Q. You announced some new music and you're headed to the Bay. Is there any artist out there that you'd like to work with, and can we get a live preview of a line in your new song?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I think Kehlani is from the Bay. I would like to drop a song with Kehlani. My new song, I said, "From the court to the booth to the front cover of Vogue." So I feel like that's the vibe tonight as far as my outfit goes. But I'm super excited.
Q. You obviously know what basketball pressure is like, spending all that time in Baton Rouge. Now you're going to a Golden State team that's looking to capitalize on an unprecedented expansion season. How did you embrace that pressure with LSU, and how did it help you prepare for your time with the Valkyries now?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I think it's just about that preparation. In Baton Rouge, you play in front of at least 10,000, 11,000 every game. I feel pressure from the fans, pressure from everything.
It's about how you look at it. I think pressure makes diamonds. I'm super excited to come and add what I can. All I want to do is add value. I feel like any place I can come add value to is going to elevate.
Q. You're going to Golden State, which is going on their second season. Is there more or less pressure going into a newer team, and how much does that weigh on you going into a franchise that's yet to really leave their mark on the league?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: I mean, I don't think there's any pressure for me. I'm a rookie. I've got to learn. I don't know what I'm going into right now. No, I don't think it's any pressure. But I don't look at life like that. I look at life, you compete and you try to be the best, and you go out and put your best foot forward. If you do that, there's no pressure with that. You know what I'm saying? It's just preparation, I believe.
Q. I just saw you a couple of weeks ago at LSU. We were talking about this day happening. And you mentioned that you were super excited. But I wanted to know, how has it been, this whirlwind of emotions today, balancing all that, just realizing your name just got called on that stage?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: Yeah, it still kind of hasn't hit me yet I don't think all the way. But I'm just totally grateful. Having my family there. My little brother there. That was everything to me.
But I'm very excited. Just coming from college to now the pros, I'm officially a drafted pro. It means a lot to me. I just want to go and make an impact.
Q. Rappers want to be hoopers, hoopers want to be rappers. You've mastered the multitasking of a modern athlete. How has that discipline of the music industry actually made you a better student of the game?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: Great question. I think just being disciplined in all aspects. You know, being disciplined and consistent no matter the outcome. Right? So then you become more process-oriented. I believe it allowed me to focus on the process more rather than the result. In basketball, you can't control anything but the process in what you're doing, what you're putting into it, the mental.
I feel like the discipline and the mindset, you can only control what you can control. I think that's kind of how they both balance out, how the basketball pours into the music.
Q. You mentioned that you wanted to help out with the marketing side and the social media side of it all. Obviously, with the WNBA continuously expanded, how do you feel you could help especially with being a big strong suit on that marketing aspect?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: Yeah, you know, I just have a lot of ideas. I like to make stuff go viral. You can tell by my social media. You can see the numbers and stuff like that. But I feel like in that way I can have an impact in the culture. I think that's very important when you talk about marketing. That's something I went to school for and I studied. I feel like I can do that at a very high level. I'm excited to see what I really can do.
Q. I first learned about you watching a Prime Video documentary, Meal Ticket, about the McDonald's All-American Game, which didn't go all that well for you, from what I remember. Did that affect you in the short run? Did it motivate you? I'm curious, because it made it look like it was pretty devastating at the time. So I'm just curious how you dealt with it after?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: Yeah, it was devastating. I haven't watched it yet because I do not watch myself back on nothing. Yeah, I've seen the commercial. But I ended up breaking my finger in practice of the McDonald's game and I played terribly. But then right after that we had the Jordan Brand Classic, which was like all the same players, and I came back and I won MVP.
When I'm in a situation where I feel like things aren't going my way, I use that to motivate me in that situation. That's what life is about. Sometimes you're going to fall, sometimes you know you're going to stand tall. But you've got to keep going.
Q. Just wondering from your perspective, obviously you guys are the beneficiaries of the new CBA. You'll be part of the best compensated rookie class in the history of the league. Curious for your thoughts to what extent you were paying attention to that process play out, and again just being the beneficiary of it now and being the best compensated rookie class, what your thoughts on that are?
FLAU'JAE JOHNSON: No, I was just like, can I please have a rookie season? I was hoping there was not going to be a lockout. You know what I mean?
But they handled it, the union, they negotiated and they got what the league deserves -- what the player deserves.
I'm just blessed. I keep telling people, I'm just blessed and grateful to be able to come at this time. It's the 30th season, right?
So my goal is to leave it better than I found it, right? I think for the next generation and the next hoopers looking up, like in middle school, they can see this was a moment. And then now we have got to take it and run with it and make it better for them.
So that's the goal. I'm excited to be in a space to be able to accept that, like, it's a gratitude thing, but it's also a responsibility thing. So I have the responsibility, and I'm taking that with full force.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports