"Was gonna be a CEO, fly all over the country and run a Fortune 500 company": Kim Mulkey speaks on career ambitions before taking Louisiana Tech job

Imagine LSU coach Kim Mulkey not on the basketball court, but in a high-rise office, strategizing for a Fortune 500 company. It's a stark contrast to the image most basketball fans have of her — yet it was a very real possibility.

Mulkey sat down with Gordon McKernan on the Get Gordon Presents podcast on YouTube on Friday to discuss various topics surrounding her life, career, and family.

Near the end, McKernan asked Mulkey what advice she would give a young girl looking up to her for guidance.

"Play ball because you love it. Don't do it for mom and dad. If whatever your little niche is, give it everything you have," Mulkey said (37:40 mark onwards). "You find what it is and just give it everything that you have."

Kim Mulkey then talked about young graduates and how most of them are unsure of what they want to do. She suggested that they go out and try all kinds of jobs until they find something they enjoy, reflecting on her own experience.

"When I finished the '84 Olympics, I was working on my master's degree. I was going to be a CEO, fly all over the country, and run a Fortune 500 company," she said. "And I got talked into doing this for the president at Louisiana Tech — and look what I'm doing ... the way I look at it, I really am a CEO. I did get to become a CEO. And so, don't be afraid of that."

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Kim Mulkey explains why she left Louisiana Tech after 15 years of service

Kim Mulkey joined Louisiana Tech as an assistant coach in 1985 and later served as associate head coach from 1996 to 2000, before making the move to Baylor. She previously played for the Lady Techsters and won two national championships.

Speaking with WAFB reporter Jacques Doucet on the Jacques Talk podcast in April, Mulkey elaborated on her departure from Louisiana Tech.

"I left Louisiana Tech over a five-year contract, not more money," Mulkey said (at 4:55). "And five years would have had me fully invested, and it mattered. ...You want security, not about what your pay is going to be ... I couldn't understand why I wasn't worth five years."

Kim Mulkey explained that she did everything possible, including begging, pleading and crying, to stay in Ruston, but the deal never came to fruition. She went to Baylor and won three national championships instead.