flame, and more. Making the balancing act of basketball, college, and music look easy, Johnson has turned her multi-hyphenate career into a personal brand, signing NIL deals with Samsung, BODYARMOR, Puma, and plenty more.

At Puma, Johnson joined stars like LaMelo Ball, Breanna Stewart, and Tyrese Haliburton on a revitalized basketball program and, in the midst of her final March Madness push, the Big Cat has rolled out two pairs of Flau’jae PEs, an on-court All-Pro Nitro 2 and an off-court Majesty, plus a matching clothing capsule, adding design collaboration to Johnson’s seemingly endless resume.

Draped in two complementary camouflage mixes with pink and green accents, the shoes are an encapsulation of Johnson’s loud personality and a tribute to her father and namesake, the late Savannah, Georgia rapper Camoflauge, whose footsteps Johnson follows in.

“I wanted to honor my father with my first official PE release, that’s something I always wanted to do,” Johnson said, also noting the addition of her Big 4 logo taking after her jersey number, nickname, and favorite ad-lib on her Nitro 2, and a 912 area code hit repping Savannah on the lateral heel of the off-court Majesty pair. “I felt like the city would really appreciate that one.”

Because basketball is only part of her professional life, it was important for Johnson to make sure her debut PE collection featured two pairs - one for on-court, and the other for everyday wear once she’s done getting buckets. The All-Pro Nitro 2 is one of Puma’s most popular performance basketball shoes, but when it came to the Majesty, the silhouette selection was a throwback to Johnson’s childhood love for skateboarding.

“I was a real skater!” Johnson said with a laugh. “I could ollie, but I broke my wrist, so I had to stop. I was probably 12 or 13, and my mom was like, ‘You play sports!’ and I stopped, but I still love that style, how that shoe looks and feels…I can’t wear my (on-court) PE to just walk around in…I mean, I can, but I can’t perform in them, for real. Having an on-the-court shoe and then having an off-the-court lifestyle pair, that’s definitely my vibe, that’s something I want to do every time…it’s fire, as soon as I get off the court, I put my shoes on again, I never have to take my PEs off.”

From performances on the court to performances on the stage, Johnson’s rap career has already surpassed anything most pro athlete emcees have ever reached - her athlete rapper Mount Rushmore is herself four times, sorry Shaq, Dame DOLLA, and Deion - and the budding star is still evolving in her skill and style. Her dream features? Adele, Chappell Roan, and Rod Wave. A creative in every facet of her life, Johnson wants to expand her musical style outside of rap, and with success in everything she’s tried so far, well, we aren’t betting against that Adele collab.

Don’t bet against Flau’jae. At just 22, that seems to be the story of Johnson’s early life; from sneakers and NCAA tourney runs to albums, shows, and phone commercials, Big 4 is a vet across industries before she’s even signed a rookie deal. That comes after the tournament at next month’s draft.

With the WNBA’s recently ratified collective bargaining agreement guaranteeing bigger money for the presumed top-5 2026 draft pick, Johnson is ready to take the next step. And after wearing Nike for four years at Swoosh-sponsored LSU, she’ll finally be able to wear her Puma PE on the court for the world to see. For now, though, Johnson is keeping her eye on the last four potential games of her college career, and her current goal - bringing a Natty back to Baton Rouge.

“I’m very focused,” Johnson said. “I’m excited about the WNBA, and it’s so cool to think about because you know it’s right there, but you gotta be really focused on the mission right now, and I’m ready.”

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia. His work has appeared in Rolling Stone, Vice, Complex, High Times, and more. He is obsessed with skateboarding and bowling. He is still looking for his first 300. For tips, reviews, and anything in size 10.5 - zach.h@soleretriever.com