Latest news with #FlaujaeJohnson
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark Gets Clear Nod From LSU Star
Caitlin Clark Gets Clear Nod From LSU Star originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Caitlin Clark and Flau'jae Johnson are two of the biggest names in women's basketball. Clark is now in her second WNBA season with the Indiana Fever. Johnson, meanwhile, remains in college, playing under head coach Kim Mulkey at LSU. While Johnson and Clark have different playing styles, that hasn't stopped Johnson from studying Clark's game and learning from the former Iowa star. On a recent episode of the 'Club Shay Shay' podcast hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe, Johnson shared her admiration for Clark and gave her a strong vote of respect. 'I have respect for Caitlin because she's like the biggest doing it,' Johnson said. 'When somebody like that is in your field, you've got to study them. She's like the biggest doing it.' Johnson also reflected on their brief interactions and the impact Clark had on her. 'We end up being competitors, but she was cool,' Johnson said. 'She's real genuine, but like I told you, I like to learn from everybody.' Clark has been dealing with injuries throughout her second season with the Fever. She has appeared in 13 games so far, averaging 16.5 points per game. She suffered a groin injury during a win over Connecticut on Tuesday and missed the following game against New York. As for Johnson, she'll enter her fourth season at LSU this fall. She has played in 106 career games and averages 14.8 points per contest. Most recently, she represented Team USA at the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup and helped capture the gold medal. Johnson was also part of the LSU team that defeated Clark and Iowa in the 2023 NCAA tournament title game. That squad featured both Johnson and Angel Reese, and their win over Clark's Hawkeyes helped launch LSU into the national spotlight. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Al Arabiya
7 days ago
- Business
- Al Arabiya
Women's Basketball Stars' Name, Likeness and Image Brands Carrying Over Into the WNBA
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers are part of the new generation of women's basketball stars who have been able to profit off their name in college and build brands that have helped them excel off the court in the WNBA. All three players had national star power before stepping foot in the pros. Clark and Reese have made the All-Star Game in each of their first two seasons and are two of the most popular players in the league. Bueckers was voted a starter in her first All-Star Game this weekend. The next group up in college that is led by Hannah Hidalgo, Flaujae Johnson, Olivia Miles, and JuJu Watkins has already benefitted from the name likeness and image. According to On3, Johnson's NIL valuation is 1.5 million. 'NIL man it is beautiful,' Johnson said. 'This year in March Madness I had about five commercials running and you know it was so cool watching the game then seeing myself come on. It's just a great opportunity.' Johnson is a guard at LSU, one of the top schools for NIL in a variety of sports from football to women's gymnastics to women's basketball. Johnson, who also has a music career, has gained from the exposure the school has given her doing national media campaigns with Experian and Powerade. Hildago, who will be entering her junior year at Notre Dame, is happy that players can finally profit off their own images as opposed to the school getting it all. 'It's a blessing. Schools for decades have been able to make money off of college players' names. So for now for student athletes to be able to make money off of how they carry themselves you know were a brand ourselves,' she said. 'I'm a brand myself and so be able to make money off of my name is honestly truly a blessing and just taking advantage of it is the biggest thing.' Johnson, Hidalgo, and Miles, who helped the US qualify for the World Cup next year by winning gold at the AmeriCup earlier this month, all said that they don't let the NIL deals they have get in the way of their sport. They credit having a strong support system around them as well as people who handle the deals for them. 'I really dedicate one or two times a week to kind of get all my stuff done,' Miles said. 'My agent is very good at scheduling that but most of my money comes from the collective deal so for that I really don't have to do much which is nice. But any other of the other side deals my agent will send a videographer out to help me or have her edit stuff or whatever it may be.' Getting deals and earning money hasn't just helped the players financially. Some have given back to their communities including Johnson. 'I just want to be one of those people that uses NIL the right way,' she said. 'This year I did a campaign with Experian and we relieved 5 million in debt right for families in Louisiana and then every game we won we added 100000 to the pot.' Johnson said it was really touching and emotional when she would receive videos on Instagram from people she helped. 'I'm really using my platform for impact for real. So I think that's the best part of NIL and just making it better for the young girls that's coming behind us,' she said.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Women's basketball stars' name, likeness and image brands carrying over into the WNBA
Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers are part of the new generation of women's basketball stars who have been able to profit off their name in college and build brands that have helped them excel off the court in the WNBA. All three players had national star power before stepping foot in the pros. Clark and Reese have made the All-Star Game in each of their first two seasons and are two of the most popular players in the league. Bueckers was voted a starter in her first All-Star Game this weekend. The next group up in college that is led by Hannah Hidalgo, Flau'jae Johnson, Olivia Miles and JuJu Watkins has already benefitted from the name, likeness and image. According to On3, Johnson's NIL valuation is $1.5 million. 'NIL, man, it is beautiful," Johnson said. "This year in March Madness, I had about five commercials running and you know it was so cool watching the game, then seeing myself come on. It's just a great opportunity.' Johnson is a guard at LSU, one of the top schools for NIL in a variety of sports from football to women's gymnastics to women's basketball. Johnson, who also has a music career, has gained from the exposure the school has given her, doing national media campaigns with Experian and Powerade. Hildago, who will be entering her junior year at Notre Dame, is happy that players can finally profit off their own images as opposed to the school getting it all. 