Kim Mulkey Blasts 'Sexist' LA Times, Then Talks 'Devotion' & 'Prayer' Ahead Of Easter Sunday

ALBANY, NY – As her press conferences usually are, Kim Mulkey's postgame press conference after her LSU Tigers beat the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 was nothing short of very entertaining. 

She addressed the Washington Post column prior to the game, but didn't have much to say about it. She did, however, have a lot to say about a recent article in the Los Angeles Times. 

"I saw an article -- I didn't see it, someone sent it to me," Mulkey said in response to a question about whether her team has an "Us against the world" mentality. "It was a commentary from the LA Times." 

The article to which Mulkey was referring is titled, "UCLA-LSU is America’s sweethearts vs. its basketball villains" and it was posted on the LA Times website on Friday. 

"This isn’t just a basketball game, it’s a reckoning. Picking sides goes well beyond school allegiance," the writer begins. "Do you prefer America’s sweethearts or its dirty debutantes? Milk and cookies or Louisiana hot sauce?"

Head coach Kim Mulkey of the LSU Tigers reacts after a call by a referee during a game against the UCLA Bruins during the Sweet Sixteen of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament.

(Getty Images)

Mulkey took strong offense to that commentary. 

"The one thing I'm not going to let you do, I'm not going to let you attack young people, and there were some things in this commentary, guys, that you should be offended by as women. It was so sexist, and they don't even know it.

"It was good versus evil in that game today. Evil? Called us dirty debutantes? Take your phone out right now and Google dirty debutantes and tell me what it says. Dirty debutantes? Are you kidding me?"

I did what she asked and Googled it, because I really didn't know either. Let's just say that you shouldn't search for that term on a work phone or computer. 

"It was even sexist for this reporter to say UCLA was milk and cookies," she continued. "You women sit there, and you keep your mouths shut if you want. I'm in the last third of my career, but I'm not going to let sexism continue. And if you don't think that's sexism, then you're in denial … I know sexism when I see it and I read it. That was awful." 

A clearly fired-up Mulkey had a message that she wanted to deliver, and as one of the reporters in that room, I promise: message delivered. No one took their eyes off Mulkey as she laid into the LA Times. 

Kim Mulkey talks to reporters after LSU defeated UCLA in the Sweet 16 of the Women's NCAA Tournament.

(Dan Zaksheske)

To switch gears, though, I asked Mulkey if she and her team planned to celebrate Easter Sunday, which comes on an off-day for the team before they compete in the Elite Eight on Monday night. 

"Absolutely. Every Sunday if it wasn't Easter, we have devotion. We have devotion as a team," Mulkey replied. "Every morning and every noon and every dinner meal, each kid is asked to pray, and we don't have a roomful of Baptists, Methodists -- we have Muslims, we have Jewish kids, we have all walks of life, and we respect whatever prayer they want to say.

"To answer your questions, you'd better believe that we will do that. Thank you for asking that."

It's not often that Mulkey thanks reporters in her postgame press conference, so this one is going on my personal highlight reel. Still, I thought it was an important question to ask the LSU head coach.

Coach Mulkey and the Tigers will also practice on Sunday as they prepare for their Elite Eight game on Monday night.