30 under 30. It’s an achievement that only a few are able to attain. And when Forbes released the list for this year on Tuesday, Angel Reese’s fans would have avoided the announcements as her archenemy Caitlin Clark makes it to the same. Interestingly, the Indiana Fever point guard was joined by a former teammate of the LSU alum, who as per Reese’s own admission, isn’t much in touch with her.
On Tuesday, the 30 under 30 list was dominated by popular names such as the Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and the W ROTY Clark. Joining her on the coveted list was none other than the current mainstay LSU star Flau’jae Johnson. Certainly, we can see how the Big 4 made it to one of the most coveted lists by Forbes.
She is not only acing her performance on the floor but also is one of the most marketable NCAA athletes in the NIL era. Previously juggling her rapping career with her basketball career, the young talent has also stepped into the podcasting world with her YouTube podcast The Best of Both Worlds with Flau’jae.
The Class of 2025 Forbes list had recognized leaders from North America in 20 different industries, adding another feather to Johnson’s hat. However, Reese’s fans had no option but to ignore the latest developments as their apple of eye wasn’t included on the list.
In total, the Class of 2025 has raised over $3.6 billion in fundraising and has around 300M+ social media following. Another noteworthy thing is that Gen Z has captured most of the list. There are around 50% Gen Zs on the list, an astounding number that speaks volumes about the latest generation.
Nov 8, 2024; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Lady Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson (4) dribbles against the Northwestern State Lady Demons during the first half at Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
“Gen Z is one of the fastest growing groups of entrepreneurs and creators, who are reshaping the way the world conducts business, and our Under 30 class of 2025 proves that you can never begin your career journey too early,” Forbes 30 Under 30 editor Alexandra York remarked.
Other than Tatum, Johnson, and Clark, other prominent names on the list include rapper Shaboozey, actress Kathryn Newton, and TikTok creator Drew Afualo. In fact, University of Miami star twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder are also present on the list for co-founding Cavinder Twins LLC. Indeed the list is really diversified and the future looks in safe hands.
However, what must not have gone down well with Reese’s fans was Johnson finding a place, despite still being in college, and that too after she and the Chi-Town Barbie acknowledged the growing distance in their relationship.
Are Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson not on good terms?
During the 2023-24 season, a beef started between Johnson and Reese’s mothers on social media when Angel Webb Reese pointed out a grammatical error by Kia Brooks. A furious Brooks instantly shot back and diverted the attention to Reese’s poor college grades. While the issue was settled between the two, once the rebounding Queen made it to college, Johnson on her podcast acknowledged that “Yeah, me and Angel, we aren’t as close as we used to be.”
Even the Chicago Sky sensation admitted that though she doesn’t have any hard feelings for her former teammate, the two “aren’t as close as we used to be.” Later on, the LSU’s current mainstay named the top 5 stars her college has produced and surprisingly Reese’s name didn’t find a mention. Similarly, Reese too mentioned Aneesah Morrow as her favorite player from the current LSU lot, apparently ignoring the 21-year-old’s name.
Then very recently when a fan named Johnson as the best player in LSU, her mother seemingly took a dig at Reese’s shooting skills, expressing “When you got it all on both ends, it’s definitely a conversation.” While this angered Reese’s fans and Brooks had to delete her tweet, it remains to be seen how her admirers will react after the Sky rookie wasn’t mentioned on the list whereas Johnson has found a place with Clark.
