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.
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