ATHENS, GA ― LSU Tigers senior guard Flaujae Johnson won a national championship her freshman year. The goal is another before she graduates. As the only remaining member of the 2022-23 national title roster, LSU’s current title hopes start and end with Johnson.
‘Leadership is all intentional’, the LSU guard recently told USA TODAY Sports. ‘I just go to my mentors, my leaders and my coaches and my players, my teammates. We had a real conversation: ‘How can I be a better leader? How can I lead y’all better?’
‘I feel like it’s easy to follow somebody when you know that they’re genuine. I’ve just been working on being a better leader and a better learner, too.’
Whether on the hardwood, in the recording studio or in her daily life, Johnson’s authenticity is what has seemingly pushed her into the national spotlight. The Tigers senior describes herself as a ‘self-made millionaire,’ whose mind ‘moves a 1,000 miles a minute.’ Over the last four seasons, the Georgia native has earned 11 major basketball awards, including first-team All-SEC and third-team All-America in 2025, while simultaneously releasing three albums, gracing magazine covers and juggling brand deals.
Still, she finds things to keep her grounded in her genuineness, like only eating the marshmallows out of a bowl of Lucky Charms, scribbling in her journal and taking care of Champ, her bearded dragon. Johnson jokingly told USA TODAY Sports that caring for Champ, who is a ‘sweetheart with a little attitude,’ taught her what it’s like to put others before herself. That lesson applies to leadership at LSU. The Tigers guard shared she’s had to think of her teammates first and be more accountable.
‘When your energy is high, it’s contagious. When your energy is low, it’s contagious. We need you to be where we need you to be every day,’ Johnson reveals her team told her. ‘I had to look myself in the mirror and [say], ‘OK, when my energy is low, it does affect the team. It’s not just about me.”
Johnson knows LSU goes as she goes. Coach Kim Mulkey ripped the Tigers for not being ‘tough enough’ after losing to No. 7 Kentucky and No. 6 Vanderbilt to begin SEC conference play. The Tigers’ consecutive underwhelming performances did little to quell the chatter about the team having what the senior guard admits was a ‘cupcake schedule’ to start the season. (LSU didn’t play a single ranked team before New Year’s Day.) Johnson had 15 points and three steals against the Wildcats in a game that came down to the final shot, but, for the second time in her career, she was held scoreless as the Tigers lost a 65-61 matchup to the Commodores.
Following their back-to-back SEC losses, LSU secured a much-needed 80-59 win against Georgia. During the fourth quarter, the Tigers pulled away with a timely 15-3 run, firmly putting them in the driver’s seat.
‘This team doesn’t get down,’ Mulkey said postgame. ‘It’s not pointing fingers. It’s not dissension. It’s just a lot of new faces in a locker room that are gonna just learn how to compete and finish games and hang on to leads. We’re gonna be OK. The sky’s not falling.’
Johnson added another achievement to her LSU résumé ― 1,800 career points ― and finished with a game-high 25 points on 69% shooting and two blocks. She also had three crucial baskets and a pair of free throws during LSU’s late-game flurry, which helped push the lead to 20. Most importantly, the Tigers’ victory likely wouldn’t have happened without Johnson’s leadership. Mulkey shared that she thought Johnson and junior guard Mikaylah Williams were outstanding leaders against the Bulldogs. The Tigers coach said she doesn’t look at stats. What’s important to her is what they’re doing on the court, like defending and helping the team rebound, and what they’re saying to teammates.
Mulkey said the Georgia game was the best representation thus far of what she expects from her leaders. She also stressed that she wants Johnson to continue to lead. The senior guard won’t score 25 points every night. So, it has to be her leadership that prevails when the Tigers need someone to help them get over the hump. Johnson is aware of the expectations and took time to speak with her teammates in the huddle before tipoff.
‘I told them believe in each other, but most importantly, believe in themselves,’ Johnson said. ‘We’re so cohesive, and we’re so together that we can make each other believe. That’s the biggest team with this team. We are talented … I’m just trying to do small things to pour into them and let them know, like coach said, the sky is not falling. We’re going to be OK. It’s January. It’s the beginning of January.
‘I just felt like today, I really led. I put the team first, and I really led. I showed them that I believe in them, and in return, they gave me that energy back.’