Kim Mulkey, the legendary Louisiana State University women's basketball coach, said twice on Saturday that she had not yet read The Washington Post profile on his eternal athletic career.
“Are you really surprised by the timing of it?” he asked a journalist rhetorically. before the Tigers' Sweet 16 appearance against UCLA, which LSU won 78-69, paving their way to the Elite Eight and a possible second consecutive national title.
The highly anticipated article by journalist Kent Babb was published hours before the game.
“I haven't read it,” Mulkey said of the article, adding that “he doesn't know if I'll read it” and that it will be up to his lawyers if he does.
Mulkey lashed out at the Post at a March 23 press conference.
She said the reporter, whom she did not name, had been trying for two years to get her to appear for an interview for the article, and then contacted LSU on March 19 “as we were preparing for this first-round game.” tournament with more than a dozen questions, demanding an answer by Thursday, just before the scheduled start.”
He called the deadline “ridiculous” and said he “couldn't meet it.”
“It was just an attempt to stop me from commenting and an attempt to distract us from this tournament. It’s not going to work, man,” Mulkey continued.
He threatened to “sue the Washington Post if they publish a false story about me.”
“There aren't many people who are in a position to hold these types of journalists accountable, but I am and I will,” Mulkey said during the press conference.
The article, published a week after those comments as LSU tours the March Madness women's bracket, delves into Mulkey's history as a basketball player and coach.
She touches on personal stories about her family and upbringing, including her strained relationship with her father and sister, details her legendary playing career at Louisiana Tech, and describes her history with some of her former players, including Brittney Griner, Kelli Griffin. and Emily Niemann, who have questioned whether Mulkey supported her sexuality.
The story presents a picture of a highly skilled player who won two national championships while at Louisiana Tech and an Olympic gold medal for Team USA in 1984, and a complex and motivated coach who has had many successes, including four national titles, three while she coached the Baylor Lady Bears.
She has also been embroiled in controversy, the article states, and a former teammate of Mulkey's said she wished Mulkey had made more statements in support of Griner while she was detained in a Russian prison, except for a comment on a talk show. radio. .
Speaking Saturday at a postgame conference following LSU's victory, Mulkey again said she had not read the Post article and was surprised to learn that it was published just hours before her team took the field.
“Imagine that. I should have thought everyone would see it, right, get some clicks or be a distraction. I haven't read it and probably won't read it. I'll probably have my lawyers contact me to see if there's anything we should be concerned about,” Mulkey told reporters.
When asked for comment on the Post article, an LSU representative pointed NBC News to Mulkey's postgame conference.
LSU plays the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday for a spot in the Final Four.
