photo: si.com
Christopher Paul Mullin was a simple, neighborhood guy from Troy Avenue in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn. The love affair with hoops was a multi-generational thing that began in the driveway of the family’s small row house.
His father Rod played street ball with Doug Moe before Moe would go on to star at the University of North Carolina in the late ’50s. His older brother Roddy played at Siena, where he was the team captain as a senior. Younger brothers John and Terence would later ball at Bridgeport and St. John’s, respectively.
Known to his family and around the hood as “Mo”, Mullin was the ultimate playground fixture and gym rat. Showing up for the run was only part of his childhood mission. The other component was hours of repetitive work on movement, dribbling and shooting the rock from an assortment of angles.
In the fourth grade, he’d earned an all expense paid trip to Kansas City for a national foul shooting contest. He calmly won by sinking 23 out of 25. He soon began to venture outside of his neighborhood in search of more intense competition.
As a 12-year-old playing at St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca’s summer camp, the counselors and other campers took to calling him “Mookie” because, when prodded, he could augment his textbook jumper with a handle, boogie and assist game that he’d inhaled from his NYC playground brethren. And it wasn’t forced or unnatural. He could give it to you any way – understated or hyperbolic, spectacular or inconspicuous. Choose your poison – he was just as deadly with both arsenals.
“He was the only white boy I ever met who understood street ball,” his college teammate Billy Goodwin once said.
photo: associatedcontent.com
At the age of 14, he followed in his older brother’s footsteps and – with a daily round trip commute of two buses and four train rides – enrolled at Power Memorial in Manhattan. The venerable institution was known around the globe for producing the incomparable Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Power Memorial also boasted other distinguished alumni like University of Maryland legend Len Elmore.
At that time, he also joined the powerhouse Riverside Church AAU program, where he linked up with other burgeoning phenoms during his high school years like Ed Pinckney, Jerry Reynolds, Walter “The Truth” Berry, Kenny Smith, Mark Jackson, Bruce Dalrymple, Mel Kennedy and Ed Davender, among others.
“I was a freshman in high school when I heard about Riverside,” Mullin told Sports Illustrated’s Sam Toperoff. “I figured if I could play with the guys down there, I could play with anybody.”
Mullin played on the same high school Freshman and J.V. squads with future pro Mario Elie. They took the city championships both years. But on the Varsity, he was not happy playing for the coach who’d once given his older brother problems.
photo: goldenstateofmind.com
At the Monsignor King Tournament in Brooklyn during his junior year – held at his old grade school right around the corner from his crib, in front of a worked up crowd bursting at the seams with members of the extensive Mullin clan – he exploded for 9 straight points in the opening quarter. The crowd bent berserk, exploding in raucous applause and supportive shouts.
But Mullin was subsequently yanked off the floor as his coach muttered something about “no superstars” being on the team.
For the coach, that was like Mitch “Blood” Green calling out Mike Tyson late one night in front of Dapper Dan’s in Harlem – A DUMMY MOVE!
Soon thereafter, Mo transferred to Xaverian in Brooklyn. And by rule, he had to sit out for a full calendar year and would not be eligible to play until halfway through his senior year.
“It was a risky move,” Mullin told Sports Illustrated’s Curry Kirkpatrick in 1986. “I was afraid that nobody (from the colleges) would see me. It hurt me not to play ball.”
Although he couldn’t play high school ball for a year, he could still get his work in on the playgrounds and at the gym. Xaverian assistant coach Jack Alesi said that he “trained like a prizefighter” for the half of a senior year that he did play.
photo of st. john’s coach lou carnesecca and chris mullin: procorbis.com
In his Tuesday afternoon debut against Christ The King, 1,000 people filled the gym to the gizzards. He dropped 17 of his team’s first 21 and scored 38 overall. Xaverian won the state title and the legend of Chris Mullin was already firmly established. He scooped the prestigious McDonald’s All-American nod at season’s end.
As a freshman at St. John’s, which he chose over countless offers from major national powers, he looked like he’d been playing college ball his whole life.
“The first game Mo played here, it was as if he’d been at St. John’s for 100 years,” Carnesecca told SI.
