NBA: 50 Greatest Players Of The 1990s
By Phil Watson
50 greatest NBA players from the 1990s — 26. Chris Mullin
Chris Mullin came into the 1990s fresh off his first All-Star berth with the Golden State Warriors.
It was just the beginning for the seventh overall pick out of St. John’s in the 1985 NBA Draft who battled back from an early-career bout with alcohol abuse.
Mullin was a four-time All-Star in the 1990s with the Warriors and was named to three All-NBA teams.
He led the NBA in minutes played and minutes per game in both 1990-91 (3,315 and 40.4) and 1991-92 (3,346 and 41.3) and was fifth in the league in steals in 1991-92. He was also fourth in total points in 1990-91 and third in 1991-92, fifth in field-goal percentage in 1996-97, second in 3-point percentage in 1992-93 and fourth in scoring average in 1991-92 and fifth in 1992-93.
But in August 1997, Golden State traded Mullin to the Indiana Pacers for Erick Dampier and Duane Ferrell.
In eight seasons with the Warriors in the 1990s, Mullin averaged 21.1 points, five rebounds, four assists and 1.7 steals in 37.3 minutes per game, shooting .520/.386/.855.
With the Pacers, Mullin led the NBA with a .939 free-throw percentage in 1997-98 and was third in 3-point percentage in 1997-98 and second in 1998-99.
In his two seasons in Indiana in the 1990s, Mullin averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, two assists and 1.1 steals in 25.4 minutes per game, shooting .480/.450/.914.
He played one more season with the Pacers before he was waived in September 2000 and returned to Golden State as a free agent later that month, retiring at season’s end.
In the 1990s, Mullin was 20th with 12,155 points and a .401 3-point percentage, 19th with 1,029 steals and 17th with an .860 free-throw percentage.
He is 37th in NBA history with 1,530 steals, 27th with an .866 free-throw percentage and 36th with an average of 1.6 steals per game.
Mullin was general manager of the Warriors from 2004-09 and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
He was hired as the head coach at his alma mater, St. John’s, in March.