LSU Basketball Coach Kim Mulkey Underwent Heart Surgery After 'Accidentally' Finding Issue
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Mulkey learned she had a 95-99% blockage in a coronary artery after visiting her doctor for a small issue
LSU basketball coach Kim Mulkey underwent heart surgery in June, according to ESPN.
Mulkey, 61, discovered the health concern after a visit to her doctor about "a small, nagging issue," according to the outlet, and doctors discovered an artery that had 95-99% blockage. During the procedure, two stents were placed into Mulkey's coronary artery.
The LSU Tigers women's basketball head coach said she hadn't experienced any glaring symptoms and "had no idea" that she had heart issues, per ESPN.
"I never even felt bad," Mulkey said, adding that she's "still kind of in shock" that the issue was "accidentally found" by medical staff. "So my message in sharing this is, if you're over 50, go get a stress test," she said.
Related: Kim Mulkey Holds Back Tears During LSU Championship Parade: 'This Is My Home'
Mulkey added, "I've had some of my former teammates tell me, 'We're going to do [a stress test].' That's why I share these things. I'm an open book if it's something that can help people. It's just a great lesson for all of us who think that it won't happen to us."
Earlier this month, Mulkey became the highest-paid coach in women's college basketball history when she signed a 10-year contract worth $32 million, according to multiple reports.
The new deal will earn Mulkey an average of $3.2 million per year — more than UConn’s Geno Auriemma and South Carolina’s Dawn Staley, who earn $2.9 million and $2.7 million per year, according to Sports Illustrated.
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Mulkey's LSU Tigers will defend their 2023 NCAA championship this year after their huge win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in April. Mulkey won three titles at Baylor prior to her tenure at LSU.
The Tigers coach, who grew up in Hammond, Louisiana, called LSU her "home," when she addressed fans and friends during a parade and ceremony marking their championship earlier this year. "I'm trying not to cry," Mulkey admitted during her speech.
The coach said she had made it a personal goal to win a championship for LSU when she took the job, but added at the time that she never put a timetable on it, and purposely omitted it from the team's goal list heading into the season.
Mulkey's list of goals for the Tigers heading into the preseason was to "win 90% of non-conference games, finish in the top four of the SEC, win one game in the SEC tournament and remain ranked in the AP Top 25 throughout the season," according to ESPN.
Now, Mulkey and her star players — including Angel Reese — look to run it back this season.
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