‘I Want to Play the Best of the Best’: LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson Says Playing In the WNBA Is Still ‘100 Percent’ Her Goal After Putting the League on Notice
Flau’Jae Johnson has already made her case as being one of the top stars in the women’s basketball revolution.
After years of being disrespected by some sections of sports fans, women hoopers have made sure that their voices will be heard in recent times. Names like A’ja Wilson, Chiney Oqwumike, and Breanna Stewart have done their part to breathe some new life back into the WNBA, but the college hoopers have done a lot of leg work for popularizing the sport.
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Angel Reese, Caitlyn Clark, Hailey Van Lith, and Flau’jae Johnson are just some of the big names in NCAA women’s basketball that have helped revitalize fan interest in the sport. Johnson has shaped her own path by not only being a great player but also a talented rapper.
Johnson is a rising sophomore and unlike the NBA, WNBA players have to either be 22, a graduate or graduating from a four-year college or university. The 19-year-old has some time before she is even draft-eligible, but some people question if she will go.
Through Name Image and Likeness deals, college players can earn money and endorsement deals, which was not possible in the past. According to On3, Johnson is the 21-highest NIL earner in the country, with endorsement deals coming in from Puma, META, Raising Cane’s, and more. The site values Johnson’s NIL earnings at around $1.1 million.
Compare this to the first pick in the 2023 WNBA draft Aliyah Boston, who will make around $328,208 over four years if her fourth-year option is picked up. While WNBA players earn a salary for playing in the league, a large amount of them have not been able to reach the level of endorsement deals as Johnson, Reese, and Clark.
For Johnson, it seems like money doesn’t drive her love for basketball. In an exclusive interview with Atlanta Black Star, Johnson talked about the prospect of her going to the league.
When asked what she plans to do after college, Johnson said, “I wanna play the best of the best like as a competitor.” “It’s a long time until then,” Johnson continued, “but it’s always been my dream to go to the WNBA since I knew that it was a league I could really compete in.”
Johnson said the older she gets, life gets more realistic, so she said it’s a decision she is going to have to make when the time comes. She said, “But I’m still 100 percent tryna go to the WNBA.”
In an April interview with “The Breakfast Club,” Johnson and her LSU teammate Angel Reese talked about going to the WNBA. The two said they were in no rush to join the WNBA, and Johnson said that should put the WNBA on notice.
Johnson said in college, they already have chartered flights, NIL deals, and free food, so the WNBA is going to have to sweeten the pot. If the pair does go to the WNBA, they would have to kiss the chartered flights goodbye.
Players in the league have to ride commercial flights to the games, which can be even more challenging for the women on the taller side. Just last year, the New York Liberty was fined $500,000 after the team was found out to be chartering flights to away games. The league at the time didn’t allow charters because it might give “a competitive advantage.” It has become more lenient since that fine was given.
Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson shouldn’t play one minute in the WNBA. It’s a waste of their time and money.
Let me know if you disagree. pic.twitter.com/GYTQ56HlfF
— Carl Reed Jr. (@CoachReedLive) May 10, 2023
Fans of the duo gave their thoughts on the pair going to the league. One fan said, “Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson mentioning not rushing to the #WNBA isn’t hate. It’s putting the WNBA on notice about the differences. With NIL, they make more than WNBA players.” Another fan kept it blunt as he said, “Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson shouldn’t play one minute in the WNBA. It’s a waste of their time and money.”
By the time Johnson is eligible to go pro, many fans believe that the league will be in a better place. Reece, Clark, Van Lith, and many others will most likely be in the league by that time, and ESPN/ABC have made it a point to show more WNBA games on TV. The league is also expanding as the Bay Area is getting its own women’s basketball team.
As the WNBA is on the rise, Johnson is in a prime spot to stake her claim in the game if she chooses to do so.