Shannon Sharpe Criticizes Kim Mulkey’s ‘Unpleasant’ Encounter with Reporter

Shannon Sharpe has long urged the media to hold Kim Mulkey accountable, and now he’s taking matters into his own hands.

After LSU’s head coach was confronted with a question about her team’s season ending before reaching the Final Four, she responded sharply. Following LSU’s 72-65 loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight, KLSU Sports’ Jayden Smith asked why the Tigers fell short of their championship aspirations. Mulkey interrupted him sarcastically, saying, “That’s terrible, isn’t it?” and directed a question back to the student reporter: “How many Final Fours have you been to?”

#LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey to reporter after Elite Eight loss to #UCLA: “How many Final Fours did you play in?” 😳 pic.twitter.com/spR8bS3mBk

— Spencer Brown (@j_spencerbrown) March 30, 2025

Predictably, Sharpe was not pleased. In a discussion with his Nightcap co-host, Chad Johnson, who offered a more sympathetic view towards Mulkey’s reaction, he remarked, “Really? Ocho, really?” Johnson suggested that the reporter needed to be careful about how the question was phrased, especially after such a tough loss. He emphasized that after a game, players are often told to take a moment to collect themselves before answering questions, which Mulkey, having just lost, might have found challenging.

However, Sharpe wasn’t buying it. “Has she not ever lost a game before?” he countered, asserting that Mulkey shouldn’t have responded so dismissively. “He didn’t even get a chance to finish the question,” he continued, calling out her snapback with a rhetorical question. While Johnson speculated that the reporter’s wording could have triggered Mulkey’s response, Sharpe stated that this dismissive behavior was part of a troubling pattern overlooked due to her success.

“I don’t think so. I don’t believe so,” Sharpe insisted. “Kim Mulkey has been nasty for a very long time. And she’s gotten away with this type of behavior because she is a National Championship-winning head coach. Her history echoes that of Bobby Knight, whose bad behavior was excused because of his success. Winning allows some bad behavior to be overlooked.” He drew comparisons to how unacceptable it would be for an athlete to say, “How many times have you caught a pass in the NFL?” and affirmed that Mulkey’s behavior in this situation should also be deemed unacceptable.

While acknowledging the emotional intensity following the game, Sharpe did not consider it a valid reason for Mulkey’s conduct. “When emotion is high, logic is generally low — and we say things. She probably doesn’t feel bad because, like I said, she’s a four-time National Championship-winning coach. But I expect more from a coach. Having been in this business for so long, the coach should set the standard and lead by example,” he stated.

Coaches demand accountability from their players, and Sharpe believes it’s time for Mulkey to hold herself to the same standard. Responding to a legitimate inquiry with condescension isn’t toughness; it’s a troubling pattern that has persisted for too long.

And if no one else is willing to address it, Sharpe is more than ready to step in.