LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson remains one of the faces of college basketball after recently wrapping up her junior campaign with the Tigers.
Johnson, who’s fresh off of a career year with the purple and gold, averaged 18.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 46.4 percent shooting from the field.
Once the LSU program fell to the UCLA Bruins in the Elite Eight in March, all focus turned towards Johnson.
Would she return to college basketball or enter the 2025 WNBA Draft? Would she remain with LSU for her senior campaign or enter the NCAA Transfer Portal?
Johnson hopped on her podcast “The Best of Both Worlds” where she dove into the decision to bypass the WNBA Draft and what’s next for her playing career.
The 2025 WNBA Draft Buzz:
“There was a lot of talk about me going into the draft. I thought about it, but first of all, I’m not trying to go out on an L, second of all, you have to think about the CBA, third, I want to try to win. I know I can develop more.
“I’m a great player but I can’t turn it on and off. I love the WNBA but I don’t think it’s time yet. I talked to coach Mulkey and we had a real conversation about how things are going and that really helped us see what we both think and how I can make this year my best year.”
Excitement to Play With LSU Transfer Addition Kate Koval:
Though Johnson didn’t formally state that she will be returning to the LSU program for the 2025-26 season, she did tease the idea of playing with the Tigers transfer addition, Kate Koval.
“Kate Koval, Notre Dame to LSU, a 6-foot-5 sophomore forward. Super excited about that landing. Y’all already know post players are important to everything we do, so we need a dominant post.
“She visited LSU and ended up going to Notre Dame, but I’m excited for her to be coming here and I’m excited to play with her. I’m always excited to play with new people. We’re going to have a nice presence in the paint starting with her.”
It’s no secret Johnson jumpstarted the Kim Mulkey era in Baton Rouge after becoming the first McDonald’s All-American to sign with her once she took the gig.
Mulkey, time and time again, has expressed her appreciation for Johnson and the love she has for her All-American guard.
“I remember when I took the LSU job, Flau’Jae Johnson was the first McDonald’s All-American that I signed at LSU. I had not coached and won anything at LSU, and she came to LSU,” Mulkey said following the 2025-26 season.
“So she jump-started our program, really. And then the portal helped us. We brought in Angel and lots of other players. But Flau’Jae was a high school All-American and we got her. So I’m forever indebted to Flau’Jae Johnson.”
Now, though Johnson hasn’t made a formal announcement about returning to LSU for her senior campaign, all signs point towards the star guard remaining with the program rather than entering the NCAA Transfer Portal.
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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.
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