There was no worse time for an unfavorable roll for Kim Mulkey and LSU. In the final play of the game with an 85-84 lead for LSU, Duke’s Ashlon Jackson received the ball from the inbound, pump-faked Flau’jae Johnson and fired off a three. It gently rolled around the rim for what felt like an eternity and went in and LSU was eliminated from the NCAA tournament.

Things were on the verge of going from bad to worse for LSU fans as an unverified report went viral on social media that Mulkey will retire after this season. “Kim Mulkey is retiring from coaching,” wrote Tyler Daigle, an “LSU Alum and Insider” if his bio is to be believed. “This will be announced after LSU‘s run this year.  Massive blow to @LSUwbkb and the college basketball scene.”

But fans could finally breathe a sigh of relief, as right after the game, a furious Kim Mulkey shut down the speculation and reaffirmed her commitment to LSU. “I’m not retiring,” Mulkey told the media. “Do I look that bad? I don’t know where that came from. I’m only 63 and I’m healthy. With a few stints in my heart, my doctor says I’m good to go. I have no clue where that stuff comes from.”

The heart problems that Mulkey is referring to come from back in 2023. Mulkey had two stents put into a coronary artery that had 95-99% blockage. However, she has been active and coaching ever since without much break. She revealed a continuation with the same intensity, hiring replacements for Gary Redus and Daphne Mitchell, who left for Rutgers. “I’m not retiring. I plan to hire two coaches quickly. I plan to get in the portal and get two or three more players,” Mulkey said. 

LSU is losing Flau’jae Johnson to the WNBA draft and three other seniors are graduating. In addition, some might leave in the transfer portal too, so she needs to get on the drawing board. The portal opens on April 6th after the National Championship game. For Mulkey, leveraging her age to push retirement rumors is a tactic used for the transfer portal and recruiting. 

“I think that’s used a lot in recruiting. I think as we get older as coaches, they want to say, “Well, how much longer is she going to be in the game?” I’m going to be in this game unless LSU fires me, until I can’t put a product on that floor that’s competitive or my health fails me,” She said. 

That can certainly plant a seed of doubt in potential recruits. They are looking at long-term development but if a coach is planning on leaving soon, it discourages them from joining that program. However, that has rarely worked against Mulkey or Geno Auriemma, who is 72 . They have had top freshman classes over the past few years. And their experience and past resume play a big part in that. 

Mulkey has now coached 27 seasons as a head coach, the first 22 coming at Baylor. She has won four national championships and has guided her teams to 20-plus win seasons every year of her head-coaching career. Beyond the immediate fallout, the matchup itself carried a deeper personal thread for Mulkey, one that involved Duke head coach Kara Lawson.

Kim Mulkey Has A Kara Lawson Admission After Heartbreaking Loss

Back in December, Kim Mulkey revealed that her player Flau’jae Johnson did not have the best time playing under Kara Lawson. While she did not blame Lawson herself, there was friction between the two teams. That was further enhanced after Duke beat LSU on a buzzer beater. However, after the game, Mulkey revealed that she tried to recruit Lawson while at Louisiana Tech.

“I said this to Kara before the game started. Kara, you may not remember this, but I watched you in AAU and I wrote you a personal note when I was an assistant at Louisiana Tech. She said, “I absolutely remember it. I was playing at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.” And I said, “Yes, you were,” Mulkey said.

Lawson went on to star for Pat Summitt’s Tennessee,  average 13.7 points and 4.4 rebounds. She was selected 5th in the WNBA draft for the Detroit Shock and represented the American national team, eventually finding her way into coaching. 

“I’ve watched Kara for a long time as a player and then she went to Tennessee,” Mulkey said. “Then she played in the Olympics and now she’s going to be the Olympic coach. So I have nothing but respect for what she has done. I didn’t like her honestly as a TV analyst, but I like her as a coach. Fair enough.” So despite the crushing losses in the hands of Lawson this season and the tension between Johnson and her, Mulkey only has positive things to say about Lawson.