Chris Mullen Jersey Retirement Highlights Warriors Vs. Timberwolves

Monday will be a historic night in Golden State Warriors history as Chris Mullin will finally have his No. 17 jersey retired in the rafters of Oracle Arena as the Minnesota Timberwolves head to town to square off with the W's.

The Warriors are amidst another losing streak, three in a row to be exact, though halftime will likely be the focal point of the evening. Many Warriors legends are to be in attendance to celebrate Mullin's career and the happy days of yesteryear as No. 17 joins the other five jerseys retired in team history along with No. 13 Wilt Chamberlain, No. 14 Tom Meschery, No. 16 Alvin Attles, No. 24 Rick Barry, and No. 42 Nate Thurmond.

As for the game itself, Mark Jackson still has some new toys to try out in Richard Jefferson and T.J. Ford, mixing them in with the rest of the ensemble already in place. Jefferson, Brandon Rush and Dorell Wright will seemingly fight for minutes at the small forward position.

Ricky Rubio is out for the season with a knee injury, and Stephen Curry will likely see limited or no minutes tonight as well, but keep you eye on Kevin Love, currently leading the league with 38 double-doubles, against David Lee, who's been just about averaging a double-double with 19.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a game over his last 10.

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. PT with coverage on CSN Bay Area.

For more on the Warriors head over to Golden State of Mind.

Chris Mullin: "RUN TMC" To Hang In Oracle Rafters?

Basketball Hall of Fame: Chris Mullin Life Of New York Hoops

When you think of Rucker Park, you don’t necessarily think of flat footed white guys draining rainbow threes. But if you ask some locals, Mullin is very much a part of the street hoops scene that NBA greats of today want to be part of during the off-season.

Marc Berman of the New York Post remembers Chris Mullin before Chris Mullin of Run TMC fame and before the buzz cut. As mentioned in an earlier post about Mark Jackson’s respect for his NYC brethren in Mullin, the former two-time Olympic gold medalist and first team All-NBAer (1991-1992) made a name for himself growing up in NYC among the likes of other NBA legends:

“It was a huge advantage in a lot of ways [growing up in New York],” Mullin added. “The players who came before me. Kareem [Abdul Jabbar], Tiny [Archibald], Bernard King, Ernie Grunfeld, Connie Hawkins, Dr. J. I was in the ninth, 10th grade and Tiny is watching our games. So many guys you can aspire to be and look up to — besides the competition.”

In no way is Mullin suggesting he is as good as Kareem or Dr. J. But Berman’s story of Mullin’ New York upbringing reads like a history of New York hoops geography. A lover of the game, Berman reports that Mullin played everywhere and the list of geographies may shock us in the present moment as they are always racialized as “black” in the pop cultural imagination.

But this story by Berman adds to the legends of New York hoops history and it’s no surprise that Mullin is already a part of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame.

Basketball Hall of Fame: Chris Mullin is a "Bad Man"

Mark Jackson and Chris Mullin go back to the times when “honeys were wearin’ sassoon.” Coming up together in New York City’s legendary high school hoops scenes that has produced several basketball hall of famers and other mythical figures like Earl Manigault, Jackson knows Mullin’s history closely. And he can vouch for Mullin’s place in the pantheon of NYC legends.

In an interview with CSN Bay Area’s Matt Steinmetz, Jackson talks about the tall tales of Mullin being a “bad man” from Brooklyn, New York and the local perception that he must be Black:

“I did hear he was white before I saw him. Being quite honest, when people told me how bad he was, I thought he must have been a black guy living in Brooklyn. That was initially. Then I got a chance to hear more and more people talking about it and they plainly said he was a white guy in Brooklyn and he was an incredible basketball player…”

The point of Jackson mentioning this wasn’t to suggest that Mullin was an exceptional white player who could play as well as black players. Through his memory, he retells this stories (responding to Steinmetz questions) to suggest that New York’s hoop scene is filled with tall tales of great basketball players regardless of race and that perhaps there’s something particular to New York hoops that produces such great figures. To suggest race didn’t matter in the eighties and the present would be ahistorical.

But Jackson’s homage tells us a little more of what made Mullin so good and that, perhaps, was his training in the New York hoops scene.

VIDEO: NBA.com Chris Mullin Hall Of Fame Tribute

Basketball Hall of Fame: Chris Mullin Video Collection, Volume Two

With our second installment of the Chris Mullin video collection, I've put together some more goodies from back in the day. Probably my favorite thing about Mullin is that his hair hasn't or ever will changed one iota. If you look at these throw back clips, and then turn on ESPN and see him as an analyst, it's almost as if he hasn't even aged really, and his concrete flattop has been set in stone.  It's crazy. But I digress, on to the videos...

Here's a Nike commercial from 1993 highlighting Mullin's 'gym rat' mentality, his Brooklyn roots, and of course, his haircut.

1993 - Nike - Chris Mullin (via 1987Hawkeyes)

Here's a nice mashup of Mullin highlights set to Earth Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," and any highlight reel set to some funk is OK with me. There's even a few clips from Mullin on the USA Olympic team, which he won gold medals with in 1984 and 1992 as part of the Dream Team. 

Chris Mullin Tribute - GameTime (via DigGameTime)

What a better way to end this volume of the Chris Mullin video collection than with an interview by the late great Lakers broadcaster Chick Hearn in March of 1989. Chick even runs Mullin through a little word association test, just to delve deeper into the thinking process of the latest Warrior to enter the Hall of Fame. 

Chick Hearn with Chris Mullin (03/12/89) (via OldGoldenThroat)

For more discussion and analysis of everything Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind to get your fix. 

