Kim Mulkey Shares ‘Proud’ Flau’jae Johnson Stance After LSU–Duke Kara Lawson Chirping
While the No. 5-ranked LSU Tigers women's basketball team couldn't continue their NCAA record-breaking streak of eight consecutive 100-point games to start the 2025-26 season against the Duke Blue Devils on December 4, they still secured an impressive 93-77 victory to improve to 9-0 on the year.
LSU was led by star senior guard Flau'jae Johnson, who finished the game with 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the field, along with 3 of 4 from three-point range, and also added 5 rebounds and 4 assists. However, it wasn't Flau'jae's box score that caught the most attention during Thursday night's win. It was a moment she shared with Duke head coach Kara Lawson.
After draining a three-pointer in the fourth quarter, the game's ESPN broadcast caught Flau'jae chirping at Lawson while running back down the court. This caught a lot of attention because Flau'jae was clearly fired up amid what seemed like a personal vendetta.
And this game against Lawson was intensely personal for Flau'jae. Lawson was her head coach on Team USA for the 2025 FIBA Women's AmeriCup in July, and Flau'jae didn't receive much playing time during that tournament, instead coming off the bench in favor of other top college guards, such as Mikayla Blakes, Hannah Hidalgo, and Olivia Miles.
Kim Mulkey Speaks on Flau'jae Johnson's Duke, Kara Lawson Feelings
This makes it clear that Flau'jae's chirping at Lawson was a personal matter. And Kim Mulkey addressed the situation when speaking with the media after Thursday's game.
"I was happy for Flau'jae. I was happy. You know, she didn't have a good experience at USA Basketball with Kara this summer. And so she's had this date circled around [the calendar], and you get nervous, right? You get nervous because you think she's gonna try to come in here and do too much. And I was proud of how she handled herself," Mulkey said of Flau'jae, per an X video from Mike Scarborough.
Mulkey later added, "Flau’Jae lost a lot of confidence this summer, playing with USA Basketball. And it’s my job when I get her back on campus to bring her back to where she can help us do what we need to do at LSU.
"I had a conversation with her many times this summer, had a conversation with her before we came here, and I just winked at her and said, “Just be you. Do what you do for LSU. Don’t make it personal. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Just you and that purple uniform with those three letters speaks volumes,'" she added.
Mulkey clearly enjoyed the fire and passion that Flau'jae showed against Lawson and Duke.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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