LSU freshman, hip-hop star FlauJae Johnson signs shoe deal with Puma

FlauJae Johnson has signed her most notable NIL deal yet.

The LSU freshman women’s basketball player and hip-hop star announced Thursday on Twitter she has signed a shoe deal with Puma. One of the top-ranked recruits in the 2022 class, she was a McDonald’s All-American this past season.

The 5-foot-10 guard will not be able to wear her Puma sneakers when she plays for LSU, though. In her non-school affiliated events, however, she will be repping the Puma logo. More importantly, it puts the shoe company at an advantage for her professional career. And nothing is stopping Johnson from appearing in Puma marketing ads now.

Puma’s move to sign Johnson does not come as a surprise. The sneaker shop has continued to become more agressive in the basketball space over the last four years. The German company has signed players like LaMelo Ball, Marcus Smart, Breanna Stewart and Deandre Ayton.

Johnson is the daughter of the late rapper Camouflage, who was shot to death six months before she was born. His killing remains unsolved.

TOGETHXR released the second season of its FENOM docuseris earlier this summer, which follows Johnson. The TOGETHXR docuseries follows the day-to-day life of Johnson in Savannah, Georgia, including an inside look in her final year of high school and the leadup to college. The series also delves into her father’s death and legacy.

While players like the Cavinder Twins, UConn star Paige Bueckers and South Carolina‘s Aliyah Boston have cashed in on the NIL Era, Johnson has the potential to be the biggest name in the space. She has an established following already because of her hip-hop brand, and she’s really just starting to build on her on-court recognition.

Her Instagram has north of 700,000 followers, and as a rapper, she already has 124,000 subscribers on YouTube. Johnson almost has another 30,000 on Twitter, too. Can’t forget the 343.7k followers on TikTok.

NIL has found its next darling in FlauJae Johnson. A deal with Puma is all the evidence needed.