Christopher Paul Mullin, better known as Chris Mullin was born July 30, 1963, in New York City, he was an American basketball player, coach, and NBA analyst.
Mullin is known for the quality of his outside shooting. After overcoming serious personal issues and numerous physical mishaps, he established himself as one of the greatest Golden State Warriors history players. He played 16 seasons in the NBA, averaging 18.2 points per game.
Chris Mullin – Biography
Recognized as one of the nation’s most successful college players during his final two years at St John’s University, Chris Mullin played in and won the 1984 Summer Olympics. He then presented himself for the draft and was selected by the Golden State Warriors in 7th position. In 1985 received the John R. Wooden Award, a trophy awarded to the best college player of the year.
Quickly, Chris Mullin is considered a complete player, inspiring (perhaps also because of the color of his skin) inevitable comparisons with Larry Bird, then at the beginning of his challenging career. Although he missed all of the rookie training camps and the first six games of the season, Mullin eventually came to an agreement with the Warriors on the contents of his contract.
The night he signed, he played 24 minutes and scored the winning basket 15 seconds from the end of the match. He finished his rookie season with an average of 14 points per game and the second-best free throw percentage in the league, a mark which is also the second all-time performance for a rookie after the 1973-1974 season.
Chris Mullin – Don Nelson era
Mullin hoped great things would start to happen in his first season, but the Warriors show a disappointing record with a total of 52 defeats. Despite the departure of coach George Karl at the start of the following season and the acquisition of the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs, the atmosphere within the franchise was entirely wrong. Years later, Mullin will also have this sentence “it was like a family, a family that was not going well.”
Originally from New York, Mullin knew little of the world outside of St John’s Gymnasium and its Brooklyn neighborhood. Isolated and relatively unhappy in California, he sank into alcohol. His new trainer Don Nelson will convince him to treat his drinking problems. He then spent 48 days in alcoholic detoxification and returned changed to the team. He ends the season with an impressive line of statistics: 20.2 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 rebounds on average per game.
During the 1988-1989 season, the player that the Warriors had drafted three years earlier finally emerged. It is named in the second team of the NBA and becomes the 3rd player in the history of the Warriors after Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry to gather 2000 points, 400 rebounds, and 400 assists in the same season.
Mullin and Mitch Richmond are the most effective duo in the NBA, scoring 48.6 points per game between them. They then form the youngest pair to lead the rankings since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob Dandridge. With the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971-72. Mullin averaged 26.5 points ( 5th overall in the league), almost 6 rebounds, and more than 5 assists.
Chris Mullin also recorded the first triple-double (over 10 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists) of his career in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. 4th in the Pacific Division, the Warriors punished the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs (3-0) before falling to the Phoenix Suns in five games. Over those eight games, Mullin averaged 29.4 points and 55 field goals percent success.
Chris Mullin – Best years
Golden State did not reach the playoffs the following season, but in 1990 the team entered Mullin’s best period in California. Along with young Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, Mullin formed the NBA’s most prolific trio under Don Nelson. They are nicknamed the “Run-TMC” ( Tim, Mitch, and Chris) after one of the pioneering American rap groups Run DMC. The Warriors started the season with a 162–158 victory and knocked out the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs before falling to the best team in the West, the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mullin continued to progress and was named to the NBA All-Star Team in 1991–92. He finished 6th in the ranking of the best player in the league and still posted impressive statistics by being the 3rd best scorer with 26.6 points per game. He joined Chamberlain in the club of franchise players who scored 25 or more points in four straight seasons and finished the year in the top 10 in club history in 16 different categories.
Chris Mullin – Dream Team 1992
Since rehab, Chris Mullin, who has become an accomplished athlete, leads the league in total time spent on the court for the second year in a row. He also made his 4th All-Star Game appearance. Although eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Seattle Supersonics, the Warriors seem on the right path, and Mullin is called up to be a member of the Dream Team alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, en route to clinching the Olympic gold in Barcelona. Lithuanian star Šarūnas Marčiulionis replaced Richmond, and the team posted a record of 55 wins to 27 losses.
Chris Mullin – Injuries and move to Indiana
In 1992-1993, Mullin experienced physical problems and reduced his season to 46 matches. The team won only 34 games. Only the 1993-1994 season had a positive record under the leadership of rookie Chris Webber who left the Golden State Warriors hastily following an argument with Don Nelson. Mullin was eventually traded for Erick Dampier in 1997 to the Indiana Pacers, coached by Larry Bird.
He played three seasons for the Pacers, leading the league in 1997-98 in free throws (93.9%) and establishing the 3rd 3 -point percentage (44%). In 1999-2000, Mullin increased this percentage to 46.5%. He ended his career in Indiana with three appearances in the 2000 final series loss against the Los Angeles Lakers before returning for the last season with the Warriors. He hung up his sneakers in the spring of 2001 after 16 seasons on the courts.
Chris Mullin – Net Worth
Chris Mullin, former NBA star, has an estimated net worth of $22 million. His wealth has come from his long and successful career in the NBA, as well as a variety of business ventures he has been involved in. Mullin is currently an executive with the Golden State Warriors and a special assistant to the president of basketball operations.
Chris Mullin – Coaching
At the start of the 2002-2003 season, the Warriors called on him to become an assistant coach.
In 2015 he joined his old university of St. John’s in New York as a coach. This was his first experience as a coach. Mullin led St. John in a promising direction but that experience finished when he resigned from the position despite good results.
Why was Mullin so inspirational?
Significantly few athletes were willing to admit their personal problems in that days, yet Chris was not afraid to deal with his fears and start alcohol rehab during his raise as an NBA prospect. More importantly, he used that situation as motivation and a reminder that professional sports are cruel in many ways and that players need to work on the mental aspect of their game. Stories about his work ethic after that problems are still popular. Many sources have stated that he often spent 8 hours per day in the gym working on the physical aspect of the game and shooting.
After retirement, Mullin often talked with the kids who had similar problems and tried to motivate them that everything was possible. His personal story is the best example.
Was Chris Mullin a good 3pt shooter?
Back in the days when Mullin was in his prime, shooting from behind the arc was not such a big part of the game as it is today. But he had terrific percentages, almost 50% in his entire career. Many say his shooting skills were at the level of Lary Bird, who played for the Boston Celtics and was considered the best NBA shooter before Steph Curry.
Did Chris Mullin make the Hall of Fame?
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame became Chris Mullin’s home in 2011 when he officially became one of the greatest players in basketball history. A year later, his Warriors retired Chris jersey in an emotional ceremony where the entire franchise honored one of the biggest legends in Golden State history.
What does Chris Mullin do now?
He is working as a TV analyst covering Warriors games. Mullin’s approach to the game and his expert analysis has been praised among the team fans.
Why did the coach leave his job at St John’s University?
While nobody knows the real reasons for his decision, Mullin explained that he just followed his heart and that it was good timing to step down and do something else. There are a lot of speculations about problems in his personal life, but that is not confirmed. Also, some resources say that he left his alma mater team because of the tragic death of his brother.
The general impression is that he didn’t enjoy this new generation of players that much, which doesn’t share his work ethic and passion for the game.
