Flau’Jae Johnson Shares Her Trick For Resetting After A Tough Game

Flau’Jae Johnson might be one of the WNBA’s top prospects for the 2026 draft, but before the 22-year-old made a name for herself as one of the top guards in the NCAA, she was a teenager playing ball for Sprayberry High School. Almost four years later, Johnson is returning to the suburban high school in Marietta, Georgia, where her basketball career started, to help renovate the girls’ locker room alongside Instagram.

“Our locker room was terrible. It was very 1950s-coded, but we loved it; that’s where we spent most of our time,” the Louisiana State University (LSU) basketball star says. “As a team, that’s where you congregate and have fun, so I wanted to turn it up a little bit.”

With her number officially retired by Sprayberry, adding her name to the locker room is another way to cement her legacy and give back to the community that helped launch her career. For Johnson, this means investing in premium upgrades and covering the walls with motivational words. “I wanted inspirational quotes — something that the girls could see and remind themselves to live by, and to show them I came from the same spot,” she says. “The things I’ve done, they can do the same thing. It’s that motivation they can see day in, day out.”

The locker room upgrade is officially being unveiled on Nov. 21, and Johnson is making an appearance at her high school’s pep rally. I caught up with the LSU superstar shortly beforehand to talk about her go-to cooldown rituals, what’s on her post-game playlist, and what she’s manifesting for 2026.

Elite Daily: I love the idea of filling the locker room with inspirational quotes. Can you share one or two you had on your list?

Flau’Jae Johnson: My favorite quote is: “She who says she can and she who says she can't are both usually right.” I love that quote because it's saying whatever you tell yourself will be your reality. And I like to say that your perception is your reality. Whatever lens you see the world through, that's how you’re going to see it. My coach said girls play good when they feel good, and I think it is important for them to know that they can choose how they feel; they can choose their perception; they can choose their reality. Another one is: “I know who I am; they mistake my confidence for arrogance.” I want to remind girls to stay confident, no matter what people think.

ED: You hosted a pep rally while you were back home. I’m curious: What’s your go-to hype-up song?

FJ: Probably a legendary song that my friends and I used to listen to when we were at school, that’s the vibe I’m on. “Dreams and Nightmares” by Meek Mill was the ultimate hype song.

ED: What does your post-game cooldown routine look like?

FJ: Usually, I'm in the shower reflecting on the game, trying to cool down from the adrenaline. I'll just chill, put my Netflix on, and watch my show. And I’ll call my mom, and she’ll tell me if I played good or badly, and then I'll go to sleep.

You just have to keep on going. You've got to keep on moving because it's all about what you do next. Especially in sports.

ED: How do you recover after an intense practice or game?

FJ: After practice, I get in the cold tub for seven to 10 minutes. And that really does wonders for my body to make it feel brand new. It also really helps the day after a game. I go to treatment to get my ankle checked and get my knee calibrated, too. Sometimes I’ll ice it.

ED: What’s one piece of advice you got from your high school coach that’s stuck with you?

FJ: Be you. Coach Kelly Avery put a lot of confidence in me. She told me I was the greatest basketball player she ever coached, so I really took a lot of pride in that. I wanted to be that on every level. She told me I was great. She told me to always be myself.

ED: How do you get your head right after losing a game?

FJ: You've got to erase it. Just like when you win, too. When you win or when you lose, you've got to erase it and go to the next game. [LSU] Coach Mulkey has a quote: “If what you did yesterday still feels big today, then you haven’t done much today.” You just have to keep on going. You've got to keep on moving because it's all about what you do next. Especially in sports. Can you do it again? Can you do better? Can you be consistent? That’s my mindset; I don't like to harp on a loss. I like to get right back to work.

ED: What’s your favorite way to bond with your teammates after a game?

FJ: We do a debrief. I told them after another home game, I'm going to get an Airbnb and we’re going to chill and do our thing. Our team is so cool and so connected. I just want to do small things to get us together.

ED: What’s on your post-game playlist?

FJ: I love Adele. She keeps me calm, and she gets me fired up. I also have a whole blues playlist, like a slow jam. So I go Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Bill Withers. I got some good stuff on that playlist, I ain't going to lie. I really like that music to smooth me out. “As” by Stevie Wonder and “Just the Two of Us” [by Bill Withers and Grover Washington, Jr.] are the two songs that get me in my groove, calm me down, and slow my heart rate.

ED: What’s your favorite way to relax when you’re not playing ball?

FJ: I like to ride my bike around Baton Rouge. Every day when I wake up, I ride my bike, and it’s a way for me to connect with nature. You see more when you’re riding a bike than driving a car. You focus on what's around you, and I feel like it helps me stay in the present moment. I'll probably do like seven-mile rides, and it doesn't even feel like it.

ED: What’s your secret to a good night’s sleep?

FJ: I have to have my air on 64, my fan on, my weighted blanket, and then something playing in the background. I'm not one of those people who need stuff to be all the way off to go to sleep. I go to sleep anytime, anywhere, so I probably have Netflix in the background.

ED: What are you manifesting for yourself right now?

FJ: To win a national championship. That’s my number one manifestation right now. That, and to become better. Every day I’m in the gym, so I just pray that my work continues to shine and I can play at a certain level every time.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.