In his first college tournaments – the Lapchick Memorial and the Holiday Festival in Madison Square Garden – Mullin was voted MVP. Now that’s a Diaper Dandy, to borrow Dick Vitale’s phrase. He averaged 17 points a game as freshman while connecting on 53% of his shots, many of which were launched from beyond 15 feet.
the st. john’s glory years, photo: espn.com
As a college sophomore, he dropped 19 a game while shooting 58% from the floor. He was deemed a breathing coach’s clinic, exhalted for his intense work ethic and highly tuned fundamentals. The competition, and thoughts of how good it was, kept him in the gym while everyone else was home sleeping.
After practice, and a trip back to Brooklyn for dinner, Mullin would be back at Alumni Hall, working on crossovers, jab steps, screens and back cuts. He’d have the radio on blast while launching shot after shot, the sweet stroke melting into the music, the snapping of the nets creating complimentary snares to the bass that echoed through the empty arena.
On one occasion, while the city was burried under a winter blizzard, he stayed in the gym for the better part of two days. Rumors circulated that he actually slept in the gym during the year. One of his closest friends at St. John’s was asked how he got to be so tight with Mullin. “I was the guy who had the key to the gym,” he said.
photo: picasaweb.google.com
In ‘83, during one intense game against Georgetown, fists began to fly as things got out of hand. Ever under control, Mullin could be seen calmy shooting baskets at the other end of the floor until the fisticuffs subsided and the game resumed.
In February of 1984, the Redmen were in D.C. again playing the Hoyas, one of the greatest defensive teams of all time. They’d already ripped St. John’s by 22 earlier in the season. Mo clicked on 13 of 18 from the field en route to 33 points, 4 rebounds, 4 dimes and 3 steals. He ripped Pat Ewing twice as the big fella grabbed the entry pass and spun for his patented turnaround jumper.
photo: si.com
His scoring numbers were even more incredible given that he only took an average of 12 shots per game. In the summer of ‘84, he was part of the remarkable Olympic team, along with Michael Jordan, Ewing, Wayman Tisdale, Alvin Robertson, Vern Fleming and and Sam Perkins that smashed the world (minus the Soviets, who boycotted) and took the Gold in the Los Angeles Games.
He was the second leading scorer on that team behind Jordan. He also copped 14 steals and 24 dimes in the 8-game tournament, despite the fact that he only started one game and was fifth on the squad in minutes played. He put up 20 on Canada and with Air Jordan nursing an injury against Spain, Mullin came off the bech to drop 16 second-half points to go with 6 steals and 4 assists.
As a senior, along with “The Truth” aka Walter Berry and Atlantic City playground legend Willie Glass, Mullin led St. John’s to the schools’ first Final Four appearance since 1952. Big John’s Hoyas locked him up in the Final Four, but the sad ending to his college career could not dim his amazing accomplishment.
Mo was a three-time Big East Player of the Year, a three time All-American and was honored as the country’s best player with the 1985 Wooden Award. He finished as the Redmen’s all-time leading scorer before the late, great Malik Sealy came along.
As a rookie with the Golden State Warriors, he made 89.6 % of his free throws, the league’s best rookie mark since Ernie Degregorio hit 90.2 % in ‘73. But the dysfunctional team lost 52 games and Mullin struggled to find his footing while averaging 14 points. The team made the playoffs the next year as Mullin started all 82 games and his play improved. But he admitted to having a drinking problem and, with the support of his new head coach Don Nelson, committed himself to rehab.
He missed 22 games in ‘87-’88 getting his life in order, then came back to average 20 points, 5 assists and resume his journey towards stardom. In ‘88-’89, the legend was fully back as went off for 27 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists per, becoming only the third Warrior – along with Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry – to compile 2,000 points, 400 boards and 400 assists in a season.
Teaming with Mitch Richmond, they were the highest scoring two-punch combo in the league. In ‘90-’91, the modern Golden Era was ushered in with the maturation of point guard extraordinaire and Chicago playground legend Tim Hardaway. “Run TMC” (Tim, Mitch and Chris) proceeded to run defenses ragged.
