"I ain't gon' cry": $1.5M NIL-valued Flau'jae Johnson gets hyped up seeing her Puma advert for the first time
After being featured in a historic Puma campaign, Flau'jae Johnson appeared in one of the brand's ads at the Madison Square Garden. The 21-year-old was not aware of her poster until a fan enquired about it on the "Best of Both Worlds" podcast.
Nevertheless, as Johnson learned about her Puma advertisement while shooting for the podcast, it yielded a hyped-up Johnson trying to contain her sentiments.
"What? This my first time seeing this y'all," Johnson said in her IG story. "I'm gonna cry. I ain't gon cry cuz I'm a gangster but bro, what? No, no, I did not see that but this could almost bring a gangster to tears."
Puma was Flau'jae Johnson's first major NIL partnership, orchestrated by her mom Kia Brooks. Since then, Johnson has maintained a unique bond with the shoe brand, giving her an opportunity to be part of Puma's first global basketball campaign in October.
Johnson appeared in promotional and marketing visuals for the "FOREVER. FASTER. - See The Game Like We Do" campaign and was part of a team that included Indiana Pacers Tyrese Haliburton, New York Liberty's Breanna Stewart, Portland Trail Blazers' Scoot Henderson, Charlotte Hornets' LaMelo Ball alongside multiple big names from different sports.
Flau'jae Johnson's exclusive sneakers are out
Like UConn Huskies’ Paige Bueckers, Flau'jae Johnson signed a NIL deal with the upcoming 3v3 women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, at the start of this month. Now, Johnson is also catching up with one of the biggest names in women’s college basketball, when it comes to shoes.
The LSU guard debuted the player-exclusive All-Pro NITRO PE sneakers on her Overtime podcast, stemming from her NIL deal with Puma.
Like Paige Bueckers’ Nike GT Hustle 3, Johnson’s sneaker also has exclusive details to represent her unique journey. It features a jersey number #4 (camouflaged) which is also in honor of her late father's stage name - Camouflage.
The sneakers also feature multiple quotes from her mother Kia Brooks - "Mama raised a beast" and "We worked on this," alongside Johnson’s nickname "Big 4" on the tongue.