LSU women’s basketball entered March Madness as a No. 3 seed and won a national championship in 2023. However, the Tigers failed to replicate that success, suffering an Elite Eight loss to the UCLA Bruins.
After the game, LSU’s head coach Kim Mulkey fired back at a reporter who asked a question about the Tigers’ loss, saying, “How many Final Fours have you played in?” This comment from Mulkey received a lot of backlash, including from Shannon Sharpe.
Shannon Sharpe Holds Kim Mulkey Accountable for Post-Game Comments
There might not be a bigger rivalry in sports than Mulkey and Sharpe. Sharpe has long been critical of the Lady Tigers’ head coach and her impatience and disrespect towards the media.
On Sharpe’s podcast, “Nightcap,” he told his co-host, Chad Johnson, “Kim Mulkey has been nasty for a very long time. And she’s gotten away with this type of behavior because she is a National Championship-winning head coach.”
Sharpe felt that due to her greatness on the floor Mulkey feels entitled to be disrespectful and brash to the media. While Mulkey’s comment was a bit overboard, as Johnson pointed out to Sharpe, emotions are high after big losses such as this one.
Mulkey has won four national championships since 2005, three with the Baylor Bears and one with LSU. Mulkey finished the 2022-2023 season on top of the women’s basketball world with LSU and she likely was feeling a wide variety of emotions after the loss to UCLA that led to her post-game comments.
I agree with Sharpe that Mulkey probably did not say the right thing in response to the reporter, but I also agree with Johnson that no person would be in the right mindset to out and answer questions after such a devastating loss.
KEEP READING: ‘How Many Final Fours Did You Play In?’ – Kim Mulkey Roasts Media Member After Elite Eight Loss
Sharpe wasn’t feeling that excuse, though, doubling down.
“When you’ve been in this situation for an extended period of time, and you expect your players to behave in a certain manner after the game, I think the coach should set the precedent, should set the example, should lead by example,” Sharpe said.
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