LSU basketball star Flau’jae Johnson has signed an NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal with the new 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled.
The 2023 national champion, who has a large social media following and a budding rap career, has agreed to do promotional content for the league.
Johnson joins Paige Bueckers as the second college player to sign with the league. Both Johnson and the UConn superstar are committed to play when they become professionals, but will receive their equity stakes now. They’re believed to be the first two college athletes to receive ownership stakes in a pro sports league.
Shortly before the league made it official with Johnson, it posted a teaser video of Bueckers pretending to talk on the phone, with a short flash to a shot of Johnson from the face down wearing an Unrivaled shirt. “Paige Bueckers here. The reason for the call today is something just came across my desk. It is perhaps the best thing I’ve seen in the past year,” the UConn star says.
The promotional video announcing Johnson begins with a voice telling her, “We’re building a new league. We need some music for the season,” before she jumps into a short rap. Johnson is signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and has songs with rappers Lil Wayne and NLE Choppa.
Unrivaled has made it clear that social media content is core to the fledgling league. A dedicated content creation space will be a part of the league’s 850-person capacity facility. Johnson has 1.9 million followers on Instagram and 1.6 million on TikTok; Bueckers has two million on Instagram. Along with Bueckers, Johnson is one of the most prolific women’s basketball players in the NIL market, having signed deals with companies including Powerade, Apple Cash, and Tinder. Her former LSU teammate Angel Reese is already committed to play in the league’s inaugural season starting Jan. 17. Companies have already proved eager to throw money at the duo: They’ve teamed up on commercials for Amazon and Tampax.
Johnson’s junior campaign is so far the best of her career, where she has anchored the undefeated No. 5 Tigers with 22 points and six rebounds per game. She turns 22 next November and therefore could jump to the WNBA after this season, but hasn’t given a definitive answer one way or another yet.
