“I’m honored”: When Kim Mulkey revealed how she got Michael Jordan to induct her into the Hall of Fame
Michael Jordan announced Kim Mulkey's induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, where the coach joined the ranks of Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan and others. In a May 2021 episode of "Tigers Win," Mulkey shared that she had no imagination of witnessing MJ on the stage.
Mulkey further added that the setup with Jordan came automatically as the Chicago Bulls legend was aligned for his tribute to Bryant.
"I had asked Coach (Leon) Barmore, but he's having some serious health issues right now, and he couldn't do it," Kim Mulkey said. "I'm not sure if he was healthy, he would do it because he hates to fly, that's probably why he's not coaching anymore.
"So, I was talking to Fran at the Naismith Hall of Fame, who organizes all of it, and I said I can list all these great ones I want to introduce me - Larry Bird... But how selfish of me would it be to ask them to spend their time and money to fly out there to do that.
"Who is presenting that you know are coming to the Hall of Fame, and she told me that you were in the 84 Olympics with Michael, he's doing Kobe Bryant's tribute. I said, 'Throw him in there, let him do mine, it's all good,' and that's how it came about. And of course, she had to ask him, and I said, 'I'm honored.'"
Kim Mulkey's thoughts on facing the South Carolina Gamecocks
Kim Mulkey and the No. 5 LSU Tigers (20-0, 5-0 Southeastern Conference) will take their perfect record to the Colonial Life Arena to face the defending champions, No. 2 South Carolina (18-1, 6-0 SEC), on Thursday.
Mulkey has a 5-2 losing record against Dawn Staley. On Sunday, the Tigers coach credited the Gamecocks for their competitiveness, realizing the challenge it poses to her roster. However, Mulkey said it is the least of her present concerns as she is worried about snow when she heads back to Louisiana.
"I can't even think about South Carolina, I got to think about snow and ice when I get home," she said (0:28). "So, we're going to enjoy this victory today, any victory on the road in our league is an accomplishment. But we know what we face next, a tremendous challenge to play the defending champions and do it at their place."
The Gamecocks are Kim Mulkey's toughest challenge in the 2024-25 season. The Tigers have only faced two ranked teams yet, both of them placed outside the top 15. Whereas South Carolina has faced eight ranked opponents and won seven of those contests.