Chris Mullin: A man who ‘Earned’ his respect in the NBA
Some athletes are inducted into the Hall of Fame on the basis of their talent; some on the grounds of their service to the game; but very few can claim to have been inducted on the basis of nothing but their determination to succeed.
One such example is present in the form of Chris Mullin, the former Golden State Warrior’s shooting guard turned small forward. He started his career in 1985 and was considered by many a below average player who might not be able
to survive with the big boys.
Well, not only did he survive, he made into the record books. Mullin was all about working hard and extending himself beyond the limits. In 1985, Patrick Ewing was the hottest draft of the year, who eventually went on to become
a great player. Where Ewing used his talent, Mullin relied merely on effort.
Mullin used to head to gym after school and shoot hoops for hours on end. “It was just something we’d do,” said Mullin. “After school, we’d go into the gym and start shooting.” He earned the title of ‘gym rat’ while in college
and his practice sessions were several hours longer than other athletes.
Those long hours in the gym did not go to waste as Mullin went on to master the art of shooting. Combined with his work rate, he went on to achieve loads of success including two Olympic gold medals. The first one came in 1984
and the other in 1992, as part of the dream team.
Chris started his career as a shooting guard and averaged around 15 points in his first couple of seasons. It was only after Don Nelson took charge of the Warriors that he recognized Mullin’s true potential. Soon Mullin started
playing small forward and things changed drastically.
Chris had a 5 year run where he averaged more than 25 points per game every season. It was an exceptional feat, one which helped the Warriors reach the playoff stages five years running. His consistent scoring and the ability to
tire out defenders soon became a legendary trademark.
In the twilight years of his career, Mullin was traded to the Indiana Pacers, where he made two more playoff appearances before he was drafted back to the Warriors for one last season in 2000.
After retirement, Mullin took over as the head of the basketball operations at Golden State. Throughout his career he remained a down to earth individual and stayed aloof from all sorts of team politics. Chris has always been all
about his work and this alone has earned him mounds of respect as a well groomed human being.
Currently the new owner of the team, Joe Lacob, is hoping to bring the big man back to club to help with the basketball operations. Chris has indeed been a sincere and loyal part of the Warriors set up for more than 25 years and
he deserves all the praise in the world for it.
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