Though Johnson says she and Reese are no longer friends, she acknowledged what the duo did together as teammates at LSU and still supports Reese against critics.

According to Flau’jae Johnson, she and Angel Reese are no longer friends. 

During an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” on Monday, June 9, the LSU guard opened up about her relationship with the basketball phenom.  

“We’re not friends,” Johnson explained. “But I mean, like, that bond that we had, and that thing we did together, win the national championship, you can never take that away from us.”

Johnson and Reese, who defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes to secure LSU the NCAA championship in 2023, appeared to be close friends both on and off the court during Reese’s tenure at the school. However, things started to become amiss after their mothers duked it out briefly on social media. 

“It was a lot of media, it was a lot of locker room stuff, you know what I’m saying?” Johnson added while on the popular morning show.  “You know, sometimes, like, stuff happens, you wish it don’t happen but it do and you just gotta grow.” While addressings their lack of a relationship now, Johnson did, however, still support and defend Reese against her critics.

“I support her in everything she do,” said Johnson. “I be on social media clowning the folks that be trying to talk down on her. I’m just proud of her, but like, you know, stuff happens.”

Johnson’s words arrive during a week when the 23-year-old player for the Chicago Sky has been facing increased scrutiny following her taking home the win for the “Sportswoman of the Year” award during the BET Awards and a disappointing 85-66 loss to New York Liberty. 

The chatter around Reese grew so loud that her fellow Chicago Sky teammate Ariel Atkins came to her defense. 

During a press conference on Tuesday, June 10, Atkins reminded the public how well her teammate has navigated the unprecedented pressure she’s been under since she first gained notoriety as a college basketball star. 

“This is a 23-year-old kid and the amount of crap that she gets on a day-to-day [basis], she still shows up,” Atkins said.  “So whatever questions y’all got about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it. But all the other nonsense, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do. We’re having a hard time right now, at the end of the day.”

“This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy,” she continued. “[Y’all] want to come at her for the way that she acts — she has to build the wall. She has to have the wall because if she doesn’t, people will break her down. Not only just because of the way she looks, but it’s because of the way she carries herself. … She knows who she is and we ain’t gone break her down for that. … The kid’s crown is heavy. Respect that.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, Reese also told reporters how she tunes out all of the virtual noise.   

“I obviously don’t worry about what’s going on online,” she said. “I get so much love in person. I haven’t ever had a negative encounter in person, ever. And I’ve been going through this for three years. … People online are behind a keyboard for a reason.”