Black Athletes in the Spotlight: HBCU Sports & Local Highlights
- Flau’jae Johnson set multiple franchise rookie records, overtaking marks previously held by Breanna Stewart, Sue Bird, and Lauren Jackson.
- Johnson became the first Storm rookie with at least 500 points and 50 three-pointers in a single season.
- She surpassed Sue Bird for most rookie three-pointers and topped Lauren Jackson for rookie steals.
- In the finale, Johnson scored 21 points with six rebounds in a loss to the Dallas Wings.
- She deflected spotlight, praising teammate Hiedeman, whose 14 assists tied Sue Bird and Skylar Diggins for the record.
Flau’jae Johnson, a rookie point guard for the Seattle Storm, ended her debut season with 626 points, a mark that silently rewrote history for the franchise despite their record 36 losses in the WNBA.
The Storm’s official social media account commemorated Johnson’s historic rookie season, noting she became the first rookie in WNBA history to score 600 points, collect 200 rebounds, dish out 100 assists, steal 50 balls, and block 28 shots in one season.
It is a season of breaking down records of the franchise one by one. The 626 points scored by Johnson were more than the 621 recorded by Breanna Stewart during her rookie year in 2016, while the 213 made field goals by Johnson were more than the 202 scored by Breanna Stewart in that season.
The record hunt by Johnson did not end there. She also crossed Sue Bird’s record of making the most three-pointers with 60 in a rookie year and beat Lauren Jackson’s record of most rookie steals in the season with 57.
The accomplishment of these two feats enabled Johnson to become the first ever rookie in team history to put up at least 500 points and 50 three-pointers in one season, which is a remarkable feat even amongst Seattle’s roster of successful draft selections.
This kind of two-way play extended to the Storm’s last game of the regular season too.
Flau’jae Johnson Closes Rookie Season With 21 Points In Loss To Dallas Wings
Johnson ended the season with 21 points and six rebounds in Seattle’s 103-91 defeat at the hands of the Dallas Wings on Wednesday, which also saw two other teammates, Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam, score above 20 points for the first time together.
Johnson was not interested in talking about her own achievements but rather praised one of her teammates in the loss.
Hiedeman had a career-high 14 assists; this tied Bird and Skylar Diggins for the team record for most assists in one game.
The last game for Seattle also marked the end for the Storm, who had the worst record in team history at 8-36, even worse than their first season where they went 6-26, but three talented young players to look forward to next year.
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