The greatness of a player can be understood by how they remain in conversations around the NBA, transcending ears. It can also be fathomed by the way the player is perceived by the superstars of the game. Golden State Warriors legend Chris Mullin, for instance, is held on a celestial pedestal by none other than Magic Johnson. Now that’s a big acknowledgement of what the former shooting guard accomplished in his playing career from 1985 to 2001 through sheer consistency.
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Many may not realize how difficult it was for Mullin to make it big in the NBA in his time. Growing up in New York City, the Hall of Famer was a minority, being the only white player on his team. “Every single day you had to prove yourself… The performance the day before had nothing to do with the next day. You always had to go up there and show out or they booed,” Mullin said on the All The Smoke (ATS) podcast.
“They booed you until you get the hell out of here. So in a way, that pressure or motivation developed my focus. Whether I’m playing in an empty gym or a packed Madison Square Garden, the approach is the same because you’re proving something,” he added. Podcast hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson then introduced Mullin to a quote Johnson said about him.
“When God made a basketball player, he carved out Chris Mullin. Don Nelson said, ‘Mully is Larry Bird, he’s just 6’7 and not 6’9’,” Magic had said about Mullin. Speaking about the compliments, Mullin said it meant “everything” to him.
“[Magic’s comment was] one of the most uplifting things ever said about me from a basketball standpoint… Pat Riley said similar things. That still sticks in my mind,” added Mullin.
So, how good was Mullin if legendary figures like Johnson, Nelson, and Riley all shared superlatives?
Well, he was exceptional. Although fans can have differing opinions, many would compare him to Larry Bird, just as Nelson had. Some would say he was a “poor man’s” version, but others would not hesitate to give Mullin his due.
They’d highlight how great of a scorer he was (scoring 17,911 points over 16 years at an average of 18.2 points per game). He was adept at lighting it up from deep and had a 38.4% success rate with 3s.
Mullin was part of the 1992 Dream Team and a member of the iconic ‘Run TMC’, which involved Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond. They were the league’s highest-scoring trio in the 1990–91 season, averaging 72.5 points per game. Mullin had the highest average, at 25.7.
It wasn’t just in the NBA where he starred, as he was exceptional at college with St. John’s. Entering the league as the #7 overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft, he set multiple records during his freshman and senior years.
Mullin is the only men’s basketball player to win the Big East Conference’s Player of the Year award in three different seasons (1983-85).
Johnson sees Mullin in Nikola Jokic
Magic compared Nikola Jokic to Mullin while praising the current NBA star as the “best player in basketball right now”. Detailing why he had that opinion, Johnson found similarities between the Serb and Mullin that make the player difficult for defenders.
Speaking about beating players because he’s “off rhythm”, Mullin’s name popped up. “Mullin uses 1, 2, 3, up… used to take one more, then one more… and then shoot it in your face and throw you off rhythm,” Magic said. “Joker’s the same way… like you’ll be like: ‘You’re supposed to shoot now’.”
Jokic — a 3x NBA MVP — will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the GOATs. However, it’s likely he’ll still take great pride in being described by Magic as being similar to a player like Mullin.
