After Flau’jae Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to seal LSU’s 93-77 win over Duke on Dec. 4, Johnson appeared to direct some words toward Duke head coach Kara Lawson and the Blue Devils’ bench.
Johnson competed under Lawson over the summer for Team USA at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Although Johnson and Lawson were both complimentary of their time together, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey revealed that Johnson ‘didn’t have a good experience with USA Basketball with Kara (Lawson),’ giving her extra motivation ahead of last week’s non-conference matchup.
“Flau’jae (Johnson) lost a lot of confidence this summer playing with USA basketball,” said Mulkey, whose Tigers remain undefeated at 10-0. ‘She’s had this date circled.’
What happened between Johnson and Lawson? Here’s what we know:
Flau’jae Johnson: Team USA experience ‘hurt me bad’
Johnson was tapped to represent Team USA at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile, over the summer, alongside Olivia Miles (TCU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt), Madison Booker (Texas), Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Hannah Stuelke (Iowa), Kennedy Smith (USC), Joyce Edwards (South Carolina), Raegan Beers (Oklahoma), Grace Van Slooten (Michigan State) and Audi Crooks (Iowa State).
Following Team USA’s gold-medal victory over Brazil on July 6, Johnson shared a celebratory post on social media that read, ‘Something amazing I can add to my resume: 1X GOLD MEDALIST… It was an honor to wear those three letters across my chest!’ Johnson added, ‘Thank you, Kara Lawson can’t wait to compete on 12/6 (sic).’
However, Johnson opened up about her Team USA experience in a YouTube video released on Dec. 5, the day after the sideline incident with Lawson occurred. The vlog included footage of an emotional Johnson questioning her limited playing time under Lawson during the international competition.
‘The first couple of games I wasn’t able to play and that really did something to me. I’m not going to lie,’ Johnson recalled. ‘I’m coming off last season where I led my team to a deep run in the (NCAA) tournament. I’m an All-American, all-SEC caliber player and I’m not playing. July 4th when I got my opportunity, I made the most of it. I knew coming into this game that I had a point to prove.’
Johnson averaged 11.2 minutes across seven games in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup tournament. Her best performance came on July 4 when she recorded a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in a tournament-high 20 minutes in USA’s quarterfinal win over the Dominican Republic. Yet, she was limited to six minutes combined the rest of the tournament.
‘I thought after my performance (on July 4) that was solidified. Like, okay, I don’t know why I wasn’t playing before, but she got what it takes to play on offense and defense. But that wasn’t it,’ Johnson said. ‘It really messed with my mental because I have never been put in a situation where I didn’t play and I felt like in that moment that I earned it. When I got my opportunity, I actually earned it… It just hurt me bad.’
Kim Mulkey says Flau’jae Johnson had to rebuild confidence
LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said she had to restore Johnson’s confidence and ‘bring her back to where she can help us do what we need to do’ ahead of the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. Johnson previously told USA TODAY Sports that Mulkey has been ‘pushing me to my limit’ her senior season.
Johnson has led LSU to the highest-ranked offense in the nation in response.
Johnson is averaging 16.1 points per game, while shooting a career-high 52.2% from the field and 54.3% from the 3-point line (the highest in that nation) through 10 games. LSU has scored 90 or more points in every game this season and has surpassed the century mark in nine of their 10 contests this year.
“I was happy for Flau’jae,’ Mulkey said of Johnson, who finished with a team-high 18 points, five rebounds and three assists against Duke on Dec. 4. ‘You get nervous because you think she’s gonna try to come in here and try to do too much. And I was proud of how she handled herself.’
Mulkey added, ‘(I) had a conversation with (Johnson) before we came here and I just winked at her and I 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 in that purple uniform with those three letters speaks volumes.”
Tensions appeared to boil over with 3:40 remaining in the non-conference matchup between LSU and Duke after Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Tigers lead to 89-72. When running back on defense, Johnson shouted a NSFW remark toward Lawson.
Following the game, Johnson took to X to clear the air. She shared a video of her and Lawson shaking hands postgame: ‘Last night was a competitive environment and Duke is an amazing team. Their record does not reflect their grit or toughness. I was fired up in the moment but I have nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Kara Lawson, the coach I won my first Gold Medal under. Don’t get it twisted, she’s a legend.’
Kara Lawson responds
Lawson, who will lead the U.S. women’s basketball team at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, said her experience coaching at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup was ‘good.’
‘My experience was a good one. Not just coaching Flau’jae (Johnson), but coaching all 12 players. Putting a team together and practicing within 10 days and then going to play a tournament,’ said Lawson, who played for Tennessee from 1999–2003 under legendary head coach Pat Summit. ‘Our college players did an incredible job playing against teams that had pro players on it and were able to win the gold. So just really proud of that group… They’re all really good players and I definitely wish ’em all the best.’
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