Kim Mulkey’s History With Brittney Griner and Others Didn’t Stop Flau’jae Johnson From Joining Forces With Controversial Coach at LSU

Despite being a 4x NCAA Champion as a coach, there is no denying that Kim Mulkey has often seen herself embroiled in controversies. Whether it was her stand-off against Brittney Griner or her statements during COVID-19, one thing that has made people dislike her is her being opinionated to a large extent. But as per her current mentee, the Louisiana State University lady Tigers star Flau’jae Johnson, she found Mulkey to be a good fit for her. Johnson recently revealed that Mulkey’s previous issues did not stop her from committing to the LSU Tigers.

On an online chat show Way Up With Angela Yee, Johnson spoke at length about her decision to choose Kim Mulkey as a mentor. When asked if going under the wings of Mulkey was a great choice, she said, “Sure. I knew that when I wanted to play for her when I seen her going crazy on the sidelines during the March Madness Tournament and I was like yeah that’s who I want to play for. And she had already been recruiting me when she was at Baylor but I wasn’t going to Baylor no.”

“So you know when she came to LSU and it was really nothing going on at LSU I was like ‘oh, this the perfect time.’ Like it was nobody there and I was I just took a chance on her. She took a chance on me, and you know we just built a great relationship. But uh cuz Mulkey she that lady… she is… she the best man. She crazy,” Johnson further added on Way Up With Angela Yee.

Though Mulkey has led her teams to win the NCAA Championship four times, she has not been the perfect coach in terms of managing her image. Previously during the COVID-19, she had asked to “dump the COVID testing” after her team Baylor’s loss to the Huskies in the Elite Eight during the NCAA 2020-21 season. This got her a lot of flak online.

Also when Brittney Griner revealed that Baylor University didn’t want her sexuality to be disclosed, as a pro-homosexuality stand could have hurt the college, Mulkey was again criticized, even though Griner didn’t directly blame her. All these controversies made players doubt if they should be joining hands with Mulkey. But as stated by Johnson, it was a different experience for her

Flau’jae Johnson’s decision proved fruitful

Johnson committed to LSU in 2022 after Mulkey assumed the role of head coach in the 2021 season. Her decision proved right as in her freshman year, she won the Championship title – an accomplishment many players fail at, during their college careers. She averaged 11 points per game with 5.9 rebounds, playing a supporting role in LSU’s victory.

By her sophomore year, under the guidance of Mulkey, Johnson emerged as one of the mainstays for her college team along with Angel Reese. It won’t be an overstatement to say that Mulkey appears to have advanced her career.

Now that Johnson has acknowledged it herself, more budding ballers might consider choosing Mulkey over other coaches, knowing that though she might be harsh with her words, she is surely an able coach. And as for Mulkey, hopefully, she has a long span with the LSU and she drives them to another title.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting pilot episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and SEC All-Freshman Team Selection, Silas Demary Jr.