Kim Mulkey Holds Lane Kiffin’s Hand During Grand LSU Entrance Amid Playoff Spotlight
LSU Tigers women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey made waves when she refused to meet with the media after her team's October 30 exhibition win over Langston.
It soon came out that the reason for Mulkey's absence was owed to LSU firing athletic director Scott Woodward one day prior. Most believe Woodward and the school parted ways because of the 10-year, $100 million contract he gave to former head football coach Brian Kelly, which ended with Kelly getting fired less than halfway through his contract. Yet, LSU still has to pay Kelly the $54 million, and Woodward was largely to blame for this.
Still, Mulkey was not happy about Woodward being let go, and she protested by sitting out that postgame press conference.
That is not where this saga ends. One of the biggest sports stories in recent months was former Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin deciding to leave that program for LSU. While coaches leaving one program for another isn't anything out of the ordinary, Kiffin left Ole Miss after an 11-1 season, after they earned a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Many sports fans felt like Kiffin betrayed his Ole Miss players by leaving them at this point in the year, presumably not understanding why he couldn't have waited until the end of the season before accepting the job (although it was reported afterwards that he had to accept when he did or else LSU would find another coach).
Kim Mulkey Introduces Lane Kiffin to LSU Crowd During Ole Miss Game
Kiffin's former Ole Miss Rebels football team is currently facing the Georgia Bulldogs in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. However, Kiffin is not watching his former team. This was made clear by an X post from LSU's women's basketball that showed him at the Lady Tigers' January 1 game against Kentucky, which LSU lost by a score of 80-78.
The X post is captioned, "LSU Is The Place To Be," and shows Mulkey holding Kiffin's hand as she led him out of the tunnel. She then begins pointing to him as they walk on the court and then holds up his hand with hers, all while the crowd gives Kiffin loud applause.
LSU Is The Place To Be pic.twitter.com/a4MaBn6YeC
— LSU Women's Basketball (@LSUwbkb) January 2, 2026
The fact that Kiffin is at the LSU game instead of watching his former team is sure to raise some eyebrows, especially among the Ole Miss faithful. But his focus is now clearly on his new college.
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Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.
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