By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Thursday night at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center will feel a bit different than it normally does. Senior night always carries emotion, but LSU’s matchup with Tennessee marks the final regular-season home game for one of the most impactful athletes ever to put on the purple and gold – Flau’jae Johnson.
The Tigers will honor three seniors – Johnson, Amiya Joyner and Izzy Besselman – but the night will focus mostly around Johnson, whose legacy in Baton Rouge stretches far beyond the stat sheet.
Johnson made it clear back in October that her story at LSU wasn’t finished. With the option to declare for the WNBA, she instead chose to return for one more season in Baton Rouge.
“LSU means a lot to me,” Johnson told Tiger Rag in October. “I like to say I’m loyal to the soil and these are my people down here and it just didn’t make sense for me to leave. I just feel like I needed one more year to solidify my LSU legacy and hopefully do something bigger.”
Looking back, it’s clear Johnson has done more than enough to cement herself as one of the most decorated athletes ever to step foot on LSU’s campus.
As a freshman, Johnson played a pivotal role in delivering LSU’s first national championship. She was named as the SEC Freshman of the Year after averaging 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
Johnson’s commitment to LSU in 2021 came at a crucial time. When Mulkey arrived in Baton Rouge, she searched for program-changing players to speed up the process of returning the Tigers to national prominence. Johnson, who was rated as the No. 6 guard in the Class of 2022, chose LSU over established powerhouses.
“I will always have a special place in my heart for her because she could have chosen some better basketball schools at that time and she chose to come here and get LSU back on track,” Mulkey said at SEC Media Days in October of 2025. “And her freshman year, she wins a national championship, and she’s now played with USA Basketball and that’s a great experience for her and along the way she’s been able to continue her career in rap.”
@theflauk4family #FLAUJAE X #KIMMULKEY Gotta Love Them 🥺❤️ #fyp #flaujae #thebiggest4 #lsuwomensbasketball #BOBW #popit #newmusic #4myfans #theflauk4 #flaujaejohnson #trending #viral ♬ original sound – TheFlauk4Family
Johnson is not just a star on the court. She has emerged as a rising star in the music industry, collaborating with Lil Wayne, Waka Flocka Flame, BossMan Dlow and others while totaling more than 179,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
Flau'jae Johnson is an LSU freshman, a guard on the basketball team, and a rapper.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) April 2, 2023
They just played her song after winning the title:
pic.twitter.com/0kxp7nUF8r
The Savannah, Georgia, native, has become the standard for collegiate athletes in the NIL era – boasting more than 3.7 million followers across social media platforms while holding the No. 1 NIL valuation among college women’s basketball players at an estimated $1.5 million, according to On3.com. She also ranks No. 41 among all college athletes.
Mulkey said few athletes have impacted programs and grown their sports the way Johnson has.
“The things that she has done, the attention she has brought to not only our program, but to LSU,” Mulkey said after the win against Missouri. “She’s a household name. When you go on the road, you don’t get many cheers on the road. You usually get booed, but Flau’jae always has the most cheers because people listen to her music.”
Softball coach Beth Torina said Johnson has left a lasting mark on LSU, not just with her talent, but with the high standard she’s set for women’s athletics.
“She has been an incredible icon for women’s athletics here,” Torina said on Wednesday. “Just somebody I think that really sets the bar for how women should be treated, how you should play – for all of the things. I mean, she’s raised the bar, raised the expectation and it’s just been fun to watch her compete for four years. I can’t believe it’s coming to an end, so we’ll watch her compete at the next level too, though.”
Flau'jae Johnson has been an iconic athlete on LSU's campus the last four years, she's seen and done some remarkable stuff.
— Michael Cauble (@Cauble) February 26, 2026
Today I asked @LSUsoftball head coach Beth Torina how that impacts other female athletes on campus.@Flaujae @LSUwbkb pic.twitter.com/HYuuLV1wd9
Thursday night’s game won’t only have SEC Tournament seeding implications, but it will also be a celebration of a player who has made her mark on Baton Rouge forever.
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