Flau’jae Johnson is more than a standout guard for the LSU Tigers women’s basketball team — she’s a rapper and a rising icon, blending her passions into a force to reckon with on and off the court.
In an interview with AFROTECH™, Johnson, 21, opened up about her evolution as a brand, sharing what it means to have a strong presence in the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space and her pursuit of generational wealth.
Johnson has partnered with Samsung as the newest face of #TeamGalaxy. She joins a movement that’s all about pushing boundaries amid a surge in popularity in women’s sports — leveraging cutting-edge tech to elevate her game and connect with fans on a deeper level.
“I feel like the way that the partnership happened was like very organic,” Johnson told AFROTECH™. “And me telling my story about not letting boundaries hold me back. And I feel like Samsung is like embracing excellence and inspiring creativity, which is all I’m about.”
Johnson’s partnership with Samsung is a full-circle moment; she grew up watching her mom use a Samsung phone “with the stylus on the back,” making this collaboration a dream come true.
When choosing brand partnerships, she admits that sometimes the brands approach her, but that doesn’t mean she accepts every opportunity that comes her way. Her primary focus? Authenticity and ensuring the brand’s values align with her own.
As for how she balances basketball, music, and brand collaborations, the D1 athlete emphasizes the importance of a strong team, solid time management, and discipline.
“I think with basketball in this new NIL era that [we’re] in, it’s so cool that we get to be college athletes and be representing brands at the highest level,” Johnson said. “So I really don’t take it for granted. I really just have to manage my time well in order to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
When it comes to money and entrepreneurship, she shared two key lessons she wishes more young athletes and artists understood early: Build credit to pave the way for financial freedom and also practice budgeting and saving, knowing you can’t spend what you don’t have.
Johnson approaches her education on money management, investing, and long-term financial planning with the same focus and dedication she brings to music and basketball.
“I study. I ask questions. I tap in with my team, but I also go out of my way to learn,” she said. “I’m young, but I’m not trying to be out here making rookie mistakes with my money. I watch interviews, read, listen to podcasts, and stay around people who know what they’re doing.”
Her journey hasn’t always been easy, and it’s far from traditional, but Johnson has found surprising parallels between the music industry and the NIL world, particularly on the business side. Through it all, she feels “super blessed and grateful.”
“You have to stay on top of the business because at the end of the day, that’s what it’s about,” Johnson said. “You’re representing a brand… But I really enjoy it. A lot of people just think all [of] this [is] work, but I actually enjoy it. I love partnering, I love doing deals, I love doing the content.”
While Johnson doesn’t know exactly what the future holds, she’s confident her partnership with Samsung is helping shape her long-term vision — one that blends her love for basketball and music.
Johnson’s latest album, “Flau’jae,” is also out now for listeners.
