Chris Mullins, a legendary player for the Golden State Warriors, turned 60 yesterday. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to ask you all a question: do you know how great he was?
He is possibly best known for being the “C” in the “Run TMC” trio by the Electric Warriors. In the early 1990s, he, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond helped coach Don Nelson get Golden State into the playoffs. As a kid in the early 1990s, I knew Chris Mullin could make threes and was a beast in NBA Jams.
I hardly hear people mention his name when discussing famous small forwards. The focus is usually on players like Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, and Dominique Wilkins, but what about Mully? When I researched him for a GSoM YouTube video, I was amazed to discover his incredible talent.
His awards are not made up:
- 5x All-Star
- 4x All-NBA
- 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist as a member of the “Dream Team.”
- 5 straight seasons averaging at least 25 PPG.
- Hall-of-Famer
Have a look at this quote from “The Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons, which discusses the Dream Team coach Chuck Daly’s wish list for the superstar team.
“Jordan, Magic, Robinson, Ewing, Pippen, Malone, and Chris Mullin, in that order. So, the best coach in the NBA at the time said that Mullin was the third-best wing player, after Jordan and Pippen, during the best stretch of players in NBA history.
The point is that Chris Mullin was freaking good.”
Unfortunately, his body broke down after he beat so many opponents, and he couldn’t keep being the best after 1993.
After playing, he returned to the Dodgers as their general manager from 2004 to 2009. When the Warriors did big things, he was in charge. Basketball Reference says:
- On June 24, 2004, they chose Andris Biedri with the 11th pick in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft.
- On February 24, 2005, the New Orleans Hornets got Speedy Claxton and Dale Davis in exchange for Baron Davis.
- On June 28, 2005, Monta Ellis was picked (40th pick in the second round).
- On January 16, 2007, the Indiana Pacers traded for Ike Diogu, Mike Dunleavy, Keith McLeod, and Troy Murphy by offering Al Harrington, Stephen Jackson, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell in exchange.
- Jermareo Davidson and Jason Richardson were sent to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Brandan Wright on June 28, 2007. I wouldn’t say I liked this move.
Between 1978 and 2010, the Warriors made the playoffs six times. Chris Mullin played on five of those trips in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he also helped make the “We Believe” team in the middle of the 2000s. He even tried to keep Dub Nation from getting mad at owner Joe Lacob after the Monta Ellis deal.
So, on this special day, we at GSoM want to thank a special guy in a special way. We love you, Chris Mullin, and we hope your birthday is awesome.
