Kim Mulkey’s parents’ fractured relationship influenced her own estrangement from her younger sister, Tammy.
Highlights
- Kim Mulkey has achieved unprecedented success in basketball, becoming the first person to win NCAA championships as a player, assistant coach, and head coach, with a total of four titles as a head coach (three at Baylor and one at LSU).
- Despite her professional accomplishments, Mulkey has maintained a 37-year estrangement from her father, Les, following her parents’ divorce, which resulted from his infidelity, and she has not spoken to him since her 1987 wedding.
- Mulkey’s coaching style is characterized by intensity and high standards that have produced remarkable results but have also contributed to controversial relationships with some players and complicated personal relationships, including a more recent estrangement from her sister Tammy.
Kim Mulkey stands as one of the most accomplished figures in basketball history.
Since 2021, she has been leading Louisiana State University’s women’s basketball team with remarkable success.
Mulkey’s basketball journey began in Tickfaw, Louisiana, where she developed the skills and determination that would propel her to greatness.
As a player, Mulkey was a formidable force despite her 5’4″ frame.
At Louisiana Tech University, she led her team to two national championships—the AIAW title in 1981 and the inaugural NCAA title in 1982.
Her excellence earned her the first-ever Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award in 1984, recognizing her as the top college senior under 5’6″.
Her playing career reached international heights when she won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 Olympics.
Mulkey’s coaching career began at her alma mater, Louisiana Tech, where she served as an assistant under Leon Barmore for 15 years before being promoted to associate head coach.
During this period, Tech achieved a remarkable 430-68 record and captured the 1988 NCAA championship.
In 2000, Mulkey took on the challenge of revitalizing Baylor’s struggling program, which had finished last in the Big 12 with a dismal 7-20 record.
She transformed the Bears into a powerhouse, leading them to three NCAA championships in 2005, 2012, and 2019. The 2012 title came after a perfect 40-0 season.
After 21 seasons at Baylor, Mulkey returned to her home state to coach LSU in 2021.
By her second season, she had led the Tigers to the 2023 national championship—her fourth title as a head coach.
This achievement cemented her place in basketball history as the first person to win national championships as a player, assistant coach, and head coach.
Mulkey’s intensity and demand for excellence have yielded tremendous results throughout her coaching career.
In September 2023, LSU recognized her value by signing her to a 10-year, $32 million contract extension, making her one of the highest-paid coaches in women’s basketball.
The Struggles Between Kim And Her Parents Reflect Her Uncompromising Nature In Both Family And Career
Born in Santa Ana, California, but raised in Tickfaw, Louisiana, Mulkey’s childhood was shaped by family dynamics that would eventually lead to deep and lasting estrangements.
Kim grew up on farmland owned by her father, Les Mulkey. According to multiple reports, Les’s infidelity had a devastating impact on the family during Kim’s early years.
The marriage between Les and Kim’s mother, Dru, eventually ended in divorce, with Les leaving the family for a younger woman.
The pain of this family fracture has endured for decades.
At her 1987 wedding, Kim permitted her father and his new wife to attend but insisted they sit at the back of the ceremony, away from the family.
Making a powerful statement about her feelings, Kim chose to walk herself down the aisle rather than have her father escort her.
This wedding marked the last time Kim and her father spoke—a silence that has persisted for 37 years.
In her 2007 autobiography “Won’t Back Down,” Kim addressed the family turmoil directly, writing,
“His unfaithfulness to my mother devastated our entire family.”
NYTimes
The depth of this hurt is evident in her refusal to read notes Les sent pleading for reconciliation over the years.
Despite the estrangement, the 86-year-old Les Mulkey continues to follow his daughter’s career from a distance.
He reportedly drives 50 miles from their hometown to Baton Rouge occasionally, slipping into the back of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to watch Kim coach without her knowledge.
“I love my babies,” Les told The Washington Post. “I ain’t ashamed.“
Kim’s relationship with her younger sister, Tammy, has also deteriorated. Though once close, the sisters experienced a falling out around 2018-2019.
Tammy has not publicly disclosed the nature of their disagreement but expressed hope for eventual reconciliation, saying,
“I just miss the memories. I wish I could have it all back.”
abcnews
The family divisions reflect a characteristic that both supporters and critics recognize in Mulkey—an uncompromising nature that holds firm to her principles and grudges alike.
This trait has fueled her coaching success while simultaneously complicating her personal relationships.
Additional Information
- Kim Mulkey style is inspired by Louisiana culture, and she often wears outfits created by a brand called Queen of Sparkles.
- During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Mulkey stirred controversy by publicly suggesting that the NCAA should “dump the COVID testing” for players during the tournament’s Final Four.
- She graduated as her high school’s valedictorian with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was later inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America’s Academic Hall of Fame in recognition of her classroom achievements.
