The LSU Tigers’ journey in the 2025 NCAA tournament came to an end on Sunday with a tough Elite Eight loss to the Texas Longhorns. While the Tigers’ exit was disappointing, it was head coach Kim Mulkey’s postgame remarks that stirred controversy.
During her media address, Mulkey responded sharply to a reporter’s question by asking how many Final Four games they had played in. The remark, which seemed confrontational, quickly became a talking point in the sports world.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the situation during the latest episode of First Take. She offering a blunt assessment of Mulkey’s take, calling her “very rude.”
“I’m not gonna take away from the fact that Kim Mulkey is a great coach and an established coach. We just need to finally say this about her: she’s very rude. She’s very very rude. She’s rude, she’s condescending, and unnecessarily so to too many people,” Smith said.
Stephen A. Smith: "I'm not gonna take away from the fact that Kim Mulkey is a great coach and an established coach. We just need to finally say this about her: she's very rude. She's very very rude. She's rude, she's condescending and unnecessarily so to too many people." pic.twitter.com/Qr0ngIdcC4
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 31, 2025
“But it’s always with the right one. See, she doesn’t go up to the wrong ones like that. She’s a phenomenal coach, one of the best ever, but she’s just a very very rude person,” he added.
Shannon Sharpe Slams Kim Mulkey
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Stephen A. Smith was not alone in his criticism. NFL Hall of Famer and Nightcap host Shannon Sharpe shared similar thoughts, pointing to a long-standing pattern of behavior from the LSU coach.
“Kim Mulkey has been nasty for a very long time, and she has gotten away with this type of behavior because she is a national championship-winning coach. She has a history of doing this,” Sharpe said.
Mulkey’s intensity is well known, and her coaching resume speaks for itself. After leading LSU to a national championship in 2023, she was expected to make another deep run this season. The Tigers fell short in the Elite Eight for a second straight year that undoubtedly added to her frustration. However, her combative response is now at the center of sports debate.
