Report: Kim Mulkey allegedly covered up fight involving Angel Reese

Early in LSU‘s NCAA Tournament run this past March, head coach Kim Mulkey discussed a story from the Washington Post potentially being published about her. Mulkey claimed Kent Babb would release a “hit piece” and threatened to sue the Post if ever released.

While a story about Mulkey was released, there were parts left out about specific incidents. The USA TODAY was able to uncover those due to an open requests request, revealing emails between Babb and LSU officials.

One of the incidents involved Angel Reese, who reportedly was involved in a fight while LSU was hosting recruits. Mulkey then allegedly addressed the team in a meeting in 2022, requesting they turn off their phones and leave them in another room.

Those in attendance were reportedly not impressed with what unfolded in Baton Rouge.

“Babb wrote he received from multiple individuals regarding a team meeting in 2022 during which players were required to turn off their phones and leave them in another room while Mulkey addressed the team,” the USA TODAY report said.

“Babb wrote, ‘This was after a fight involving Angel Reese, witnessed by one of my sources, that occurred in front of visiting recruits. One of these individuals present in the team meeting shared that Mulkey said: ‘This entire locker room is trash.’”

This information was uncovered in an email between Babb and LSU Sports Information Director Grant Kauvar, occurring four days before Mulkey spoke on the “hit piece” to the media.

The USA TODAY reached out to both Reese, a current player in the WNBA for the Chicago Sky, and officials at LSU but did not receive any comments.

Reese arrived in Baton Rouge ahead of the 2022-23 season, transferring into the program after two years with the Maryland Terrapins. The reported fight occurred during the season, LSU was having a ton of success with 13 wins out of 13 to kick off the season.

Either way, there was a ton of on-court success both in the regular season and in the NCAA Tournament. LSU finished 34-2 overall and second in the SEC regular season standings. But Mulkey was able to win the program its first-ever national championship, with the historic moment taking place in Dallas.

Reese was a key member of the team, being the leading scorer and rebounder with an average of 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game. She was also named to the All-NCAA Tournament team for her performance.