Chris Mullin

Christopher Paul Mullin was born on July 30, 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood as a quintessential New York City basketball product — the kind of player whose game was forged on outdoor courts, refined in the Catholic high school basketball circuit, and polished to a sheen that attracted the entire country's attention. At St. John's University in Queens, Mullin became one of the most celebrated college players of his era. Under coach Lou Carnesecca, he was a four-year cornerstone who won the 1985 NCAA Big East Player of the Year award and led St. John's to the Final Four that same year. His combination of shooting mechanics — among the purest in the history of the sport — basketball IQ, and fundamental soundness made him an obvious NBA prospect. The Golden State Warriors selected him 7th overall in the 1985 NBA Draft. Mullin's NBA career took time to find its footing. Personal challenges — including a battle with alcoholism that required a rehabilitation program in 1987 — interrupted his development, but also revealed his character. His recovery and subsequent commitment to excellence became a defining part of the Mullin mythology: a player who had faced his own demons and emerged stronger, more focused, and more determined to make the most of his abilities. By 1988-89, Mullin had become one of the most complete shooting forwards in the NBA, averaging 26.5 points per game. That season began the formation of "Run TMC" — the electrifying Golden State trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin that became one of the most beloved and offensively brilliant combinations in franchise history. The three players combined speed, shooting, and basketball intelligence to produce basketball so aesthetically pleasing that opposing coaches despaired at stopping it. Mullin was also a member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic Dream Team — the single most talented collection of basketball players ever assembled — alongside Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing. His inclusion on that roster was a recognition of his status as one of the premier shooting forwards in the world. His retired number 17 in the Warriors' rafters honors not just the left-handed shooting stroke that was among the most technically perfect in the game's history, but the full arc of a career defined by resilience, basketball intelligence, and a love for the sport that survived every personal challenge thrown at it.