Will Flau’Jae Johnson Forgo Her Senior Season?
Flau’jae Johnson’s junior season just ended with a heartbreaking loss to the UCLA Bruins on Sunday. Yet, in her postgame interview, a reporter had asked about her plans for the 2025 WNBA Draft. As she will turn 22 later this year, she has the option to skip her final year as an LSU Tiger and go straight to the draft. Johnson’s plans were not made clear as she made this statement, "I don't know,” in a solemn locker room. She stated that she would have to talk to her coach, Kim Mulkey, and her family to weigh everything into her decision. However, what could be the reasons she would choose to continue with LSU versus joining the WNBA? Let’s open this to discussion.
Flau’jae Johnson is currently earning big money. Per On3, Johnson’s NIL deals are valued at 1.5 million dollars. With her popularity, she has amassed over two million followers on Instagram and works with brands like Powerade, JBL, Samsung, and more. Now, as other WNBA players have stated, these brands will continue to work with players after they have made it into the league, but Johnson will have to rely on that to supplement the 2025 WNBA rookie salary of $78,831. If Johnson was ready to participate in the draft next year instead, the development of the new CBA could help the rookie salary be at least in the low six-figure range. If Johnson turns pro this year, she will miss the updated salary benefits and be stuck on the current rookie scale for four years.
Nonetheless, Johnson is a fierce competitor; she could very well choose to join the WNBA because she wants to compete against the best in the world. She urgently wanted an LSU Championship of her own, minus the great Angel Reese, who she played behind as the third-leading scorer of that 2023 team. As a predicted lottery pick, a championship might take some time, but she will forge her own identity and have a team built around her. Two teams that need a guard and are heavy in the building process would be the Connecticut Sun and the Golden State Valkyries. Yet, there is a quick turnaround as the draft approaches quickly in April. Johnson will have to prepare herself to go against the speed and strength of the women in the WNBA. On a July 11th, 2024, episode of her podcast, Johnson's mother, Kia J. Brooks was against her daughter going pro in 2025. "I want you to get your weight up, I want you to get stronger," Brooks said. "Those are women out there, and I want you to be all the way a full-fledged woman before you go out there.”
All in all, Johnson is a very talented, shifty, and scrappy guard who plays with so much energy. She had an impressive junior season with LSU in 2024-25. She averaged 18.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game, with shooting splits of 46.8% from the field, 38.3% from three-point range, and 81.0% from the free-throw line. Her performance earned her recognition as a First Team All-SEC player and an AP Third Team All-American. Despite the loss, she also had a standout game in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, scoring 28 points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing out four assists, along with two steals and two blocks. Fans look forward to her decision and surely will be happy with whichever option she chooses.
