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Flau'jae Johnson has become one of college basketball's brightest stars, yet amid her athletic ascent, her personal relationships are undergoing a shift. The LSU Tigers guard recently itted that her connection with former LSU teammate Angel Reese has deteriorated. Instead, she is forging a new mentor-mentee bond with WNBA sensation Caitlin Clark-turning to the Indiana Fever guard for guidance on court and beyond.
Johnson exploded onto the national scene following LSU's NCAA championship triumph and a career-best 18.6 points per game average. Named a Third-team All-American and First-team All-SEC in 2025, Johnson has solidified her reputation as a savvy leader and prolific scorer. Yet it's her growing iration for Caitlin Clark that's making headlines.
Speaking to Complex News, Johnson revealed her frequent conversations with Clark: "I text her asking for advice all the time. I'm like 'how you shoot like this?' and 'why do you do that?' ... Because she is one of the greatest shooters in the world. I feel like, I just be trying to get tips and she like the coolest for willing to help."
This exchange goes beyond iration. Johnson, also a rapper, namedrops Clark in her track "Help Me." Johnson also says she confirmed plans to attend Fever games regularly this season, not only for enjoyment but to glean more from Clark's mindset and shooting prowess.
"She just got this 'keep going' mentality. Bad games, whatever. Like, keep going to kill. She really got that kill mentality. And that's something that a lot of athletes don't have, people who could like turn that on and off. But I don't think she turn it off."
Shifting alliances: from team chemistry to personal growth
Johnson's current focus on Clark stands in stark contrast to her ission that she and Angel Reese are no longer close. Speaking on The Breakfast Club on June 9, she stated,
"We're not friends, but I mean that bond that we had, that thing that we did together, winning a national championship, you can never take that away from us. ... sometimes stuff happens, you wish it didn't happen, but it does. And you just gotta grow."
Reese, in her own September 2024 podcast, acknowledged the distance, saying:
"I still Flau'jae. We aren't as close as we used to be... but yeah, there's no love lost."
Their relationship deteriorated amid NIL controversies and heated public commentary involving their families-particularly when Johnson's mother criticized Reese's academic performance, igniting a public dispute . Despite tensions, both Johnson and Reese maintain respect-Johnson even affirmed for Reese's WNBA performance, declaring: "I her and everything that she do. She killin' it in the WNBA."