Flau'jae Johnson Welcomed by Huge Crowd of Seattle Storm Fans at Airport
Flau’jae Johnson is right where she’s supposed to be.
During the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday night, Johnson was drafted at No. 8 overall by the Golden State Valkyries. Johnson barely got used to wearing violet before the Golden State traded her to the Seattle Storm.
Storm fans are thrilled they lucked into the former LSU star guard, as evidenced by a large crowd greeting Johnson with cheers after she landed in Seattle.
Johnson arrived at the Seattle airport wearing a throwback Gary Payton SuperSonics jersey and waved at her new adoring fan base. “Oh my gosh!” Johnson said in a video posted by the Storm on Wednesday night. “Go Storm! Let’s go!”
Johnson took time to take photos and thank fans for showing up to welcome her. While walking away from the crowd, she said, “Yo, that was so fire! That was so cool! Oh my gosh. If I knew everybody was gonna be here, I would not have changed my fit.”
On Thursday, Johnson joined Hannah Storm on “SportsCenter” and opened up about being “so surprised” by Storm fans at the airport and going shopping for a SuperSonics jersey right after getting drafted.
Earlier Wednesday, Johnson visited “Good Morning America” and discussed her draft-day trade.
“It was a total surprise,” she said. “But I’m excited to be with the Storm. The main thing for me was getting my name called. It was no stress. All I had to do was look really pretty, and I have no control over who picks me. But I’m glad Seattle got me. They got a good one, and they really wanted me, so I’m excited to be there.”
Johnson starred at LSU for four years and was a two-time AP All-American. Alongside Angel Reese, Johnson led LSU to its first-ever national championship by beating Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in April 2023. Earlier this month, Baton Rouge honored Johnson with a key to the city.
Watch Johnson’s full “Good Morning America” appearance below.
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This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 1:46 PM.