In ‘92, Mullin copped another Gold Medal with the Dream Team. He averaged 26 a game that next season, but struggled with injuries for the next several years. Mullin continued to prepare with his notorious work ethic and fought through the multiple physical setbacks. He became a valuable role player for the Indiana Pacers team that made it to the 2000 NBA Finals.
photo: ultimatenba.com
Throughout his 16 year pro career, the 6′6″ marksman could hold his own with any of the game’s greatest offensive talents. Despite being a natural lefty, he could shoot with both hands and attack with his dribble in either direction.
He played the textbook style and razzle-dazzle with equal aplomb. His game was simple, yet complicated, plain, yet colorful, basic yet complex. And he’s earned his spot, along with Connie Hawkins, Pearl Washington, Lenny Wilkens, Jay-Z, Biggie, Chris Rock and Spike Lee as a card carrying member of the crew known as Brooklyn’s Finest.
He loved everything about the game and practice, whether with his team or as a solitary pursuit, was an exercise in chasing perfection. The one aspect that annoyed him? Halftime.
“Halftimes are the worst,” Mullin told SI in 1986. “I just wanna play through.”
“He has a monastic devotion to rehearsal,” Carnessecca told SI’s Kirkpatrick. “Mo makes everything look easy but it’s all happened before, over and over. He sees plays before they develop. He photoflashes them and then creates. I learn from Mo.”
photo: daylife.com
His game was smooth and efficient simultaneously. And Chris compensated for his lack of exceptional speed by intelligently using every crevice of the court. In comparing him to players like Oscar Robertson and Larry Bird, coaching legend Hubie Brown said, “Those guys couldn’t jump, weren’t quick. But after every game all their columns were full. That’s Mullin.”
And the journey, the story, the legend, would’ve never been possible without the asphalt of the New York City playground. Chris Mullin was that dude! Bottom Line!
THE PLAYGROUND IS NOT THE PROBLEM. IT IS THE SOLUTION!
February 25th, 2009 at 9:58 am
illest says:
one of the best shooters ever who also had one of the quickest pair of hands on defense.
February 25th, 2009 at 10:29 am
ali says:
that jump shot was pure spring water. st john’s used to be the hottest ticket in the city. i’d love for them to get that back. nothing like a sold out garden welcoming a top 10 st. john’s crew. i used to rock that st. john’s starter jacket in prep school somethin’ terrible. man, the good old days, the good old says…
February 25th, 2009 at 10:45 am
Sean Couch says:
Played with Mullen in the NYC pro-am. The best shooter off a screen with players in his face that I’ve ever seen. People slept on Chris, saying he was slow but he was deceptively quick with the ball and found ways to get his shot off in tight spots.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:01 am
ali says:
indeed couch, he was an incredibly bright player with remarkable hands who understood timing, spacing and the team concept.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:07 am
Elliot Rosado says:
My favorite player of all time. Chris Mullin was the ultimate gym rat. If college basketball had the 3 point line back then it would have been much worse for Big East Rivals. My favorite Chris Mullin moment was when i was at St.John’s to watch the high school playoff games i was 13 years old and when the games were over the St. John’s team came out to practice. I made my way down and got his attention and when he came over i asked for his autograph and he said no problem. My biggest mistake was losing that autograph. Ali this is one of your best jobs yet. But don’t forget my other favorite Bobby Hurley.
February 25th, 2009 at 11:31 am
ali says:
i got you elliot. and thanks for your kind words. glad you enjoyed the mullin piece. he’s one of my favorites as well. i think alot of people sleep on, and need a reminder of how incredibly nice he once was.
February 25th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
jboti says:
Yo Chris Mullin was that dude. Not to sound racist and not meaning any disrespect but he belongs in the discussion when we speak of the greatests caucasian players and guards overall. You have to love his WORK ETHIC. I really wish that he was coaching somewhere, anywhere to show these kids how greatness is EARNED. Anywho good looking out ALI. One of my favorites and when are you gonna let me write a piece for the website.
