Flau'jae Johnson Already Joins Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart in Seattle History

Seattle Storm rookie Flau’jae Johnson scored 20 points with Sue Bird courtside in the Storm’s preseason game in Seattle on April 30.

During the game, Johnson was captured jumping in the air with glee, and her legs perfectly framed a smiling Bird in the background. Johnson saw the photo immediately and expressed her emotions in her postgame press conference.

“I seen her immediately, and I was like, ‘Oh, shoot,'” Johnson said. “This is Sue’s house, you know? This is her spot. I definitely want to play well in front of her, but I’ve been knowing Sue since high school. She’s been a huge supporter of me, so just seeing her, I’m still fanned out. Like, that’s Sue Bird! But it was cool. That picture is fire. I’m framing it, and I’m getting her to sign it.”

Bird, who retired after the 2022 season, played her entire Hall of Fame career in Seattle. She led the Storm to four WNBA championships, and her name is littered throughout the league and the Storm’s record books. Johnson is only two games into her WNBA career, but her name is beside Bird’s in one page of those history books.

Johnson was in the starting five for the Storm in each of their first two games. The former LSU star, two-time All-American, and NCAA champion posted 12 points in Seattle’s 91-80 season-opening loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Friday night. Johnson followed that up with a 16-point, six-rebound performance in the Storm’s 89-82 win over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday afternoon.

According to ESPN, Johnson became the fifth rookie in Storm history to score in double digits in the team’s first two games. Bird (2002), Breanna Stewart (2016), Lauren Jackson (2001), and Semeka Randall (2001) are the other four.

Johnson will want to improve her efficiency, as she shot 3-for-12 from the floor against Golden State and 3-for-10 against Connecticut, but the only way to improve is to play. Johnson will get plenty of minutes as a rookie on a rebuilding Storm team.

The Valkyries selected Johnson with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft on April 13, but they controversially traded her draft rights to the Storm almost immediately in exchange for the draft rights to Marta Suarez at No. 16 overall. The Valkyries waived Suarez last weekend.

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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 4:57 PM.