Former NFL star Cam Newton draws comparison between Kobe Bryant, Deion Sanders and LSU star Flau'jae for successful dual career
Former NFL quarterback Cam Newton, at the 2024 BET Awards, compared LSU's Flau'jae Johnson with Kobe Bryant and Deion Sanders. Johnson, a basketball star with the LSU Tigers, released her debut album on July 28 with a feature with Lil Wayne, earning her a trip to the prestigious award show.
As Johnson recapped her dual journey, Cam Newton probed the rapper about her intentions of continuing building her music portfolio, drawing comparisons with Hall of famers like Sanders, Bryant and O'Neal.
"I'm always tempted to ask, how long do you think you gon rap?" Newton asked.
"But we've seen Prime Time rap. We done seen Kobe rap. We done seen Shaq rap. A lot of athletes have always did it. I'm reminded of Stephen Jackson the same. Its like the Jay-Z lyrics 'atheltes wanna be rappers, and rappers want to be athletes.' But you can do both too," he added.
Even though she was humbled by the comparisons, Johnson responded by highlighting her early music venture as a child and signifying a deep-rooted connection with the art.
Her professional music journey began by competing in season 3 of the reality show The Rap Game as a 13-year-old. She then mesmerized fans by performing multiple songs on America's Got Talent the following year and eventually landing a distribution deal with Jay Z's label Roc Nation.
Flau'jae Johnson tells Cam Newton about defying the odds
Having played in the NFL for 11 seasons, Cam Newton doubled on his notion of struggles behind harboring two careers as a professional athlete as he enquired about Johnson’s plan.
“I don't think, being a professional athlete you can 50-50 with anything. As you’re seeing your reality come into life, how do you plan on incorporating one without the other or one with the other?” Newton asked.
Flau'jae Johnson pointed out that her dual career is similar to managing multiple roles as an NFL player and being a father; something Newton has had first-hand experience of.
"You know you could do two things at one time. I mean being a father is a full-time job, being an NFL player is a full-time job," Johnson replied.
Johnson shared that she constantly utilizes her growth to increase her resources and maintain time for her family and multiple practice sessions on the court.