Former teammates Hailey van Lith and Flau'jae Johnson team up on NIL deal with Apple Cash

Although no longer teammates, current LSU star Flau’jae Johnson and former Tiger Hailey van Lith teamed up for a unique NIL deal with Apple Cash. 

van Lith entered the transfer portal following LSU’s season and eventually committed to the TCU Horned Frogs – but that didn’t stop her from collaborating with former teammate Johnson for a fun, light-hearted NIL deal that first popped up on their Instagram accounts. 

The post featured a commercial advertising Apple Cash utilizing a text conversation between the two players. It poked fun at van Lith’s baking skills and led to an Apple Cash transaction over text to buy a new cake. 

“Basketball is a piece of cake,” the caption read. “So is sending cash,” It was linked to both players’ profiles, who have a combined Instagram reach of 2.9 million followers. 

  
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Hailey van Lith, Flau’jae Johnson have great NIL resumes

The Tigers reached the Elite Eight this season, and it was in large part due to Johnson, who just wrapped up her sophomore season. She averaged 14.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists amd 2.1 steals this year – but she also has a full career off the court as a musician. She recently collaborated with NLE Choppa on her song “AMF”. 

van Lith transferred into LSU after three seasons as one of Louisville’s most elite players. Last season with the Tigers, she averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists while playing out of position. She elected to pass on the WNBA Draft and continue playing college basketball with the Horned Frogs for her final season of eligibility next year. TCU also added Kentucky transfer Maddie Scherr, who averaged 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists last season. 

“Her aspirations were to get drafted this year, and she realized, ‘I need another year and I need to go back to a place where I can relax and get back to my normal position,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said at a team banquet. “And what do you do? You hug her, and you wish her well.”

The duo has plenty of previous experience in the NIL landscape.

Johnson ranks No. 2 in On3’s Women’s NIL 100 with an On3 NIL Valuation of $1.2 million, while van Lith ranks No. 5 with a social reach of more than 1.4 million followers across platforms. 

Johnson has inked deals with major brands such as Puma, Doritos, Taco Bell and Powerade. van Lith was one of the first to sign with adidas and also has deals with Topps, LaCroix and more. The pair may not be collaborating on the court, but they’re still teammates in the NIL landscape.