It was a historic year for that the WNBA in 2024, when viewership skyrocketed and the emergence of new stars like Caitlin Clark led to increased attendance, merchandise purchases and booming social media engagement.
There is no doubt about the addition of new stars to the league like ClarkAngel Reese and others, combined with perennial All-Stars like A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart, strengthened women’s basketball.
But for one WNBA prospect, the game’s popularity this year is just “the tip of the iceberg.”
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Flau’jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers before a game against the Northwestern State Demons at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Nov. 9, 2024 in Baton Rouge. (Kristen Young/LSU/Getty Images)
“Now that the WNBA has finally gotten its spark and this is the first year it’s really taken off, it’s only going to get bigger from here,” LSU star Flau’jae Johnson told Fox News Digital while giving her NIL partnership with the Unrivaled. basketball league co-founded by Stewart and Napheesa Collier.
“There will be more stars, more storylines, more basketball players, more teams. The most exciting thing is that the league is still growing. It hasn’t even reached that peak yet.”
Johnson is rare when it comes to college athletes in today’s NIL space. She prides herself on being one of the most marketable players with her burgeoning rap career and social media influence.
But make no mistake, this is a woman who wakes up at 5 a.m. to get shots to start her day. And she knows that in two years, when she becomes eligible for the WNBA Draft, she will be ready to join the pros.
And when she does, Johnson wants to make history.
“There’s so much to it. There’s going to be new million-dollar contracts. There’s going to be a first time this and a first time that. There’s going to be so much more history broken,” she says. said excitedly.
Johnson believes the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball championship was a turning point for the sport. It was a game in which she helped the Tigers defeat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes.
Johnson is the latest example of stars being born before they even reach the pros.
Angel Reese, right, and Flau’jae Johnson of the LSU Lady Tigers react after a 79-72 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies during a 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four game at the American Airlines Center on March 31, 2023 in Dallas, Texas . (Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
“I think college basketball has really gone through the roof if you ask me. If we hadn’t gotten so strong that year that we won the national championship, it wouldn’t be anything. It would be something, but it would be true. ” “It won’t be as big as it was now,” Johnson said.
“That came from college and it led to the pros going into competition with Caitlin and Angel. And that will only continue to be the case.’
Together with Johnson, please Paige Bueckers from UConn. She also has an NIL partnership with Unrivaled, and some believe she can have the same impact that Clark had on the WNBA. She will likely go No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings in the 2025 Draft.
And while they may be considered the “next generation,” they are already having an impact on those who come after them.
“It hit me yesterday,” Johnson said after her final match. “One of my fans tagged me in a TikTok, and a girl had a big (number) four frozen necklace, and she came to our game for her birthday. I’m like, ‘That’s the most important day of your life. Your birthday.”
“We played against a terrible team, we blew them out by 100 points. She was so happy and we were able to communicate and everything. But that just shows that she took the time to do that. My presence was valuable enough to her , so I feel like I need to do more in that area.”
Johnson has dipped her toes into just about every space she can, which requires a strong work ethic to ensure she can help lead the Tigers to another national championship.
LSU Tigers women’s basketball player Flau’jae Johnson speaks during the world premiere of “The Money Game” at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on September 4, 2024 in Baton Rouge. (LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)
But to say the future is bright for women’s basketball would be an understatement. Johnson said there is finally respect for how great these women can be on the hardwood.
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“It’s always been there,” Johnson said of stars in the WNBA. “Stewie has always been there. Sue Bird has always been there. It’s like the time is now, and once the time is now, you put all the resources and investment into making it bigger and better for the next generation. what the girls are going to do is get better. They will feel more confident when they look at all the girls in front of them.”
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