LSU star Flau'jae Johnson is the second college athlete to sign an NIL deal with the new professional women's 3-on-3 Unrivaled basketball league.
Johnson joins UConn's Paige Bueckers as the second player to receive ownership equity with the historic NIL deal. The Unrivaled league was founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier and will begin on Jan. 17, 2025. Many of the WNBA's biggest stars have signed up to play in its inaugural season, including Johnson's former LSU teammate Angel Reese.
The LSU junior is super excited to watch the history firsthand during Unrivaled's inaugural season, especially because of what it means for the future of professional women's basketball.
“Them being competitors and knowing high level basketball is going to be played there, it’ll be marketed well, their sign is going to be solely on women’s basketball—I think that’s going to be amazing," Johnson told SI.
Johnson says one of her favorite aspects of Unrivaled is that it gives WNBA stars the opportunity to play in the United States during the offseason instead of traveling abroad to make money. She's honored to be a part of a league that pays its players fairly, she says.
Johnson plans to join the WNBA and Unrivaled once her college career is over. Working alongside some of the league's biggest stars in Unrivaled will give her the opportunity to talk to these players about their careers and give her any advice she asks for. Johnson's really looking forward to these one-on-one conversations with some of her basketball idols.
“I’m going to ask questions," Johnson says. "I’m a nerd, kind of, when it comes to that, trying to know what’s going on. I’m definitely going to be asking a lot of questions as much as I can.
“It’s super dope because that’s where I’m going to be in a few [years]," Johnson says. "I’ll be right in their position. So, being able to learn from people that are right in front of me being able to watch them, I love seeing pros being pros."
Unrivaled is also going to incorporate Johnson's music career into her involvement with the league. The 21-year-old rapper is signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation and has recent collaborations with Lil Wayne and NLE Choppa. Johnson doesn't know what all of this partnership will entail when it comes to her music, but she said she is excited to "explore" more music projects with the league.
Johnson is eligible for the WNBA Draft in 2025 but hasn't made an official decision no whether she will declare or not. The WNBA and Unrivaled will be waiting for her until she chooses.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as LSU's Flau'jae Johnson Becomes Second College Player to Ink NIL Deal With Unrivaled.
