Flau’jae Johnson waiting to resume battles with Caitlin Clark in WNBA

Iowa's Caitlin Clark and LSU's Flau'jae Johnson battled each other in the past two college basketball seasons.

Flau’jae Johnson waiting to resume battles with Caitlin Clark in WNBA

Flau'jae Johnson waiting to battle Caitlin Clark in WNBA

Before Caitlin Clark came into the WNBA, she was shattering records in college basketball. She led her Iowa Hawkeyes to two straight national championship games. She lost the first to Angel Reese and LSU and the second to Kamilla Cardoso and South Carolina.

The battle with Reese became a part of national folklore and the two have been pitted as rivals in the professional league. So much so, that the WNBA has scheduled five games between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky.

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But through those battles with LSU, Clark became friends with a couple of players. One was Hailey Van Lith, who now plays for TCU and will likely get drafted to the WNBA this upcoming season. The other is Flau’jae Johnson, who battled against Clark twice. When Complex asked her about those two battles with Clark, she replied.

I played Clark my freshman year and my sophomore year. I’m a junior, and so first year–freshman year–we got it. Second year, she got me. So, me and Caitlin, we one and one right now. I got to wait until I get into the league to break that tie. She’s definitely the hardest opponent I’ve ever had to play.

Flau’jae Johnson said

Johnson further complimented Caitlin Clark’s passing ability. She has seen up front and personally how the then Iowa guard used to facilitate. She has not seen that great a passing ability from other college players. Now she is waiting to reach the WNBA to resume playing against her.

Flau’jae Johnson has to wait to battle Caitlin Clark

Flau’jae Johnson is a junior with LSU. On top of that, she is just 21 years old. The WNBA eligibility rules require an American college basketball player to be at least 22 years old in the year of the Draft. This means, she still has to wait until the 2026 draft to enter the WNBA.

But she has been linking up with the Indiana Fever superstar in the offseason. They worked out in the offseason along with Paige Bueckers. The rapper cum basketball star acknowledged how much the two helped her improve her game.

This season, the Savannah, Georgia, native improved her production to 18.9 points in the regular season. If she can push it beyond the 20-point barrier along with her rebounds, assists, steals and defense, there is a good chance she will be one of the top picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Her junior season is not over though. She may have missed the SEC tournament games due to an injury. But she has recovered and is ready to lead her LSU Tigers in the NCAA March Madness. They might not be favorites to win it all, but a strong showing can go a long way to impress WNBA scouts.

Fever can surprise teams in WNBA draft

The Indiana Fever underwent sweeping changes to their team’s construct. Starting with the front office, coaching staff and now down to the players. The core of Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston, Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull remain. But other star players have come in to help them win a championship.

To facilitate some of those acquisitions, the Fever traded away their 8th overall draft pick. They did not want to take their time developing a rookie when their goal is to win a title. However, the team still holds two picks late in the second round.

At first, those two picks might seem insignificant. But the Fever are in a position to draft potential future players. Some such as Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld and TCU guard Hailey Van Lith were 1st round picks up until last year.

But injury and horrible play last season has seen their draft stocks tank. Van Lith has done her bit to revive interest in her, but it is not enough when compared to other players. If the Fever land both or either them or even Kansas State standout center Ayoka Lee, they have a chance to find pieces for the future.