Flau’jae Johnson addresses WNBA decision

(photo credit: Chelsea Reinhardt)

On her podcast this week, Flau’jae Johnson explained her decision to return to LSU for her senior season and bypass the WNBA Draft.

“I thought about it,” Johnson said. “I’m not trying to go out on an ‘L’…I want to go out on a win. I know I could develop more.”

Johnson earned First Team All-SEC and Third Team All-America honors in her junior season. She started all 34 games she played, averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game. The Tigers were eliminated by UCLA in the Elite Eight, the second consecutive season they fell one game shy of the Final Four.

“No WNBA for me. I don’t think it’s time yet,” she said.

Johnson acknowledged that she already knew of her intention to stay before the season ended. “I talked to coach (Kim) Mulkey. We had a real conversation and I told her some real stuff of how I’ve been feeling and I think that conversation really helped us see what we both see and how I can make this year my best year.”

Still, she is not in favor of the timeline to make a decision.

“How are you going to give someone 48 hours to declare like that? Forty-eight hours?”

Johnson said she didn’t even watch the Final Four as she struggled emotionally to get over the loss.

With Johnson returning for 2025-26, she will lead a team that adds the No. 1 signing class in the country and former top-ten overall player Kate Koval from Notre Dame via the transfer portal.