Kim Mulkey threatened legal action against the Washington Post back in March and apparently got the publication to back off of its initial story, which also involved Angel Reese. Kent Babb, the author, did not publish a few different components to the profile that were previously discussed with the staff at LSU.
All of the juicy details have been uncovered!
Cory Diaz of the Lafayette Daily Advertiser used an open records request to discover more of what did not go to print. He found emails between Babb and LSU Sports Information Director Grant Kauvar. They revealed allegations of a much bigger culture problem within the program.
For those who do not know the backstory, here’s a short synopsis:
- Kim Mulkey is the head women’s basketball coach at LSU.
- She is a rather controversial figure within the sport because of her abrasive, hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to both basketball and off-court activities. She doesn’t mince her words.
- She also won four national championships.
- Sports Illustrated senior writer Pat Forde teased “some buzz about a big Washington Post story” about Mulkey right before the start of Women’s March Madness.
- Mulkey got ahead of the story and publicly ripped Babb to shreds during a press conferene.
- She called it a “hit piece.”
- She threatened to sue for defamation.
- Mulkey doubled down and slammed Babb, again, for being a “sleazy reporter.”
- The article was formally published on March 30.
- It was fairly underwhelming, which raised a lot of questions about what was not included.
- It was revealed that Mulkey’s father has to sneak into her games because they have not talked to each other in 37 years.
- Mulkey attacked Babb and the Washington Post after the article’s release.
- LSU advanced to the Elite Eight and lost to Iowa, which killed all of the buzz.
Now, two and a half months later, we have some answers to those aforementioned questions!
What did the Washington Post omit?
Emails obtained by The Daily Advertiser provide insight on what was not reported. They date back 30 days prior to Mulkey’s press conference. Babb went back and forth with Kauvar during that period of time. Many of the discussed during their exchanges did not end up in the article.
A spokesperson for the Washington Post also told Diaz that it “stands by Kent Babb and his reporting,” for whatever that is worth. The statement did not expand further on what exactly the publication backs.
Angel Reese allegedly got in a fight.
Babb emailed Kauvar on March 19 with a “heads up” on a few different topics. One such incident took place in 2022.
Reese, in her first year with the Tigers, allegedly got in a fight with unnamed teammates in front of recruits. Mulkey is said to have called her players into a meeting after the spat and required them to leave their phones, turned off, in another room.
This was after a fight involving Angel Reese, witnessed by one of my sources, that occurred in front of visiting recruits. One of these individuals present in the team meeting shared that Mulkey said: “This entire locker room is trash.”
— Kent Babb to Grant Kauvar
LSU did not comment on the matter when asked by Diaz. Neither Reese nor the Chicago Sky could be reached for comment.
Kim Mulkey allegedly silenced players.
Another alleged event that did not go to print involved the head coach, one of her players at LSU, and Brittney Griner. The former Baylor basketball star won a national title under Mulkey. Their poor relationship is not a secret and dates back to their time together in Waco.
Griner was detained in Russia for 10 months in 2022. Mulkey never once offered support.
According to an email from Babb to Kauvar, she also may not have allowed her players to show support. He wrote: “an LSU player was disciplined as a result of screenshotting and sharing a social media message of support for Griner during Griner’s detainment.”
That specific story was not published by the Washington Post. The school declined to comment. It has not been verified through independent channels.
All of this is alleged at this point. Babb’s words in his emails are all that is known.
Maybe more details will come out over time!