LSU women's hoops coach Kim Mulkey had heart procedure over the summer

LSU women's basketball head coach Kim Mulkey had a heart procedure done over the summer after "accidentally found" an issue during a stress test.

ESPN's Michael Voepel reported that the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame coach initially went to see the doctor because she felt numbness in one of her fingertips, which was the result of carpal tunnel syndrome. Yet after requesting scans of her neck to make sure it was fine years after disc replacement surgery several years ago, her radiologist told her that X-rays showed plaque in her carotid arteries. Additional tests revealed that Mulkey had almost a complete blockage of a coronary artery, prompting a surgery to place two stents in her heart.

Mulkey told Voepel that she didn't even notice any heart issues prior to any of those screenings:

"I never even felt bad," Mulkey said. "I'm still kind of in shock that we accidentally found this. So my message in sharing this is, if you're over 50, go get a stress test.
"I've had some of my former teammates tell me, 'We're going to do it.' 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."

Mulkey, who turned 61 in May, has had several health concerns over the years. Voepel mentioned that she had kidney stones removed in 2009, was diagnosed with Bell's palsy in 2012, and had to deal with fuzzy vision last season due to an issue with one of her retinas. The stressful life of a coach can certainly manifest itself in health issues, even those that may have been dormant for years. 

Mulkey been at the helm of LSU since April 2021 after 21 years at Baylor. At the Texas school, she built a powerhouse program that won three national championships in 2005, 2012 and 2019. All but one of her teams with Baylor reached the NCAA tournament, with nine of her last eleven reaching at least the Elite Eight. Whereas she won her first national title in her fifth year at Baylor, she only needed two seasons at LSU - plus stellar play from Angel Reese and others throughout the year - after a dominant performance over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the national championship in April.