"Be careful when you say I protect them": When Kim Mulkey got 100% honest about her personality at Baylor

During the post-game press conference of the 2011 Big 12 Championship final, then-Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey delivered a candid response when asked why she is often described as “protective” of her players.

Known for her fiery passion on the sidelines and her unwavering loyalty to her team, Mulkey set the record straight.

“When my athletes do right, I support them,” Mulkey said. “But I will never protect a player who’s in the wrong. Look, I’ve dismissed starters for missing class. So be careful when you say I protect them—I don’t. I hold them accountable.”

For Mulkey, that sense of accountability is rooted in who she is as a person and in the influence of those who coached her during her playing days. She invoked two legendary names from women’s basketball who helped shape her character and coaching style.

“Have you ever met Leon Barmore? Pat Summitt? I got them in their prime. Compared to them, I’m a pussycat,” she added.

Mulkey admired those coaches not just for their standards but for the loyalty they showed when their players gave their all. She never wanted to disappoint them. The current LSU coach noted that she gave everything and received protection from the coaches.

Mulkey also did not shy away from confronting how the public sometimes views her approach.

“Some of you write that I’m ‘brutally honest’ or ‘honest to a fault,’" she said. "Since when is honesty a fault? I’ve never turned down an interview. I’ve never lied to anyone here. What you see is what you get. That’s just who I am.”

She also revealed a moment with former Baylor player Bernice Mosby that summed up how she likes to keep her fierce exterior intact.

“Bernice Mosby once said, ‘Coach, you’ve got everybody fooled who doesn’t know you,’" Mulkey said. "I told her, ‘Shut up and keep it that way!’ Because I don’t want people outside the locker room to know me differently—it gives me a competitive edge.”

Mulkey’s connection with her players runs deep and she pointed this out during the presser.

“My players play hard for me," Mulkey said. "They laugh with me, they cry with me. I can still get emotional talking about Melissa Jones. That was real. That’s who I am.”

She wrapped up the response by pointing out her maternal side and her hands-on coaching style, noting that she had two kids, McKenzie and Kramer, who taught her to be real with young people.

What Kim Mulkey achieved at Baylor

Kim Mulkey coached at Baylor for 21 years (from 2000 to 2021). During that time, she built one of the most successful programs in women’s college basketball. She won three NCAA championships (2005, 2012, 2019), making four Final Fours and earning over 630 victories. She also developed multiple All-Americans and was named National Coach of the Year two times.

Mulkey moved to LSU in 2021 and led the Tigers to the national championship in her second season there.