'It's a blessing. Schools for decades have been able to make money off of college players' names. So for now, for student athletes to be able to make money off of how they carry themselves, you know, we're a brand ourselves,' she said. 'I'm a brand myself and so be able to make money off of my name is honestly truly a blessing and just taking advantage of it is the biggest thing.' Johnson, Hidalgo and Miles, who helped the U.S. qualify for the World Cup next year by winning gold at the AmeriCup earlier this month, all said that they don't let the NIL deals they have get in the way of their sport. They credit having a strong support system around them as well as people who handle the deals for them. 'I really dedicate one or two times a week to kind of get all my stuff done,' Miles said. 'My agent is very good at scheduling that, but most of my money comes from the collective deal, so for that I really don't have to do much, which is nice. But any other of the other side deals, my agent will send a videographer out to help me or have her edit stuff or whatever it may be.' Getting deals and earning money hasn't just helped the players financially. Some have given back to their communities, including Johnson. 'I just want to be one of those people that uses NIL the right way," she said. 'This year I did a campaign with Experian and we relieved $5 million in debt right for families in Louisiana and then every game we won we added $100,000 to the pot.' Johnson said it was really touching and emotional when she would receive videos on Instagram from people she helped. "I'm really using my platform for impact for real. So I think that's the best part of NIL and just making it better for the young girls that's coming behind us,' she said. ___ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at ___ AP WNBA:
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Angel Reese Names the Best Teammate She's Ever Had Without Hesitation
Angel Reese Names the Best Teammate She's Ever Had Without Hesitation originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Throughout both her college and professional careers, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has had the luxury of playing with some pretty big names and talents. Advertisement Whether it was Flau'jae Johnson and Aneesah Morrow at LSU or Courtney Vandersloot and Marina Mabrey with the Sky, the list of tremendous teammates goes on and on. However, following the Sky's Sunday 80-75 loss to the Minnesota Lynx, Reese was asked about the versatility of Michaela Onyenwere. A question that casually led to her calling Onyenwere the best teammate she has ever played with. "I mean, obviously, the versatility with her," Reese said. "We can switch 3-5 and that's something that's great for us. She has been resilient for us all throughout the year with her coming in the starting lineup, coming out of it and just playing a role. She's the best teammate I've probably ever had. She's always smiling, she's always cheering even when it's not going great for her." Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5).Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Reese also said that Onyenwere can put a smile on the team's face at any time with her support, as she cheers on everyone else's accomplishments as if they were her own. Advertisement The Sky got strong outings from both Reese and Onyenwere, as they combined for 27 points and 25 rebounds. While they weren't able to pull off the upset, the Sky did show some improvements offensively and continuity-wise as it seemed to take a while to adapt to the offense of new head coach Tyler Marsh. The Sky will have a chance to bounce back on Tuesday against the Washington Mystics. Related: WNBA Referees Under Fire Over Officiating Involving Angel Reese This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
LSU's Flau'jae Johnson gets brutally honest on Angel Reese relationship: ‘We're not friends'
The post LSU's Flau'jae Johnson gets brutally honest on Angel Reese relationship: 'We're not friends' appeared first on ClutchPoints. Flau'jae Johnson recently acknowledged she no longer has a close relationship with former LSU women's basketball teammate Angel Reese, saying the two are 'not friends,' though she still supports Reese's success in the WNBA with the Chicago Sky. Advertisement 'We're not friends but that bond that we had and that thing we did together, win a national championship, you can never take that away from us,' Johnson said, as reported by Griffin McVeigh of On3. 'Sometimes, stuff happens. You wish it don't happen but it do. You just got to grow. I support her in everything she do, she's killing it in the WNBA. I'll be on social media clowning the folks trying to talk down on her. I'm just proud of her. But you know, stuff happens.' Johnson shared that behind-the-scenes tensions contributed to the distance. 'It was a lot of media, it was a lot of locker room stuff,' she said, as reported by Rashad Milligan of The Times-Picayune/ that goes on behind the scenes, but you know, it happens.' © Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images Reese, who was drafted No. 7 by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA Draft, echoed a similar sentiment back in September on her own podcast, saying, 'We aren't as close as we used to be. There are no hard feelings or anything… It happens.' Advertisement The two stars were central to the Tigers' first national championship in 2023 under LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey , going on a media tour and appearing on the cover of SLAM Magazine together. Johnson now enters her senior year at LSU. Despite the shift in their relationship, Johnson continues to support her former teammate publicly and said she's proud of Reese's professional accomplishments. Johnson had a busy weekend of her own, releasing a new single, coaching at a youth basketball event, and attending the BET Awards, where she was nominated for Sportswoman of the Year — an award Reese ultimately won for a third straight year. Related: John Calipari gets 100% real on 'expectation' that comes with lucrative NIL numbers Related: Fans debate possible NBA-like change in college hoops
