“I’m going to be one of the trailblazers for the popularity,” Johnson said. “People want to see like real hoopers. A real dawg. I don’t play fundamentally. I just play how I play.”
The end of the statement was evident when in the 59-point win over Kennesaw Mountain, Johnson attempted to break the school record from the logo in the fourth quarter, à la Trae Young or Steph Curry.
“People are going to see it’s more to women’s basketball,” Johnson said. “It’s more entertaining than they think. We’re really hooping. … Then, with everybody having trainers, everybody’s skilled. So it’s like- what’s next?”
What’s next for Johnson is LSU, where she’ll play for Hall of Fame coach Kim Mulkey. Johnson wants Mulkey to push her game to the next level and prepare her for the WNBA, where she’ll be able to continue to push women’s basketball forward.
The 18-year-old is living a lot of kids’ dreams as a successful rapper and athlete, but she doesn’t believe it can’t be replicated eventually.
“You can have a dream, right?” Johnson said rhetorically. “But what’s going to happen to the dream when you wake up?”
