"You have to win to get the best deals": Flau'jae Johnson shares candid advice for landing NIL contracts

LSU guard Flau'jae Johnson currently sits second in the On3 NIL valuation rankings among women’s college basketball players. Her $1.3M valuation is only behind UConn star Paige Bueckers' $1.4M.

In an interview with "SiriusXM College" on SEC Radio this week, Johnson spoke about NIL and shared advice with fellow student-athletes:

"This is what I always tell people. They think like, 'Oh my gosh, you’re getting all these NIL deals. You’re getting all this money.' But if I wasn’t doing somewhat good on the court, that wouldn’t be a thing. At the end of the day, they still want to sponsor me because I’m a good athlete and we win.

"So I think you have to win to get the best deals. We won the national championship—the best deals of my life. Because we had so much exposure. I think you have to keep the main thing the main thing. You focus on that, and then everything else just seems to fall in line."

Flau'jae Johnson won the NCAA national championship in her freshman year with the LSU Tigers in the 2022-23 season. She played a pivotal role in Kim Mulkey's team's success, which earned her SEC Freshman of the Year award.

Flau'jae Johnson talks about her father's influence on her music

In addition to being a rising basketball player, Johnson is also balancing a music career. In June, she released her debut EP, "Best of Both Worlds, " featuring rap legend Lil Wayne. Last week, Johnson celebrated a milestone as one of her album's tracks "Came Out A Beast," was added to the NFL's official season playlist.

During an interview with Joy Taylor on Wednesday, the multi-talented athlete spoke about the inspiration she received from her dad, Jason Johnson, who was fatally shot in 2003, before she was born.

"My dad, he was a rapper as well," Flau'jae Johnson said. "He was killed before I was born, but he kind of inspired me to do music.

"When I found out my dad was a rapper, that just became my favorite artist, and I realized he was actually successful. Having those memories of my dad and his music and being able to connect with him through music. That's probably like my biggest inspiration in music."

Flau'jae Johnson also mentioned that she inherited her work ethic from her mom, who raised her and her three brothers by herself, and admired her hustle.