LSU star Flau’jae Johnson revealed Kim Mulkey’s attitude toward her players.
Mulkey is known as a fiery coach who gets the best out of her players, with star Angel Reese crediting the Lady Tigers’ head coach for helping mold her into the player she is as a professional. Johnson gave more insight into how Mulkey is as a coach, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how the 62-year-old conducts herself in the locker room.
While speaking with Candace Parker on her “Best of Both Worlds” podcast, Johnson explained how Mulkey’s coaching style, despite how abrasive it might seem, has helped her immensely, especially as she looks to lead LSU to another national championship. In particular, Johnson also noted how the mental aspect of her game improved greatly because of what Mulkey says in practice.
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“Talk about crazy,” the college basketball star told Parker. “Just the thing about Coach [Mulkey], it’s that mental battle of expecting every day you gonna come in and give a 100 percent.
“Playing under Coach Mul, my mental has gotten so strong. She’s going to say the most off-the-wall stuff ever, so anything that happens on the court doesn’t even really matter for real. I’m so much mentally stronger than I was – being able to be poised, being able to make mistakes and recover and still be efficient.”
While Mulkey’s demeanor might rub some fans and pundits the wrong way, the legendary coach’s ways clearly impact her players. Throughout Reese’s rookie season in the WNBA, Mulkey often was spotted in the crowd, supporting her former as she chased Caitlin Clark for the Rookie of the Year.
Kim Mulkey’s relationships with her players is situational (
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Additionally, Reese’s relationship with Mulkey was key when the star felt the need to take time off to deal with the pressures of being a star athlete. During the first episode of Reese’s podcast, “Unapologetically Angel,” she explained how having a close relationship with Mulkey allowed the two to be open with one another.
“Coming back to practice, the vibe was weird,” Reese recalled. “The energy was weird in practice because we lost our first game, and our next wasn’t for two weeks. I wasn’t in a good mental space for my own team, for myself and not being able to give my best.
“After the game, I sat the second half of the Kent State game, and me and Kim Mulkey kinda got into it about something. After that game, she and I had a conversation, and we talked about what’s best moving forward. She said it was best for me to take some time off.”
That said, not all of Mulkey’s players had the same fortune of having a close relationship with her. Kateri Poole transferred from LSU to the University of Houston after Mulkey accused the point guard of leaking information to the Lady Tigers’ opponents.
During a TikTok live session, Poole told fans that Mulkey accused her of sending reports to other teams, which strained her relationship with the university. “She said that I sent a scouting report to another school. I ain’t do that,” Poole asserted.
When pressed by reporters on Poole’s departure in December 2023, Mulkey was very short with her answers. “She’s no longer with us,” Mulkey said matter-of-factly.
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