NBA: 1990s All-Decade third team
Third Team: F – Chris Mullin:
1990s Resume: 10 seasons, one-time All-NBA First Team, one-time All-NBA second team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, four-time NBA All-Star, 18.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 3.7 APG, 18.5 average PER
Chris Mullin was never really thought of as elite, but he is one of the purest shooters in the history of basketball. Although he never earned himself an NBA title, Mullin just really had some bad luck along the way. He struggled with alcoholism early in his career and had to watch as Don Nelson traded away Mitch Richmond – who was like a brother to Mullin and an integral part of the “Run TMC” Warriors. Injuries started to take their toll and he was traded to the Indiana Pacers.
Mullin helped the Pacers reach the Eastern Conference Finals twice in the 90s, but they were defeated by Michael Jordan’s Bulls and Patrick Ewing’s New York Knicks. Jalen Rose was eventually given more minutes over Mullin and his Hall of Fame career was essentially over after one more season back in Golden State. But during his prime, Mullin put up 25 points and five rebounds per game in four straight seasons.
The fact that Chris Mullin was one of the least recognized members of the 1992 Dream Team is both an example of how underrated Mullin was and a testament to how freaking good the Dream Team was. With a lovable accent that sounded like a mix between Brooklyn and eastern European, Mullin shot above 40 percent from three-point range in five of his 10 seasons in the decade. Nobody really remembers the fundamentally sound players who weren’t particularly flashy, but Mullin’s time with Run TMC and his Hall of Fame career are one exception to the rule.