Chris Mullin (basketball)

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Chris Mullin (basketball) bigraphy, stories - Basketball player

Chris Mullin (basketball) : biography

July 30, 1963 –

Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is a retired American basketball player and former general manager of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and has been elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Mullin played shooting guard and small forward in the NBA from 1985 to 2001. After playing at St. John’s University, during which time he won Big East Men’s Basketball Player of the Year three times and was a member of the 1984 U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team, Mullin was chosen as the seventh pick by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft. He returned to the Olympics in 1992 as a member of the legendary Dream Team, which was the first American Olympic basketball team to include professional players.

He played with the Warriors from the 1985–86 until the 1996–97 seasons. Thereafter, Mullin played with the Indiana Pacers from 1997 until the 1999–2000 season. He retired after the 2000–01 season, playing for his original team, the Warriors.

Early life and college career

He was born in Brooklyn, New York. As a young player in New York, Mullin studied the games of Knicks stars Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe while admiring Larry Bird and wearing #17 in honor of John Havlicek. Washington Post, February 19, 2006 As a youth, he regularly traveled to the Bronx and Harlem, predominately African American neighborhoods, to play against the best basketball players in New York City. From a young age, he paved a path for himself to become a legend in the Diocese of Brooklyn. His name began to spread while playing CYO basketball at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish on Flatlands Avenue. Mullin began his high school career at Power Memorial Academy, where he was a teammate of Mario Elie. He transferred as a junior to the Catholic Xaverian High School of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Signing to play for St. John’s University in nearby Queens, Mullin in his freshman year averaged 16.6 points per game (also setting the school freshman record for points scored). In his subsequent three years for the Redmen, he would be named Big East Player of the Year three times, named to the All-America team three times, play for the gold medal-winning 1984 Olympic team, receive the 1985 Wooden Award, USBWA College Player of the Year and lead his team to the 1985 Final Four. Mullin finished his career as the Redmen’s all-time leading scorer. He also holds the distinction of being one of only three players in history to win the Haggerty Award (given to the best college player in the New York City area) three times (1983–1985). Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson has credited Mullin with teaching him the importance of rigorous practice in the gym during their two years together at St. John’s.

NBA career

In Mullin’s first three seasons with the Warriors, he was primarily a spot-up shooting guard playing in the backcourt alongside Eric "Sleepy" Floyd. In his second season, 1986–87, the Warriors advanced to the Western Conference semifinals under George Karl, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers.The next season, Don Nelson became the Warriors’ coach and had plans to move Mullin to small forward. After missing several practices, Mullin was suspended, then entered an alcohol rehabilitation program. He averaged a career-high 20.2 points in 60 games.He became one of the NBA’s best forwards for the next five seasons.

For five consecutive seasons, from 1988 until 1993, Mullin scored an average of 25 or more points and five rebounds. Additionally, the Warriors made five straight playoff appearances. Mullin, Mitch Richmond, and 1989 first-round draftee Tim Hardaway formed the trio "Run TMC" that were the focal stars of this playoff run. A five-time All-Star, Mullin also won Olympic gold twice—as a member of the 1984 amateur team, and for the 1992 Dream Team.

In 1993–94, Mullin’s and the Warriors’ fortunes began to change. Nelson traded for Chris Webber on NBA Draft day, hoping to make the Warriors stronger in the frontcourt. Mullin’s body began breaking down, however, and he began to miss significant numbers of games. The Warriors had a successful first season with Webber, but he and Nelson began to bicker over his use as a player. This led Nelson to resign, and subsequent coaches saw Mullin as injury-prone and began to center the team around Latrell Sprewell. Mullin was traded after the 1996–97 season to the Indiana Pacers for second-year center Erick Dampier and NBA journeyman Duane Ferrell.