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Brittney Griner returned to Baylor for the first time in 11 years to witness her No. 42 jersey retirement ceremony on Sunday, but Kim Mulkey did not attend the event.
Griner, 33, was a two-time AP national player of the year while playing for the Bears under Mulkey, the current LSU Tigers head coach. Their relationship off the court, however, was not the greatest due to a toxic locker room culture.
Together, Griner and Mulkey led Baylor to 40-0 national championship team in 2012, and next season, her senior year, was nearly as special, but she still did not feel comfortable.
Griner was never specifically told not to come out as lesbian, but she has previously stated that the culture did not allow self-expression as a gay woman due to recruiting issues with parents who wouldn't want their children playing there.
"I think it's awesome," Mulkey said when asked about Griner's jersey retirement on Saturday. "I bet it'll be a great environment."
Brittney Griner dunks for the Baylor crowd
Griner didn't need Mulkey in attendance for the night to be special, which got even better at halftime with an impromptu slam dunk by the WNBA star, who still holds several NCAA records.
"Just full of emotion," Griner said during an interview on the ESPN broadcast. "As soon as (the jersey) started to go up, that's when I started to break."
No other player has worn No. 42 for Baylor since Griner finished her college career in 2019 and nobody ever will again.
"When you look back at it, you start to forget about the stats. You just the wins, and you all the other things," Griner said.