BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 9: Flau’jae Johnson #4 of the LSU Tigers at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on November 9, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in a game against the Northwestern State Devils. (Photo by Christine Young/Louisiana State University/Getty Images)
Reagan Cotton/Louisiana State University | University Photos | Getty Images
Flagger Johnson has a lot on his plate right now.
The 21-year-old star basketball player, rapper, student and aspiring businesswoman just signed her latest deal with Unrivaled, a new women’s 3-on-3 basketball league.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Johnson will receive an equity stake in the league.
“I want to be a part of something that moves women’s sports forward,” Johnson told CNBC.
“The Unparalleled” will kick off its inaugural season in January and hopes to provide another option for female athletes to play basketball in the United States during the WNBA’s offseason. In addition to giving players rights in the league, Unrivaled also aims to provide Women’s professional sports have the highest average salaries League history. In October, The Unrivaled and TNT Sports.
“When I heard about this money, it meant a lot to me…these women were getting what they deserved,” Johnson said.
NCAA rules prevent Johnson, a junior at LSU, from committing to play in the conference until he turns pro. Unrivaled signed a similar agreement with UConn star Paige Bueckers August.
In addition to being a league owner, Johnson will also be collaborating with Unrivaled on content throughout the season, with the league planning to support her music.
star power
In just two years of playing college basketball, Johnson became marketing gold.
She led LSU to the 2023 national championship and quickly became the WNBA team’s top prospect.
NEW YORK, NY – MAY 18: JBL Ambassador, basketball player and rapper Flau’jae Johnson lights up the stage at JBL FEST to celebrate the launch of the JBL PartyBox Collection on May 18, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for JBL)
Ilya S. Savenok | Ilya S. SavenokGetty Images Entertainment | Getty Images
Off the court, she is marketable not only as an athlete but also as a rapper. Johnson signed Jay-Z’s Roc Nation 2021 and Released a song with Lil Wayne June.
Her number of fans also exceeds 3.5 million Instagram, Tik Tok and twitter account.
Brands have taken notice. Johnson has signed agreements with the following companies YuanPuma, Powerade, Athlete’s Foot and Amazon.
Tuesday she did Forbes “30 Under 30” listher net worth is estimated at $7 million.
She also ranked first Open 3 Has the highest Name, Likeness and Likeness (NIL) rating for college women’s basketball players.
Johnson said her finances are currently handled by her mother and she doesn’t really splurge on anything, but she does spend a lot of money on: Chipotle.
“I’m trying to get a Chipotle deal so I don’t spend all my money on bowls,” she joked.
Johnson said that although she participated in many sports and extracurricular activities, she still took the time to learn about business, whether it was through meeting with CEOs, watching YouTube videos or studying, noting that she was reading “Investing 101“Currently written by Michelle Kagan.
While the WNBA’s top rookie salary is $76,535, Johnson said she hasn’t decided when she will enter the WNBA draft, but she’s not worried about her brand being diluted.
“NIL is big, but it’s really just a gateway to the professionals,” she said. “The opportunities I got from college are still rolling in, and my following isn’t going away.”
When asked who she looks up to as a role model, Johnson said she looks up to The King: LeBron James.
“He was the ultimate businessman,” she said.
“The way he took advantage of business opportunities, the way he did things, and he did a lot of things like building a school to help other people,” she added.
Johnson said there are so many different balls in the air and it takes discipline, consistency and time management to adjust to everything.
“I don’t like to sit at home and watch Netflix… I like to get things done,” she said.
