SEATTLE — When the Seattle Storm traded for Flau’jae Johnson at the 2026 WNBA Draft, they didn’t just acquire a top on-court prospect; they brought in one of the most magnetic off-court personalities in sports. And even in her first days as a pro, her teammates struggle not to smile when the professional rapper and basketball guard is talking.
“She’s just pure joy, a little bit like a kid in a candy shop,” new Storm center Stefanie Dolson told The IX Basketball. “She comes in, she’s always happy, she’s always eager to learn. And I feel like with that, it’s like mistakes happen, but they’re happy mistakes, like, they’re good mistakes. … She’s always trying so hard, and it’s really fun to play with, be around.”
Johnson’s teammates have quickly picked up on her joyousness, particularly because she actively tries to share it. Storm guard Jordan Horston said she loves it because she is a similarly passionate player who likes to pour into others, so she enjoys being able to bounce that energy off each other.
“It’s contagious,” Horston told media after a weekday practice. “You see her, she got all this energy she’s pouring into other people. And honestly, we can feel that. Like, you don’t want to be the one that’s energy-less because you’re going to be the oddball. She brings everybody else to another level.”
That joy is combined with a chip on her shoulder, giving her a total package.
“She has all of it. She’s always very happy, very joyful. But also, like, I’m gonna kick your a— right now,” Dolson described.
Johnson’s unique energy and desire to share it are deeply rooted in her personal experience. On Seattle Storm media day, Johnson explained that she is motivated by her gratitude as someone from a small town near Savannah, Georgia, whose father was killed before she was born.
“So I kind of felt like coming into the world, I had like a chip on my shoulder. And I just know that life is not promised, and tomorrow is not promised, and we only have today,” Johnson said. “So I kind of just live every day with that mentality and that reminder that it’s a gift for me to be here, and then my presence is a gift to other people. And so I just think that somebody’s gonna need that light. Every day is not a good day. So like, one of my teammates, they might be down, and maybe if they see me, they’ll light up. And I don’t know, I just feel like, if I have that light, and it’s in me, like, you know, me and God have this connection, then I can help other people.”
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Johnson brings a level of confidence that many rookies don’t have when they come to the pros. But it should not be mistaken for hubris, according to Johnson’s new head coach, Sonia Raman. She described Johnson’s approach as a constant desire to improve.
“It’s all energy. It’s all gas,” Raman said. “She works really, really hard. She comes in really early, she gets her extra reps in. She’s sitting down watching film with coaches. She’s been a sponge. She just wants to get better, and she wants to go through all of the steps it takes to get better. So I’ve just been really impressed with her, her focus and her dedication to like the craft, and what she’s been able to do just in terms of that growth mindset.”
Johnson said that self-belief means everything to her: “…If you don’t believe in yourself, you can’t expect anybody else to look at you and be like, yeah, she can do this.”
Even when she messes up, she is still confident and going to try again, just like she sees the pros do.
“I think just that mentality of believing, knowing you can do it, kind of masks any insecurity… sometimes just act like you can do it and you can do it,” Johnson said. “I just say, never doubt yourself, always put your best foot forward … and just come in like you own it.”
While Johnson already has nicknames for all her new teammates and is quickly fitting in off the court, she is also poised to make an immediate impact on the court. Ahead of the team’s first preseason game against the Golden State Valkyries, teammates shared the parts of her game they felt would translate immediately at the pro level, and Johnson provided immediate evidence to support their belief.
In her professional debut, the 5’10 guard out of LSU was the first Storm player to reach double digits, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds. She shot 50% from the field and notched 10 of her 12 points during an impressive second quarter.
Dolson predicted that Johnson’s finishing abilities and three-point shot would quickly translate, as they far exceeded her expectations. Johnson hit one of her two attempted threes, and it was a very tough one.
“With her, you can tell she knows she’s good, but she knows she has places to learn and to grow, and that means that she’s just going to continue to get better, and her ceiling is so high, so that I’m excited to continue to see how she does,” Dolson said.
Point guard Natisha Hiedeman pointed to Johnson’s athleticism already being on par with the pros and said her superpower will be her ability to get downhill, plus, “she got ups, so she just be laying it up pretty easy.”
Horston couldn’t pick just one thing, noting her defense, scoring ability, making the right reads, and muscle.
“I feel like her whole game translates to the W, it’s just slowing down and make the reads now, but she’s going to pick it up,” Horston said. “She’s a fast learner. She wants to work hard. She’s got great habits. I think she’s a pro already.”
