Former Baylor Bears coach and now LSU Tigers champion tactician Kim Mulkey once drew bold comparisons between two legendary coaches of her sport. In June 2016, late Tennessee Volunteers coach Pat Summitt died at the age of 64, leaving an irreplaceable mark in women’s basketball as a whole.
This prompted Mulkey, who was interviewed by SportsCenter, to express gratitude and praise Summitt, who she said was her friend. SportsCenter published the three-minute interview with Mulkey on their X/Twitter handle. She compared Summitt to legendary UCLA Bruins coach, the late John Wooden.
“She’s the equivalent of John Wooden in the women’s game,” Mulkey claimed.
“She’s the equivalent of John Wooden in the women’s game.” – Kim Mulkey remembers Pat Summitt https://t.co/VxEtxLIY1B
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 28, 2016
Mulkey added on to her tributes of Summitt by posting one of the latter’s quotes on her Instagram account, which reads:
“You can’t always be the strongest or most talented or most gifted person in the room, but you can be the most competitive.”
Both Summitt and Wooden are considered by many as two of the greatest collegiate basketball coaches of all time.
Summitt won eight NCAA titles with the Volunteers while Wooden garnered a total of 10. For Mulkey, she is currently coming off a 2024-25 season in which she and the Tigers finished with an overall record of 31-6 (12-4 SEC).
Kim Mulkey expressed her gratitude towards Pat Summitt on Instagram when the latter died
When Pat Summitt died in June 2016, Kim Mulkey shared a heartfelt tribute for the legendary college basketball coach on her Instagram. As mentioned earlier, Mulkey posted one of Summitt’s many quotes on her feed. The now LSU Tigers coach also included a caption wherein she gives a plethora of thank yous for everything that Summitt had done.
“Thank you…Thank you for emptying everything you had into this game. Thank you for paving a way. Thank you for setting an example. Thank you for your dedication and passion. Thank you for your knowledge. Thank you for being the type of person and coach I’ve strived to emulate. You will be FOREVER remembered, admired, and celebrated! THANK YOU, coach,” Mulkey wrote.
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Mulkey, who has moved on to LSU from the Baylor Bears, is now entering the 2025-26 season, with her Tigers looking to win their second national title in program history. Mulkey brought the team its first NCAA championship with a 17-point win, 102-85, against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA title game. Since then, Mulkey and company have been pursuing a return to the college basketball mountaintop.
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