Coco Gauff Drops ‘Punishments’ Joke About Flau’jae Johnson’s Kim Mulkey Impersonation

by

This year’s LSU offseason arrived with its fair share of questions and drama. However, the biggest headliner was Flau’jae Johnson turning down the WNBA to run it back with LSU. At just 21 years old, she could have declared for the draft this year, but the lure of a senior season and another national championship kept her in Baton Rouge.

Kim Mulkey, who never hesitates to hype her star guard, has long said Johnson “jump-started” the program, pointing out she was her very first McDonald’s All-American signing. That bond has carried LSU from trophy lifts to viral moments, and now, it is spilling into comedy.

How Did Coco Gauff React to Flau’jae Johnson’s Kim Mulkey Imitation?

Not so long ago, Johnson took to Instagram and dropped a new reel. The video showed Flau’jae Johnson wearing a blonde wig and a glittery purple jacket straight out of Mulkey’s closet. Johnson strutted across the floor with the perfect coach walk, adding the caption: “Kim Mulkey don’t know what she doing, she keep giving practice out.”

 

The impersonation was cheeky yet accurate. Soon after, tennis legend Coco Gauff slid into the comments with a warning. “I don’t know what y’all do for punishments, but she need to make you do bout 10 of em,” wrote Gauff. The line was playful but fitting because Johnson had been courtside at the US Open weeks earlier, fangirling over Gauff’s win. Their friendship is now as visible courtside as it is online.

While the warning is welcome, Johnson is not new to Mulkey’s system. Perhaps that is exactly why Johnson captioned the reel, “Laugh and scroll lol.”

Earlier this year, Johnson even roasted Mulkey’s obsession with country music, exposing how practice playlists always ended with the team swaying to George Strait.

That playful ribbing peaked when a clip of Mulkey belting “I’m the Happiest Girl in the Whole USA” at the Final Four made the rounds. Johnson, leaning into the moment, even took to X and wrote, “This lady is not real, I swear.” And then there are the Mulkey fashion trolls.

 

If Mulkey’s sideline fits have become a spectacle in their own right, Johnson’s commentary has become the running laugh track. After Mulkey showed up to a WNBA game in what was, shockingly, an understated outfit, Johnson had something to say.

“Don’t worry, y’all, I’m bout to start styling her. I can’t take it no more. She too rich for this!!” Johnson posted, before adding, “I’ll take the suicides 😓.” So, when Flau’jae walked out in a shimmered-up Mulkey jacket for this impersonation, it was a full-circle moment of sorts.

 

Only a relationship built on trust and respect can allow this much back-and-forth. Over the years, Mulkey and Johnson’s relationship has broken the boundaries of a mere coach-player bond.

It’s a bond built on trust and a lot of back-and-forth fun. Mulkey, who once said, “I’m forever indebted to Flau’jae Johnson,” knows how vital her guard is to the program’s DNA.

 

From being that first major recruit to putting up 18.6 points a night last season, Johnson has been the fire and steady hand Mulkey’s program needed. All said and done, there is no questioning Johnson and her loyalty to Mulkey.

In an era of transfer portals and NIL deals, Johnson stuck with LSU and played in purple for three seasons. And if Coco Gauff might be right in thinking that punishments are coming, nobody is complaining as long as the laughs keep rolling.

Leave a Comment