Exclusive | Flau’Jae Johnson: Angel Reese and I ‘aren’t as close as we used to be’

Things aren’t the same between Flau’Jae Johnson and Angel Reese after winning an NCAA title as teammates, when LSU beat Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2023.

During an exclusive interview with The Post, Johnson agreed with remarks Reese made last week when the Chicago Sky forward said they aren’t best friends anymore.

“Yeah, me and Angel, we aren’t as close as we used to be,” Johnson said when asked about their relationship Tuesday. “But I still support her 1000 percent. I was proud of her, just being in the W[NBA] and breaking records.

“A lot of people said that she wouldn’t go to the W[NBA] and do all those things and they kinda hated on her. But I kinda knew that because I’d see it everyday in practice and I see the mentality that she has. So, it’s been dope [to watch her].”

Reese, who was selected by the Sky with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft, went on to average a double-double in her rookie campaign before suffering a season-ending wrist injury in a win over the Sparks on Sept. 6.

The All-Star forward said she was having surgery on her wrist Tuesday.

Johnson stopped by The Post Studios in New York, along with star LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, to promote “The Money Game,” a six-part docu-series streaming now on Prime Video — which gives an all-access look inside LSU’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program for athletes, including Reese.

Former Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels, who was selected by the Commanders with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, is also featured in the docu-series, along with LSU guard Trace Young and LSU hurdler Alia Armstrong, who are both fifth-year seniors.

Many were surprised to hear that Reese and Johnson’s relationship dwindled, as they were close during their time as teammates at LSU — while becoming two of the biggest athletes of the NIL era.

“I still support Flau’jae. We aren’t as close as we used to be,” Reese said on her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast last week.

“And there’s no hard feelings or anything, but we aren’t as close as we used to be. That’s why people always expect us to still posting each other but we aren’t as close. It happens. You don’t have the best relationships with everybody and don’t always continue relationships with people. So, I wish her the best always. I’m always going to support her.”

The former teammates became household names at LSU after the NCAA ruled that student-athletes can profit monetarily from their NIL in 2021.

Reese, who signed an endorsement deal with Reebok last fall, added that she’s going to back to LSU “soon” to support the team.

Johnson — a rapper, who signed with JAY-Z’s Roc Nation in January — vehemently defended a tearful Reese when she faced backlash after the Tigers’ 94-87 loss to Iowa in the Elite Eight, which ended their hopes of a March Madness repeat in April.

Johnson explained at the time that Reese played a pivotal role in her leap from her freshman year to her sophomore campaign.

Johnson averaged 11.0 points as a freshman and played a major role in securing LSU’s first women’s basketball championship in program history, before improving to 14.9 points per game last season .

The Savannah, Ga., native is poised to fill a bigger role with LSU in her junior year with Reese gone and has said she’s ready for the bigger spotlight.