February 25th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
ali says:
jboti,
i hear you. but chris mullin was not just one of the flyest white dudes, he was one of the best players, period.
in terms of writing for the website, i’m just a squirrel. let me find out who you can contact to present your case and credentials. need to come correct, though. if you are the written word version of mullin’s jumper, you’d be in it to win it.
February 25th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
jaquam says:
chris mullin was the best basketball players in college B-ball history as well as in pro history in my opinion. i seen many documentaries on TV about him and mark Jackson they were one of the best backcourt tandems in college b-ball back then. i agree with you that it would be nice to see St. johns come back to the way they was then but it will have to take getting rid of their current regime (norm Roberts and father harrington) and replacing it with a more high profile regime that can turn this program around. following St. johns this year i always thought what would it be having him and jackson running the program in the future then i thought it might not ever happen though but good piece though.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
jboti says:
What I meant was as great as Chris Mullin was, He is seldom mentioned anymore when great guards are brought up. That is why I brought up the caucasian thing that’s all. But I definitely respect and love Chris MUllin for his game, work ethic and passion. I only wish players like Kwame Brown could learn from this post lol. Let me know about the contact info tho. I’ll try my best.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Keyes says:
Man, admitedly I hated to love Mo back in the days because he was so lethal against the teams I was rooting for. Duke could shoot in impossible situations, dribble, pass, you name it. For him, Ali said it best…he is nice, PERIOD, regardless of color. Moving with and without the ball, scoring, contributions. If Mullins had the ball, you could count the shot as good for sure. When he teamed up with other legends, it was over.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
ali says:
i feel you jboti. no doubt, mullin is seldom mentioned and a lil’ less appreciated than he should be. and keyes, he was lethal, wasn’t he? dude was shooting close to 50% from the field, taking mad shots from the perimeter.
and elliot makes a great point. the 3-point line came into the college game in ‘86, the YAM (year after mullin).
he would have been a killer behind that line.
February 25th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
ali says:
i meant to say he was shooting close to 60% from the field while gunning from distance.
February 25th, 2009 at 5:59 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
we discussed mullin’s playground legend in Bounce issue #14 which is still available at our online store, just click to it from the top menu above. i only got to play with mullin once. it was a nike japan tour that brought 3 players from tokyo to visit the US. spike lee greeted them at fort greene park, and mullin got on the court to play against them. it was disgusting. he barely was trying yet he still shot, i’m not kidding, 100% . . . the entire time–including warm-ups, game to five, and after wards. it’s a little court, but he was parked at halfcourt (just above the top of the key). he was a staple at marine park in brooklyn, whole family could play, too.
February 25th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
g says:
i used to scrimmage against Mullin @ St.Vincents ferrier in flatbush,brooklyn. he was a lil older than us,but he would use the younger kids to run against to keep his hand speed up and shoot from deep,said he wasnt going to gain anything by driving to the basket on us. he was much quicker/faster than people wanted to give him credit for. and the jump shot? straight ratchet!
funny note, lou carnesecca used to have a teen skills camp at st. johns over the summer back in the days. back in 82,83 if im remembering it right, i was there along with my cousin and his friend. my cousins friend was a tad bit cocky with his to say the least,mouth definitely didnt match his game,lol! mullin was there as a counselor for the camp. my cousin’s friend started to talking ish to mullin,saying that he was over rated,that he wasnt as good as people make him out to be,that it was was all hype basically. my cousin and i knew better cause we seen him shoot the gym up in st.vincents ferrier plenty of times,so we stayed quiet. mullin was a good sport about it,but the kid just kept ear beating him. so carnesecca says ok kid,you go to the shooting station with chris,and see how well you do. cousins friend gets up,shoot till you miss from the free throw line drill. he makes 8 straight before he misses. mullin starts shooting. after 15 straight all net shots,the kid says thats too easy,youre supposed to make those! mullin says cool,i’ll move around,even go further back. matter of fact,i’ll let you pick where i shoot it from! kid picks all these obsurd angles,and mullin is splashing them with ease. by the way its 32 straight makes now. the kid is resiliant,refusing to give mullin his props,so mullin says ok,how about from the half? and better yet,i’ll even go glass! kid,still defiant says BET! mullin moves along the half court line from one end to the other,going glass and cashing them,with ease! not heaving it,not throwing and aiming it,he’s shooting it. mullin makes 12 more from the half,bring the total to 44 straight shots. finally carnesecca calls him off cause the whole camp is watching him instead of doing the drills. mullin tells the kid that i know i’ll make the shot before i take it,once you know that,the rest is easy. to prove his point,mullin turns sideways with his right shoulder facing the basket and shoots a lefty hook from the half…..cash. he inspired me to get a ratchet after that! i never quite got his accuracy,but i defintiely cleaned and toned my mechanics thx to him……
February 25th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
also, in ‘95, nike did a city-wide call-in questionaire for a couple of weeks as to who were the five greatest to ever play in new york. i did the voice-over for the outgoing message and the radio ad announcing it.
