By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
The LSU women’s basketball team’s 101-47 second-round win over Texas Tech on Sunday is one Tiger fans won’t soon forget – and not just because LSU set an NCAA record for most 100-point games in a single season.
This one was about a person. 14 letters. Four unforgettable years. Flau’jae Johnson.
With 7:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, Johnson slowly walked to the bench, checking out of a game inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for the final time. Tiger fans rose to their feet, sending the PMAC into a frenzy as tears streamed down her face.
An emotional Flau’jae Johnson checks out for the last time inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) March 22, 2026
Baton Rouge gives her a standing ovation. What a legacy for big four. #LSU pic.twitter.com/gKpsFQsx0K
She embraced head coach Kim Mulkey – just as she had when the two celebrated a national championship together during Johnson’s freshman season in 2023.
Flau'jae Johnson checks out for her final time as an LSU Tiger at the PMAC ❤️ pic.twitter.com/AIYdRoxE6u
— ESPN (@espn) March 22, 2026
“Yeah, I lost it,” Johnson said. “I knew I was going to, but I was holding strong. Then my teammates came and hugged me, and I heard that roar in the PMAC. It was like, ‘Wow.’ I gave everything I had and just let it all out. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever been a part of – something I’ll remember forever. I’m just so thankful for the fans, for Coach Mulkey, for the whole program. This has been unimaginable.”
Her decorated career in purple and gold isn’t quite over yet – but the end is near. And according to Johnson, her time in Baton Rouge didn’t just meet expectations – it shattered them.
“It was more,” Johnson said. “When I first got here, I just wanted to be SEC Freshman of the Year. That’s all I thought about. Of course, winning the national championship – that was crazy but everything else that came with it has been beyond my wildest dreams. I didn’t even think I could play college basketball in high school. I was unranked until around 10th grade. So this is unbelievable.”
Johnson, the first McDonald’s All-American signed by Mulkey at LSU, took a chance on a program in the early stages of a rebuild – and helped elevate it back to national prominence. Along the way, she became one of the most recognizable names not just in women’s college basketball, but across all of college athletics.
Her impact hasn’t gone unnoticed by her teammates. Mikaylah Williams has seen it up close.
“She’s a legend,” Williams said on Sunday. “I think I’ve said it so many times. I think her jersey should go up and she should have a statue outside. She’s given so much to this program just on and off the court. And the reaction that the crowd gave her is nothing more than what I expected because she’s given her all to them and we love her.”
And for the last time ever in Baton Rouge, Flau’Jae Johnson, folks. pic.twitter.com/qC58We9nkH
— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) March 22, 2026
Mulkey, too, was emotional as Johnson checked out for the final time at home. She believes Johnson’s legacy will stand among the greatest in LSU history – and fittingly, Johnson delivered one more signature performance, scoring a team-high 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting in the 54-point win.
“What a way to go out,” Mulkey said. “She was bawling. I was trying not to cry, but just hugged her. I can’t say it enough. Kids don’t stay in institutions four years anymore. Everybody’s looking for the next NIL deal and she stayed here and she’s impacted so many people in this town that we don’t even know about. She shares her will.”
Flau’jae Johnson is one of one. Few athletes accomplish what she has on the court – fewer still match her impact off it. But most importantly, she leaves behind a legacy in Baton Rouge that will never be forgotten.
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