Flau’jae Johnson chose LSU after Kim Mulkey offered her something no other school did

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey recently opened up about the reason star guard Flau’jae Johnson chose LSU over top programs like Georgia, Miami, Ole Miss and Texas. According to Mulkey, it came down to one key difference that embraced both sides of Johnson.

“We sold her, ‘Hey, you can do your rap and also play basketball,’” Mulkey said. “A lot of people didn’t offer that to her. They didn't think she could do it.”

MORE: MiLaysia Fulwiley makes official commitment to South Carolina’s SEC rival LSU

That belief turned out to be a game-changer. Johnson, a McDonald’s All American and music sensation, joined LSU in 2022 and helped the Tigers to a national championship in her freshman season.

“I thought it was great that Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Louisiana—south Louisiana—we got rappers,” Mulkey added with a smile.

Mulkey also emphasized that Johnson's chance to be a tone-setter and early contributor played a major role. “The opportunity to play in the SEC and to play early,” she said.

At the time of Johnson’s recruitment, Mulkey was only in her second year at LSU, and the program had just one returning contributor. With nine new players, she assembled a team that would become national champions by April 2023. Mulkey herself made history as the first coach to win NCAA championships with multiple programs—now holding four as a head coach (Baylor and LSU), one as an assistant (Louisiana Tech) and two as a player (Louisiana Tech).

MORE: MiLaysia Fulwiley’s LSU commitment has everyone asking the same question

“When we recruited Flau’jae, we were new here. What do we sell this young lady who is a McDonald’s All-American to get her to come and help us jump-start this program?” Mulkey recalled.

In an era when the transfer portal has made four-year commitments increasingly rare, Johnson’s loyalty to LSU is especially meaningful to Mulkey. “Very rarely are you going to see kids stay four years at a college anymore,” she said.

“I think Flau’jae and her parents followed my career at Baylor, and they believed in what we were going to do here. I’m forever indebted to that young lady because we didn’t have much to sell to her other than me, the area and ‘you can do your rap,’” Mulkey said.

Mulkey expressed her deep gratitude for Johnson’s commitment on and off the court, noting that her work ethic in both basketball and music is unmatched.