Baton Rouge Honors Flau’jae Johnson With Key to the City, ‘Big 4’ Day

Flau'jae Johnson and Lakia Brooks, LSU
LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson was honored with a key to the city of Baton Rouge on Saturday morning (Tiger Rag Photo).

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

As if it wasn’t already, LSU women’s basketball star Flau’jae Johnson’s legacy in Baton Rouge was further cemented Saturday morning.

The city of Baton Rouge honored Johnson with a key to the city for her contributions to both LSU and the community. In addition to receiving the key, Mayor-President Sid Edwards proclaimed April 4 (4/4) as Flau’jae “Big 4” Johnson Day.

Johnson said receiving the key to the city and having a day dedicated in her honor is a tremendous achievement.

“It means a lot,” Johnson said. “Then I have my own day in Baton Rouge, so that’s pretty dope. I was like, ‘Dang! I got my own day?’ That’s legendary. You’re never going to forget that.”

Johnson grew emotional while reflecting on her journey to LSU, noting how easy it was to embrace a city that welcomed her from the very beginning.

“When I came here, I was a young girl coming straight out of high school and now I’m a young woman going to the pros,” Johnson said. “But all the lessons that I learned and all of the things that I’ve enjoyed on this journey the most is connecting with y’all. There’s so much extended family that I have out here and people who support me no matter what the highs and lows are and I’m thankful. You never really know how much you impact people, cities, lives, until it’s over with and my time here on the court as a Tiger is over sadly, but the impact that I made, I hope it lasts forever. And I hope my story has inspired so many people, but I’ll be back. I can’t stay away from here too long.”

Edwards said keys to the city are not handed out “like tic tacks,” but Johnson was more than deserving after making her mark on LSU and the “Red Stick” over the past four years.

“It goes without saying with the basketball part, but what she does in the community and what she means to Baton Rouge, I just think we have something to celebrate with a human being like that, so we give her the highest honor,” Edwards said Saturday morning.

The decorated star intends to remain present in the city even after her time at LSU. Johnson said she plans to continue making a positive impact and helping those in need.

“I feel like I laid roofs here, so just continue to make things better for those people that I love down here,” Johnson said.

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