Temeka Johnson's budding stardom was noticed before well before attending Bonnabel High School.
"I first saw her play when she was in third grade (at Greenlawn Terrace)," Bonnabel coach Lee MacAlester said. "Every day I'd tell her, 'Don't forget me at Bonnabel.' "
Johnson didn't forget and went on to star at Bonnabel, LSU and then the WNBA.
One of the best basketball players in New Orleans history, she will be inducted into the Allstate Sugar Bowl's New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 during a ceremony on Aug. 2.
At Bonnabel, the 5-foot-3 Johnson was a four-time all-state selection and led the Bruins a 111-20 record.
"She was an unbelievable player, and a better person," MacAlester said. "After a while, you just got used to seeing extraordinary."
At LSU, Johnson started 127 straight games, finishing her career with the SEC record for career assists and as the only player in school history with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 500 rebounds. She was named the Nancy Lieberman Award winner as the top point guard in the nation as a senior.
"We saw the leadership gene in Temeka, she was not just an individual player with a great skillset, but she made all the players around her better," said longtime LSU assistant coach Bob Starkey, who was heavily involved in her recruitment. "She may have been short in stature, but she was big in the way she played; she was physical and aggressive. Her size didn't bother her, so it didn't bother us."
The dynamic Johnson proved herself to be at her best in critical situations. The 5-foot-3 guard registered a career-best 28 points in LSU's SEC title-clinching victory over Arkansas and then dished a school-record 17 assists against Georgia in the SEC Tournament.
"I was small and always came up against so many people that always told me what I couldn't do," Johnson said. "That has made me feel that every area of my life is a success. Graduating from LSU, having an opportunity to play with some of the best, being able to play for (legendary LSU coach) Sue Gunter, helping to bring excitement and energy to Baton Rouge when I was playing, helping to grow women's basketball. I'm proud to have played my position as small as I was to the best of my ability, to give other people hope."
Johnson was then selected No. 6 overall in the 2005 WNBA Draft and earned Rookie of the Year for the Washington Mystics. She played 11 years in the WNBA, scoring 2,620 points to go with 1,382 assists, 889 rebounds and 317 steals in 327 games.
"One of my proudest moments was winning the WNBA championship in Phoenix (in 2009)," Johnson said. "I lost my grandmother the year before. Watching the woman that I spent so much of my life with being ill and there was nothing I could do to help her was very challenging and gave me a different perspective. I very much considered retiring early, but then I decided to play and dedicate my next season to her. I signed with Phoenix and we won the championship. That meant so much to me to do that in her memory."
Johnson also played professionally overseas, spending seasons in Israel, Poland, Russia, and Spain. She won the FIBA Euro Cup championship in 2012 while playing for Russia's Dynamo Kursk. She retired following an Achilles injury during the 2017-18 season in Spain.
Johnson will be recognized during a banquet with other Crescent City greats in New Orleans.
"I was just having fun doing what I love to do," Johnson said about her success. "For me, success is being the best version of yourself that you can be. That's an everyday challenge. It's an everyday journey to become the best version of yourself. Accomplishing that every day, one day at a time, is the key to success."