“God carved Chris Mullin out and said this is THE basketball player”: Mark Jackson and other NBA legends recall Warriors legend’s impact as a Hall of Famer
The Golden State Warriors were a basement team during the 80s, 90s and 2000s except when Chris Mullin led the Run TMC Warriors.
NBA basketball has evolved to now fit in shooters at a scale that wouldn’t be deemed possible a mere 30 years ago. The game has incorporated a whole host of rule changes in order to increase the speed and make defense more complex.
Players have become faster, they run longer and they seem to be jumping more and higher during games. On the flip side, fundamentals of the game like post play, footwork and 1-dribble mid-range pull-ups seem to have gone on the decline.
At the end of the day, however, there is a pure skill element to the game that remains unchanged. And if we’re talking about fundamentally sound offensive players through league history, Chris Mullin is a major name.
The former Warriors All-Star carved for himself a long and successful career based solely on his offense. Mullin was also a member of 2 of the greatest USA Basketball Olympics rosters ever, including the Dream Team.
Mark Jackson believes that Chris Mullin shaped his attitude as a professional basketball player
Magic Johnson and Mark Jackson were two of the foremost point guards in the game during the 80s and 90s. Magic was also a fellow teammate with Mullin at the Barcelona Olympics with the Dream Team.
The Lakers legend has always got a way with his words when he’s praising people. He reserved a particularly special compliment for his teammate, saying:
“When God made the basketball player, he just carved Chris Mullin out and just said ‘This is the player!'”
Jackson remarks that it was Mullin’s work ethic and love for the game that inspired him to become a professional:
“When he signed to go to St. John’s, it took him from a great local story to all of a sudden in position to be a national champion. To watch the University light, to watch the city light up. To watch the Empire State Building covered in red and white because of Chris Mullin.”
“They just didn’t just love him as a basketball player, but they embraced him as one of their own.”
“If I had not met Chris Mullin or played with him, I would not be a professional basketball player. He taught me how to go into the gym and work on your craft. I’m gonna be a guy with tears in my eyes. Because he made me believe that I could do it also.”
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