{
  "id": 3358373,
  "title": "Ukrainian Center Kate Koval Leaves LSU After Tigers Sign Russian Player",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/ukrainian-center-kate-koval-leaves-lsu-after-tigers-sign-russian",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-25T21:49:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ukrainian-center-kate-koval-leaves-214926146.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "UCLA women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey has announced that Ukraine national team member Kate Koval will be leaving the team following the signing of Russian center Anna Minaeva. Mulkey revealed that Koval discussed her decision to leave the program with her on Sunday, citing personal reasons. Despite the emotional decision, Mulkey emphasized that the university fully supported Koval and respected her privacy. The two players are expected to serve as ambassadors for their respective countries, marking the first time a Ukrainian-Russian pair would play together in Division I women's basketball since the war began.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Front Office Sports",
        "title": "Ukrainian Women’s Basketball Player Leaves LSU After Kim Mulkey Signs Russian",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/25/ukrainian-womens-basketball-player-leaves-lsu-after-kim-mulkey-signs",
        "published": "2026-08-25T20:08:08.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}