Meet Kim Mulkey: The brilliant and controversial basketball coach who led LSU to its first national championship

Meredith CashApr 4, 2023, 21:24 IST

Kim Mulkey crouches on the sideline during the 2023 national championship game.Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Kim Mulkey, who just led LSU to its first-ever national championship in basketball, is one of the best coaches in in the college game and one of the most controversial.
The Hall of Fame coach has been at the center of several controversies, including a years-long feud with former star Brittney Griner and defense of Baylor through its sexual assault scandal.

Kim Mulkey has once again climbed to the top of college basketball's highest mountain.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

She was a superstar athlete in her own right from the earliest days of her childhood.

Jerry Wachter /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images

Mulkey headed off to Louisiana Tech for college, where her winning ways translated over to the Lady Techsters.

AP Photo/Doug Pizac

She helped Team USA to its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's basketball — kick-starting a dynasty for the Stars and Stripes.

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Mulkey started her career in coaching at her alma mater under coach Leon Barmore and, to no one's surprise, kept on winning.

AP Photo/Mark Humphrey

She earned her first head coaching gig with the Baylor Bears at the turn of the century and brought the program to new heights from the jump.

REUTERS/Jeff Topping

It only took her five years to hang her first banner in Baylor's Ferrell Center.

REUTERS/John Gress

Seven years and two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four later, Mulkey earned her second national championship.

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Mulkey reportedly encouraged Griner and other gay players to hide their sexuality while playing on her team.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

Mulkey defended Baylor through its scandal over covered-up reports of rape and sexual assault, saying she was "tired of people talking about it."

AP Photo/Chris O'Meara

Still, her program thrived, and she joined elite coaching company by winning yet another title in 2019.

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She faced some backlash for taking her team to visit then-President Donald Trump after the win.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Mulkey was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame the following year.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

The COVID-19 pandemic created yet another source of controversy for Mulkey, who expressed skepticism about the NCAA's health and safety precautions.

When she decided to leave Baylor and return to her home state of Louisiana to help turn around the LSU Tigers' program, Mulkey kicked off her introductory press conference by flinging her mask.

Peter Forest/Getty Images

When she decided to leave Baylor and return to her home state of Louisiana to help turn around the LSU Tigers' program, Mulkey kicked off her introductory press conference by flinging her mask.

When Griner was detained in Russia after Mulkey's first season at LSU, the head coach refused to comment on her former Baylor star's imprisonment.

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

In only her second season leading the Tigers, Mulkey led LSU to its first-ever basketball national championship on either the men's or women's side.

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

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Meet Kim Mulkey: The brilliant and controversial basketball coach who led LSU to its first national championship

Kim Mulkey has once again climbed to the top of college basketball's highest mountain.

She was a superstar athlete in her own right from the earliest days of her childhood.

Mulkey headed off to Louisiana Tech for college, where her winning ways translated over to the Lady Techsters.

She helped Team USA to its first-ever Olympic gold medal in women's basketball — kick-starting a dynasty for the Stars and Stripes.

Mulkey started her career in coaching at her alma mater under coach Leon Barmore and, to no one's surprise, kept on winning.

She earned her first head coaching gig with the Baylor Bears at the turn of the century and brought the program to new heights from the jump.

It only took her five years to hang her first banner in Baylor's Ferrell Center.

Seven years and two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four later, Mulkey earned her second national championship.

Mulkey reportedly encouraged Griner and other gay players to hide their sexuality while playing on her team.

Mulkey defended Baylor through its scandal over covered-up reports of rape and sexual assault, saying she was "tired of people talking about it."

Still, her program thrived, and she joined elite coaching company by winning yet another title in 2019.

She faced some backlash for taking her team to visit then-President Donald Trump after the win.

Mulkey was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame the following year.

The COVID-19 pandemic created yet another source of controversy for Mulkey, who expressed skepticism about the NCAA's health and safety precautions.

When she decided to leave Baylor and return to her home state of Louisiana to help turn around the LSU Tigers' program, Mulkey kicked off her introductory press conference by flinging her mask.

When Griner was detained in Russia after Mulkey's first season at LSU, the head coach refused to comment on her former Baylor star's imprisonment.

In only her second season leading the Tigers, Mulkey led LSU to its first-ever basketball national championship on either the men's or women's side.