“Don’t let it consume you, you’re going to lose in life”: When Kim Mulkey imparted wisdom about competitive spirit

LSU coach Kim Mulkey could not guide her No. 3-seeded Tigers past the Elite Eight of the 2025 NCAA Tournament once again. The Tigers were beaten 72-65 by the No. 1-seeded UCLA Bruins to finish off a mixed season for LSU under the competitive Mulkey, who has four national championships under her belt.

After her side's elimination, Mulkey had an altercation with a reporter during her postgame news conference, which echoed her controversial back-and-forth with a Washington Post reporter last year.

During a 2023 segment of "Youth Inc," the LSU coach revealed how she deals with both her and her players' competitive spirits (17:35).

"I think that competitiveness and passion in those deep feelings are who you are," Kim Mulkey said. "And I don't want anybody to ever apologize for that. But don't let it consume you.

"You're going to lose in life and you don't have to like losing. But you have to control your emotions enough to be respectful of the opponent that just beat you. And yet, at the same time let that drive you.

"I think a lot of times, we lose our composure as competitors, we lose it as parents. And I think we have to count to 10 as they say and say, 'Hey, this happens. This is what makes you who you are.' There's nobody in life that doesn't lose or fail at some point. It's how you respond to that that really separates you from being a true champion."

When Kim Mulkey took a stand to hold the media accountable

During last year's NCAA Tournament, there was a buzz surrounding Kim Mulkey, with speculation that there was an explosive Washington Post article by reporter Kent Babb about to drop.

The LSU coach pre-empted the article's release by threatening to sue the publication for defamation:

"I've hired the best defamation law firm in the country and I will sue The Washington Post if they publish a false story about me," Kim Mulkey said. "Not many people are in a position to hold these kind of journalists accountable, but I am, and I'll do it.

"This was a ridiculous deadline that LSU and I could not possibly meet and the reporter knew it. It was just an attempt to prevent me from commenting and an attempt to distract us from this tournament. It ain't gonna work buddy."

The story dropped before the Tigers played against the UCLA Bruins in the Sweet 16 and Mulkey claimed that the timing of its release was an attempt to derail LSU's NCAA Tournament.

The article detailed Kim Mulkey's interactions with some of her former players, including Brittney Griner and the environment that she fostered within her teams. Over her 40-year coaching career, the LSU coach has not been a stranger to scrapes with the media.