LSU's Kim Mulkey Gets Emotional Addressing Tragic New Orleans New Year's Day Attack
According to a January 2 article from CBS News, "A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter in a deadly rampage early on New Year's Day. At least 14 people were killed before the attacker died in a shootout with police, officials said. Dozens of others were injured in the attack. A black ISIS flag was flying from the truck's rear bumper, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation called the attack an act of terrorism.
"The man driving the vehicle has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said."
This "premeditated and evil act," as claimed by FBI Deputy Assistant Director Christopher Raia, has sent shockwaves across the United States. Nobody has been affected more by this attack than the residents of New Orleans and Louisiana.
The LSU campus is located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is about an hour's drive away from New Orleans. Therefore, this attack hit extremely close to home for LSU students and staff members.
This was shown by how emotional LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey got when speaking about this tragedy after her team's 98-64 win against Arkansas on January 2.
"It's a lot of people's children and families. I cannot even imagine how they feel," Mulkey said after trying to compose herself for several seconds, per an X post from FOX reporter Courtney Mims. "I went back home to my state of Louisiana to be a positive. And you just wish that you could do something.
"I thought it was very classy of Arkansas to do that. There were kids from our area, Baton Rouge," Mulkey continued.
The Arkansas women's basketball team conducted a moment of silence before their game against LSU, which Mulkey is alluding to.
"I can't quit thinking about it, to be honest. I can't quit thinking about it," Mulkey continued.
"It's so close to home, it just hits you right smack in the face. And you get emotional because I just cannot imagine those families right now, and what they're having to deal with. You just pray, that's all you can do. And just pray pray pray that somehow, someway, they can deal with it and continue on with their lives."
LSU head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey got emotional tonight when asked about the tragedy that happened on New Year's Day in New Orleans. pic.twitter.com/CtlkjlUmhd
— Courtney Mims (@MimsCourtney) January 3, 2025
Powerful words from Mulkey.
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.