When Joe Biden called her Friday to invite her and her players from Louisiana State University (LSU) to the White House, the question may have crossed the mind of the American president: with what kind of outfit Kim Mulkey will she go to the official celebrations? Last Sunday, during the college basketball final won against Iowa, ESPN viewers (12.6 million at their highest, a record) could not miss his tiger, black and gold glitter ensemble. Flashy but rather circumstantial to lead the Tigers to a first NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) title.
In the semi-finals, there was the candy pink jacket, sleeves adorned with imposing fabric flowers. In 8th grade, feathers and frills. Previously, glittering butterflies or multicolored hearts. Each match has its sartorial extravagance. “Listen, we’re from Louisiana, we like shiny things, diamonds, Mardi Gras and partying”exhibited during the final tournament this 60-year-old woman, who only coaches in stilettos, with a Rolex on her wrist offered by a fan.
Inducted by Michael Jordan
In February, the door to her dressing room in Baton Rouge was opened to local media, which notably identified 29 rhinestone jackets and 171 pairs of shoes. She explains : “Designers send me clothes and say, ‘Coach, I don’t know anything about basketball, but I’ll just come by to see what you’re wearing.’ Well, I want those who come for this reason to continue to do so and to learn basketball. »
Pop star of the American parquet floors, Kim Mulkey is first of all a respected coach, nearly 700 victories and a ratio of 86%. She opened the LSU charts two years after her arrival, in itself a return to her home turf. Over her previous 21 seasons at Baylor, Texas Baptist University where she did more sobriety, three titles were won. Enough to lead her to the Hall of Fame in 2020, where Michael Jordan has agreed to induct her. “The last time we stood so close was at the 1984 Olympics and we were much sharper”told on the stage this former leader, also a gold medalist with Team USA.
Mulkey doesn’t just get applause. Several episodes have made him a controversial figure. In 2013, Brittney Griner revealed that the coach had asked her and other players to hide their homosexuality, for recruiting reasons. “The coaches thought that if they seemed to tolerate that, the parents would not let their children play for the team”, she explained. When Griner was detained in Russia last year, Mulkey’s silence was noticed. Much like his flippancy, in 2016, when a scandal broke at Baylor, with the university accused of covering up dozens of rape or sexual assault cases.
Other files, his desire to see the NCAA remove Covid tests during the 2019 Final Four. Or his eagerness to be invited by Donald Trump after the victory, when the last two champion teams, and not only, had made the impasse to protest the policies of his administration. Biden will therefore be the fourth president to cross paths with Kim Mulkey in the Oval Office. A priori, the feathers will be left in the closet.
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