"I begged, I pleaded, I cried": LSU HC Kim Mulkey reflects on her departure from Louisiana Tech over a contract dispute

LSU Tigers coach Kim Mulkey is one of the best college basketball tacticians in recent memory. Back on April 2, 2023, she led her program to their first-ever national championship berth with a commanding 17-point victory, 102-85, over the Iowa Hawkeyes in that year's NCAA national title game.

However, before her success with the Tigers, Mulkey started off her coaching career with the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters. During a recent sit-down interview on Jacques Talk earlier on Tuesday, April 22, she shared what truly went down in her known contract dispute that made her leave Louisiana Tech.

"Thank God for unanswered prayers. Always remember that, and I always believe things happen for a reason. We don't realize it in the moment, but you see, later in life, yes, I left Louisiana Tech over a five-year contract, not more money. I just felt like I had already spent 15 years in the state retirement system," Mulkey explained. (4:40)

Mulkey then went on to say that it was more than just money for the contract, even mentioning the bereaved legendary college hoops coach Leon Barmore as her guiding light.

"And five years would have had me fully vested, invested, and it mattered. I was following in the footsteps of a legend, Leon Barmore. And, so what do you want? You want security, not about what your pay is going to be. You want security. And, I just couldn't see me having spent all those years at Louisiana Tech," she shared. (5:10)

"They watched me grow up in that program. They watched me turn down three head jobs," Mulkey concluded.

Later on her interview with Jacques Talk, Mulkey revealed how flabbergasted she was that she was not thought worth a five-year contract.

"I couldn't understand why I wasn't worth five years. Five years was starting to be given to other coaches. In fact, our second assistant at Louisiana Tech had left and went to Purdue and got a five-year contract. So, it wasn't unheard of. It was just a principal reason, and I begged, I pleaded, I cried, I did everything I could to stay there," Mulkey said. (5:39)

"It just wasn't meant to be. And, I go to Baylor and roll my sleeves up and get to work," she added.

Mulkey and her team are now on the hunt for their second-ever national championship following the success they garnered in the 2022-23 season.

Kim Mulkey went on to become one of the premier college basketball coaches in recent times

Mulkey went on to have a steady 21-year stint as the main tactician for the Baylor Bears before coming to the helm of LSU's coaching staff. She recently finished with an overall record of 31-6 and 12-4 during SEC play in the 2024-25 season.

Currently, Mulkey is looking to lead the LSU Tigers to their second national championship in four years in the 2025-26 campaign. They are using this offseason to retool after they were eliminated in the Elite Eight of this year's March Madness.