Kim Mulkey addresses fake retirement report after loss to Duke: ‘Do I look that bad?’
By David Wasson
Published:
The LSU women’s basketball team was bounced out of the 2026 Women’s NCAA Tournament in stunning style Friday night, as Duke’s Ashlon Jackson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for an 87-85 Sweet 16 victory.
The loss kept veteran Tigers coach Kim Mulkey from advancing to a fourth straight Elite Eight appearance and ended LSU’s season at 29-6. After the game, Mulkey addressed a fake report about her impending retirement that circulated on social media during Friday’s game.
“You’re now explaining to me why my phone was blowing up with that same question,” Mulkey said with a chuckle after the Duke loss. “And I said to this person ‘I’m not retiring. Do I look that bad?’ I don’t know where that came from. I’m only 63. I’m healthy, with a few stents in my heart. My doctor says I am good to go. I have no clue where that stuff comes from, guys. I have never, ever told anybody that.”
Mulkey, who just finished her fifth season at LSU after a wildly successful run at Baylor, is the only person in the women’s game to have won a national title as a player, an assistant coach and a head coach.
“There are moments you feel like ‘Why am I doing this?’ But I don’t get how people can just write crap on social media. … I’m not retiring,” Mulkey continued. “I’m plan to hire two coaches quickly. I plan to get in the portal and get two or three more players and take a little time off to see my grandchildren. There is no retiring.
“I think that is used a lot in recruiting. I think, as we get older as coaches, they wanna say ‘How much longer is she gonna be in the game?’ I’m going to be in this game unless LSU fires me, ok? Until I can’t put a product on that floor that is competitive or that my health fails me.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