mullin was on that.
he was also coached as a teenager by the late john isaacs who just recently passed.
February 25th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
ali says:
thanks for that story g.
bananas!
February 26th, 2009 at 8:23 am
inspiredworlds says:
i must have caught mullin just after the peak and tail end of his career, and injuries made him a shell of what he used to be. i never knew his stats were that good.
my only memory of him is vince carter going baseline on him and throwing down the reverse pump dunk on him. and now as a GM of the warriors.
February 26th, 2009 at 10:20 am
ali says:
inspiredworlds,
indeed, he was the beast of the east back in the day. peep the st. john’s and run-tmc years for the true chris mullin.
glad you could be edified about what he really was by the piece.
February 26th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
ali says:
yo illest,
was aj price bananas last night, or what?
February 26th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Donn says:
Hey Ali,
Great piece on Mully. Dude’s jumper was downright automatic. He also had quick hands which compensated for his lack of foot speed. Not a great defensive player by any stretch but there were countless times where i saw Chris just stripped the ball from a guy and the guy was left wondering how it happend. But what i thought was so amazing about Mullin was how he used to drive to the basket and he would just weave through traffic..again he wasnt fast, quick, and i probably had as much vertical leaps as Mullin (which is to say that Mullin had no verticals to speak of) and he would somehow find a way to finish the drive with a basket. It was like he was moving in slow motion but it didn’t matter. His drives to the basket was like a basketball equivilent of the knuckleball pitch…slow but effective. Mullin along with the rest of those Run TMC Warrior teams was no doubt one of the most fun teams to watch.
February 26th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
illest says:
ali…
wow mega bananas. i mean just beautiful and basic with it. he had that defensive player of the year slipping and sliding. and then instead of going by him nailed the deep jumper.
February 26th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
ali says:
donn,
that was one of the beautiful aspects of mullin’s game that was so underappreciated. he understood spacing, angles, how to beat his man to the spot, using his teammates and defenders like pieces on a cheesboard to his advantage. a maestro.
and illest,
you said it, aj price last night was beautiful and basic with the hot sauce jumper against some excellent defensive guards. glad to see him raising his level at this time of year. if he keeps playing like that, no doubt he’ll make a roster next year.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Blk Caesar says:
Great piece on Mulls Ali… It still boggles my mind that dude shot made over half his shots from the field and he is not a post player.. I don’t think people truly realize how bananas that is! Over 50%!!!!! Dudes are called great shooters now if they are close to 40%. I loved his game b/c he utilized angles and seams. An extremely intelligent player and a joy to watch. Not to mention, it was always fun to watch those Run-TMC teams go against Magic and the Lakers back in the day.. Oh and AJ Price was ridiculous last night fellas!!! As a UCONN alum (as I like to say often especially in front of Duke grads)I really like how this team is coming together. However, the loss of Dyson is huge.
February 26th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
ali says:
the loss of dyson is big cease, but they still got the guns to take it. but their margin for error decreased dramatically with dyson’s injury. and great point about shooting %. for a perimeter player w/ mullin’s range to be that accurate is crazy!!!
March 1st, 2009 at 5:56 pm
Seldom Seen says:
One of my favorites of all-time without question