LSU's Flau'jae Johnson signs NIL deal with LeBron's Uninterrupted
LSU rising sophomore guard Flau’jae Johnson signed an NIL deal with the athlete empowerment brand Uninterrupted. The company was founded by NBA superstar LeBron James and businessman Maverick Carter.
On Wednesday, the Twitter account for Uninterrupted promoted a limited-edition varsity jacket produced by Settlemier’s Jackets with four photos of Johnson wearing the jacket. Settlemier’s Jackets is a Portland, Oregon-based company that’s produced varsity jackets for more than 30 years. The varsity jackets retail for $650. Johnson’s mother, Kia Brooks, confirmed that it was part of an NIL deal.
Uninterrupted offers branded and social media content, products and apparel. That includes “The Shop,” a conversational, unscripted series that streams on HBO.
Uninterrupted’s Twitter account has nearly 475,000 followers. The Twitter account tagged Johnson, James and Carter in the tweet.
“Big 4 with the (fire emoji),” the account tweeted. “Our limited edition special delivery Stallions Varsity Jacket by Settlemier’s is available now!”
Johnson is also a rap artist who has signed with Jay-Z‘s full-service entertainment company ROC NATION and this year she released a song titled, “Big 4.” Her jersey number is No. 4. During LSU’s run to its first-ever national championship in the spring, Dallas’s American Airlines Center played Johnson’s song during the Final Four.
Flau’jae Johnson has made ‘millions’
Flau’jae Johnson has a unique value proposition in the modern NIL landscape. As a freshman, she helped LSU win the national championship while starting every game and earning SEC Freshman of the Year honors. Johnson averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds, each of which ranked third on the team.
She’s also a talented rapper. She recently told On3 that she’s collaborating with multiple-time Grammy Award-winner Wyclef Jean.
“I’m super excited,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a dope track for a good cause, and it’s just cool being noticed by the greats for something that I do. It’s amazing.”
Johnson was recently named Innovator of the Year at the 2023 INFLCR NIL Summit.
Interestingly, Johnson has maintained that she’s going to pursue both interests of basketball and rapping. Her Twitter bio states, “I Rap, Sometimes I Hoop Too.” In “Big 4,” she raps, “Are you gonna rap or be an athlete? If I’m still doing both, why you asking me?“
Johnson has signed NIL deals with major brands, including Doritos, LG Electronics, Papa John’s, Powerade, PUMA, Raising Cane’s and Taco Bell. Brooks, her mother who also serves as her agent, recently described the family’s approach to identifying brand partners for specific industries.
“Now she’s making millions of dollars because her brand was built from what I’ve done,” Brooks said.