EXCLUSIVE: Kim Mulkey Announces Wedding Date & Venue in Emotional LSU Team Meeting—Details Inside!
In a moment that blurred the lines between coach and family, LSU women’s basketball head coach Kim Mulkey gathered her team for what players assumed was another fiery pre-season pep talk. Instead, they were met with an emotional revelation that left the room in tears, cheers, and stunned silence. The Hall of Fame coach, known for her razor-sharp intensity and sequined sideline glam, dropped a bombshell: she’s getting married—and she wanted her players to be the first to know.
Sources inside the program describe the scene as “pure electricity.” Mulkey, who has long kept her personal life private, stood before her team with uncharacteristic vulnerability. “Y’all are my warriors on the court,” she said, according to one player, “but today, I need y’all to be my family.” With that, she revealed her wedding date—December 14, 2024—and the venue: a historic plantation-turned-event space in St. Francisville, Louisiana, just 30 minutes from LSU’s campus. The choice of location, she explained, was intentional: close enough for her team to attend without disrupting their season, yet far enough to feel like a “fairytale escape.”
The reaction was instantaneous. Players leapt from their seats, swarming Mulkey with hugs and applause. “We’ve seen her yell, we’ve seen her cry after championships, but this was different,” said All-American guard Hailey Van Lith. “She was *happy* in a way we’d never seen.” Team captain Angel Reese reportedly shouted, “Bout time, Coach!” before demanding bridesmaid duties, to which Mulkey quipped, “You’ll get a corsage and like it.” The levity dissolved into a more poignant moment when Mulkey admitted, “This program raised me as much as I’ve raised it. I couldn’t imagine stepping into this next chapter without y’all knowing first.”
The wedding marks a new beginning for Mulkey, 61, whose storied career has often overshadowed her personal journey. Divorced since 2006, she’s raised two children as a single mother while climbing the ranks of collegiate coaching, winning four national titles (three at Baylor, one at LSU) and cementing herself as one of the sport’s most polarizing and successful figures. Her fiancé, whose identity remains under wraps, is described by team insiders as “a Louisiana businessman with zero ties to basketball—which is exactly what she wanted.” Friends say the relationship offered Mulkey a refuge from the pressures of the sport, with one adding, “For the first time in decades, basketball isn’t her only love.”
The timing of the nuptials—midseason—raised eyebrows, but Mulkey assured players it was strategic. “December’s a lighter stretch,” she told them, pointing to a schedule with only two non-conference games. “And if any of y’all think this means I’ll go soft, bless your hearts.” The remark elicited laughter, but the underlying message was clear: Mulkey’s legendary intensity isn’t going anywhere. Still, the announcement has sparked speculation about her long-term future. With LSU poised for another title run and her legacy secure, could marriage signal a gradual step back? “Not a chance,” scoffed a program staffer. “If anything, she’s doubling down. She’s already joked about recruiting the wedding planner’s daughter.”
For now, the focus is on celebration. Players have already begun planning a raucous bachelorette party (“Golf carts, karaoke, and *no* film sessions,” teased Reese), while assistants are rumored to have commissioned a custom jersey-style veil. As for Mulkey? She’s leaning into the joy. At a recent practice, she interrupted drills to show the team her ring—a vintage-style emerald cut diamond—and deadpanned, “This better be the only thing y’all stare at during free throws.” The blend of her trademark humor and newfound openness has resonated deeply with the team. “We’d run through a wall for her any day,” said Van Lith. “But now? We’re gonna dance at her wedding, too.”
The news, which leaked via players’ social media teases before LSU confirmed it, has sent shockwaves through the sports world. Rival coaches, including UConn’s Geno Auriemma, have reportedly reached out with congratulations, while fans are dissecting every clue about the mystery groom. Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, the wedding is already being framed as the ultimate “family reunion” for a program Mulkey has molded in her own defiant, dazzling image. One thing’s certain: when she walks down the aisle in December, her team won’t just be in the seats—they’ll be front and center, a testament to the unbreakable bond between a coach who gave them everything and the players who gave her a reason to finally let her guard down.
—Additional reporting by LSU staff and team sources.
