BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Flau’Jae Johnson doesn’t like to be uncomfortable.
Johnson describes herself as “controlling,” and she likes to know what’s coming. And yet in her final year at LSU, discomfort is all but guaranteed for the multitalented basketball player and rapper.
Tigers fifth-year head coach Kim Mulkey knows what she’s asking of Johnson doesn’t necessarily come naturally for the 5-foot-10 guard from Savannah, Georgia.
“Leadership,” Mulkey said Wednesday at the media days event for Southeastern Conference basketball. “Flau’Jae, she leads by what she does with her music. I think she’s always been reluctant to be a leader of teammates because she wants them to like her. She never felt comfortable doing it because she’s always had that great older player in the locker room.”
Johnson hasn’t needed to be a vocal leader yet. She has shared locker rooms with Angel Reese and Aneesah Morrow — outspoken leaders who have ascended to the pros. She’s been able to let others have the difficult conversations while she focuses on her game and music, all while being authentic and likable.