Profile of LSU's Kim Mulkey details family, player rifts - ESPN

ALBANY, N.Y. — Hours before LSU tipped off its Sweet 16 matchup against UCLA, The Washington Post published its highly anticipated profile of coach Kim Mulkey, painting a portrait of a complex woman with a singular drive and unrelenting loyalty that has alienated some family members and impacted her coaching style.

The story touched on all aspects of her life — from her upbringing in rural Louisiana, her estrangement from her father and sister, her coaching style and the way that impacts her players. It also detailed some of her controversies — including Mulkey's relationships with a number of gay players, including Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia for 294 days in 2022.

All eyes were on the Post for the past week, after Mulkey threatened legal action against the newspaper in a statement she read before LSU's second-round game against Middle Tennessee.

During that news conference, Mulkey said of reporter Kent Babb: «The lengths he has gone to try to put a hit piece together. After two years of trying to get me to sit with him for an interview, he contacts LSU on Tuesday as we were getting ready for the first-round game of this tournament with more than a dozen questions, demanding a response… right before we're scheduled to tip off. Are you kidding me?

»Not many people are in a position to hold these kinds of journalists accountable, but I am, and I'll do it."

The Post cited interviews with former players and news reports that describe Mulkey as being «known to hold grudges and clash with players, including about their appearances and displays of their sexuality.»

Griner is the player with which she has had the most public falling out, and that was made even clearer after Griner was imprisoned in Russia.