"Aight Geno...i'm little Mulkey" - Flau'jae Johnson banters with Paige Bueckers on court with hilarious references during 5v5 matchup as coaches

LSU Tigers’ Flau'jae Johnson and UConn Huskies’ Paige Bueckers shared some light-hearted banter during a 5v5 matchup as coaches at the Next Up 5s event. Held on Friday at the OTE Arena in Atlanta, the event pitted Team Flau'jae against Team Paige in an exciting showdown.

A video posted on X captured the playful exchange, with Johnson, who likened herself to LSU coach Kim Mulkey, teasing Bueckers with the line:

“Don't talk to my player… Aight Geno... I'm little Mulkey."

As Team Flau'jae gained an early lead, Johnson shared several Instagram stories, including a cheeky post about a heated moment with Bueckers, captioning it:

“UH OHHHHH WE GOTTA DISAGREEMENT.”

Despite Johnson’s best efforts, Team Paige ultimately edged out Team Flau'jae on Day 1 of the Takeover. Team Paige started strong, racking up 25 points in the first quarter, followed by 34 in the second, 20 in the third, and 26 in the final quarter, for a total of 105 points.

Team Flau'jae finished close behind, scoring 17 points in Q1, 43 in Q2, 22 in Q3, and 20 in Q4, totaling 102 points.

Even though her team came up short, Flau'jae Johnson, who is also a college basketball star and rapper, was seen giving her all in coaching the young players throughout the event.

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Paige Bueckers had the last laugh as JuJu Watkins' and Jada Williams' predictions went wrong

USC Trojans’ JuJu Watkins and Arizona Wildcats’ Jada Williams were on the broadcast for the Overtime Select Next Up 5s game on Friday. Sitting side by side, they were asked who they were most excited to watch and who they thought would win between Team Paige and Team Flau’jae.

Watkins confidently predicted a win for Flau’jae Johnson:

“This is a tough one… but I think Flau’jae’s gonna get her revenge tonight.”

Williams echoed her support for Johnson:

“Me too gonna have to go with team Flau’jae,” she said. “I think they got a chip on their shoulder trying to come for that W.”

However, when Paige Bueckers led her team to a narrow 105-102 victory over Johnson, she celebrated by giving energetic high-fives to Watkins and Williams courtside. Coach Bueckers could be heard shouting:

“WE HERE. I’M 2-0!!”

Before the game kicked off, Bueckers appeared a bit shy but couldn’t resist dancing during the player introductions.

Team Paige certainly had plenty to celebrate after their hard-earned victory today.