LSU star Flau’jae Johnson carries bearded dragon into final NCAA Tournament run of college career

Flau’jae Johnson’s vocation stands retired not lone for her on-court accomplishments but for defying the transfer-heavy scenery of the modern NIL epoch successful assemblage sports.

More than 4 years ago, Johnson committed to LSU. Fast-forward to 2026, and she's ne'er near the schoolhouse wherever she archetypal enrolled. Her ties to the Southeastern Conference powerhouse tally truthful heavy she buried her beloved pet, a bearded dragon named Four successful a motion to her jersey number, connected the Baton Rouge campus.

On Friday, Johnson volition instrumentality the tribunal for the last clip successful a Tigers' jersey arsenic she concludes her prolific assemblage hoops career. 

But erstwhile LSU tips disconnected against 15th-seeded Jacksonville successful the archetypal circular of the NCAA Tournament, Johnson’s different bearded dragon, Champ, volition beryllium with her — successful tone astatine the precise least.

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Flau'jae Johnson and the LSU Tigers instrumentality connected the Tennessee Lady Vols Feb. 26, 2026, astatine the Pete Maravich Assembly Center successful Baton Rouge, La. (Scott Clause/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

Most of Johnson’s teammates would apt similar to debar the reptile. But LSU defender Izzy Besselman, a adjacent person of Johnson, has been tricked into opening a handbasket she thought was bare but really contained the bearded dragon.

Johnson is contemplating bringing Champ to the gym for signifier sessions, noting immoderate of her teammates bring on their dogs.

LSU STAR FLAU'JAE JOHNSON SAYS UNRIVALED LEAGUE 'CHANGING THE GAME' AS SHE JOINS IN NIL PARTNERSHIP

Nevertheless, with her last tally connected the horizon, Johnson said she’s embracing the situation ahead, nary substance however acold LSU advances. 

"March is ever a bully month," she told reporters during the SEC Tournament. "I emotion March. The happening is, this is erstwhile everyone’s the astir focused, and you conscionable got to trust connected your work."

Johnson, who is besides a signaling creator and is signed to Roc Nation, has a greeting regular that includes watching crippled movie with her manager and fitting successful workouts extracurricular squad practices. Several brands person besides partnered with Johnson, and she makes clip to fulfill commitments associated with those deals.

Besselman noted Johnson's quality to bring retired the champion successful her teammates. 

"Seeing however hard she works motivates maine and everybody other successful this locker room," Besselman told Yahoo Sports. "It's a bully idiosyncratic to look up to."

Flau'jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers successful enactment against the Tulane Green Wave astatine the Pete Maravich Assembly Center successful Baton Rouge, La., Nov. 20, 2024. (Reagan Cotten/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

Johnson’s coach, Kim Mulkey, is known for her "tough love" approach, a benignant that has produced results with 3 nationalist titles astatine Baylor and different astatine LSU. Johnson said Mulkey helped signifier her into a much businesslike and yet amended player.

"It could beryllium easier to spell into the transportation portal, spell to a squad with a unspeakable grounds and mean 30," Johnson said. "I could bash that. I did that successful precocious school. You cognize what I’m saying? College is not overmuch different.

"But I privation to play with All-Americans. I privation to play with a pugnacious manager who won championships. I privation to play with radical truthful I tin larn however to beryllium efficient. I privation to play successful positions wherever it’s not favorable for maine and inactive travel retired connected top. For me, it’s much so, I similar to bash the hard stuff."

LSU Tigers women's hoops subordinate Flau'jae Johnson speaks during "The Money Game" satellite premiere astatine Pete Maravich Assembly Center Sept. 4, 2024, successful Baton Rouge, La.  (LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

Johnson is connected way to vie successful Unrivaled arsenic soon arsenic adjacent twelvemonth aft already signing an NIL woody with the women’s 3-on-3 league.

Mulkey said she believes Johnson is 1 of the champion athletes to person played astatine LSU successful portion due to the fact that of her philanthropy, but besides for what she did for the program’s trajectory.

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"She took a accidental connected LSU erstwhile what did we person to sell?" Mulkey said connected elder night. "We conscionable got here, and she was the archetypal McDonald’s All-American that I signed astatine LSU. The communicative connected Flau’jae volition beryllium each those things I conscionable mentioned, but the top communicative of each to maine is she stayed 4 years astatine LSU and volition graduate. 

"When you deliberation of assemblage athletics now, radical don’t bash it anymore. And she loves LSU, and, successful return, LSU embraced her and loved her back."

LSU earned a No. 2 effect successful this year's women's hoops Division I tournament. The Tigers volition play successful the Sacramento regional.

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