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LSU signee ZaKiyah Johnson, a five-star shooting guard for Sacred Heart Academy, celebrated her 18th birthday on Tuesday, sharing the occasion with her 12,000 Instagram followers. Sporting a chic black outfit and sleek black hair, Johnson, a 6-foot guard who is ranked seventh nationally and first in Kentucky by On3, posted a carousel of photos in her birthday look.
"Wish me 1," she captioned the post.
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ZaKiyah Johnson signs with LSU Tigers
On Nov. 11, Zakiyah Johnson signed with the LSU, turning down offers from Kentucky, Louisville and Tennessee.
In an interview with On3, Johnson discussed why she chose LSU.
“I picked LSU for their culture," Johnson said. “I know Coach (Kim) Mulkey and her players know what it takes to be on the big stage and win a championship, and I want to be competing with players I hadn’t seen normally, living here in Kentucky my whole life. Now, it’s time to explore, and I love how they made it still feel like home.”
Johnson credited her decision to pick LSU to WNBA star Angel Reese. The Tigers' victory in the 2023 NCAA championship game over Iowa's Caitlin Clark left an impression on her. In an interview with 247Sports, she talked about how she couldn't wait to be part of a team that could win multiple national championships.
After signing the five-star prospect, LSU's Kim Mulkey expressed joy on social media: "Welcome Home Zakiyamonae!!"
ZaKiyah Johnson, who plays for Sacred Heart High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and will graduate in 2025, has been the MaxPreps Player of the Year and the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year for three seasons straight.
In her freshman year, she played 37 games, averaging 17.8 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. She averaged 22.4 ppg with 8.2 rpg and 3.6 apg as a sophomore. In her junior year, she averaged 18.9 ppg with 7.3 rpg and 4.3 apg.
She won gold at FIBA U18 AmeriCup 2024, averaging 8.0 ppg, with 3.2 rpg and 2.2 apg.
From emerging on the national basketball scene in eighth grade to winning gold for Team USA at FIBA U18 AmeriCup, ZaKiyah Johnson has been nothing but spectacular.