Basketball Hall of Fame: Chris Mullin Video Collection, Volume One

In honor of Golden State Warriors legend Chris Mullin's induction in the Hall of Fame, SB Nation Bay Area has compiled a video collection of Mullin highlights, interviews, and other random videos for your viewing pleasure. We'll be rolling them out volume by volume, so make sure to stay tuned as we celebrate carrer of one of the best to ever wear a Warriors jersey. And here we go...

First off, here's a video from the press conference held yesterday to announce the rest of the 2011 class inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, with a small side of Jim Nantz:

Chris Mullin is welcomed into the NBA Hall of Fame - 04/04/11 (via mikegutierrezmonst)

Next up is a highlight reel of Mullin with another Warriors legend, Tim Hardaway. This video is awesome on all accounts, especially the cheesy editing, Wrecks 'N' Effect soundtrack, and an absolutely ridiculous dunk by Mullin in here too. 

Chris Mullin and Tim Hardaway(High Quality) (via nbaclassicsVIDEOS)

To finish up Chris Mullin's video collection volume one, I leave you with a great interview from 1992 with Chris Mullin discusses his upbringing, his work ethic, and his time in the NBA (up until 1992 of course). This video is total nineties; like stepping into a time warp. 

Chris Mullin segment, 1992 (via nonplayerzealot4)

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for the next installment of the Chris Mullin video collection, and for more discussion and analysis of everything Warriors, head over to Golden State of Mind. 

Basketball Hall of Fame: What People are Saying about Warriors' Chris Mullin's Hall of Fame Induction

With the news of former Golden State Warrior Chris Mullin’s induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame today, there has been lots of reaction about this distinguished honor by many of people around the Warriors organization. Here’s some of the reaction by a few prominent folks in and around the W’s:

Majority Owner Joe Lacob:

This is a tremendous and much-deserved honor for Chris Mullin. He’s certainly one of the greatest players in the history of our franchise and this solidifies his stature as one of the true legends of the game. Chris provided Bay Area fans with many incredible performances over his 13-year tenure with the Warriors and, just as importantly, was beloved by an adoring fan base for his likability as a person off the floor. He was a player who was completely devoted to his craft and NBA fans, and Warriors fans in particular, were the beneficiaries. As an organization, we are extremely proud of Chris and his election to the Hall of Fame and congratulate him on this outstanding achievement as he prepares to join basketball immortality in Springfield."

Notice the omission of talks about his time as Warriors GM, which not many people were too excited about.

Here’s another former Warrior player and GM Alvin Attles:

I was blessed with the opportunity to watch Chris evolve as both a person and a player from the moment he arrived in the NBA until the end of his illustrious career. He was simply an incredible player and one of the greatest shooters that I have ever seen. His work ethic and desire to improve his game in every facet – shooting, passing and even defense – is what set him apart from the average athlete. After 50-plus years in this league, I know that very few players have worked harder or prepared more diligently than Chris Mullin. The fact that he will now be rewarded with the ultimate honor – enshrinement into the Hall of Fame – proves that there is no substitution for hard work."

Attles definitely knows his basketball, I think he’s spot on about Mullin here.

Former Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson:

"I’m elated for Chris and the fact that he has been recognized as a Hall of Famer. He was the heart and soul of some very good teams with the Warriors and part of an exciting time for basketball fans in the Bay Area. His accomplishments at every level – high school, college, the NBA and the Olympics – are well-documented and his resume, quite honestly, is about as well-rounded as any player when you look at his entire body of work. He will certainly be remembered as one of the purest shooters in the history of the game and someone who got the maximum out of his ability."

What ever Nelly has to say, Warriors fans will always listen.

Warriors beat writer Marcus Thompson was more concerned with why Mullin’s jersey hasn’t been retired yet, especially now as a hall of famer. Here are some of his tweets from earlier today:

It will pain some in GSW organization, but they have to give Mullin his shine now, right?

I mean, if they are really all about the fans, wouldn’t they allow their fans to celebrate one of their all-time favorites?

If I were the Warriors brass right now, I’d be doing anything I could to get that jersey in the rafters ASAP, definitely before the season is over.

Stay with SB Nation Bay Area for more news and analysis about Chris Mullin as it unfolds.

Basketball Hall Of Fame: Chris Mullin In 2011 Class

The Basketball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2011 today, and Chris Mullin, who spent 13 of his 16 NBA seasons with the Golden State Warriors, is part of it. Dennis Rodman, Artis Gilmore, and Arvydas Sabonis, among others, will join Mullin in the Hall during an induction ceremony in August.

No one appeared in more games for the Warriors than Mullin, who suited up 807 times. He ranks second in team history in minutes played (28225), fourth in points (16235), fourth in assists (3146), first in steals (1360), and tenth in field-goal percentage (51.3).

Mullin spent the first 12 years of his career in the Bay before the Warriors dealt him to the Indiana Pacers for Erick Dampier and Duane Ferrell. The Pacers waived him after three seasons, which allowed Mullin to return to Golden State for his final campaign. Three years following his retirement from playing, Mullin returned to the Warriors as their General Manager, a position he held for five years before they decided not to renew his contract.

Of course, the Hall recognizes Mullin for more than his work as a Warrior; he's a two-time Olympic gold medalist and had a distinguished collegiate career at St. John's. Those factors only bolstered his Hall-of-Fame credentials.

As SB Nation colleague Tom Ziller points out, Mullin's case is unusual in that he will become a Hall-of-Famer before his jersey is retired.

For more on the Warriors, please visit Golden State of Mind.