The NBA jersey advent calendar: 25 days of hoops history for the holidays

17. Chris Mullin

Chris Mullin is a seriously slept-on killer. The Hall of Famer and Dream Teamer may not always be remembered for the ice cold sharpshooter he was but this calendar is here to right that major wrong.

The lefty assassin averaged over 25 points per game for five straight seasons between 1988 and 1993 in a stretch that never saw him shoot more than three 3-pointers per game on average. Mullin’s game is a prime example of a star who could have possibly shined even brighter had he played in the modern NBA.

Along with teammates Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, Mullin formed the “Run TMC” trio that led the Warriors to five straight playoff appearances during their run.

The heights of Mullin’s career came one season removed from a suspension and enrollment in rehabilitation for alcoholism. The moved saved his career, and Mullin credits his coach Don Nelson for giving him a second lease on his career and life.

“I needed to regain control of my life,” Mullin told the New York Times in 1989. “I would never have taken the step and gone into rehabilitation, had Coach Nelson not pushed me toward it.”

The look of the late 1980s and early 1990s Warriors may not be the most exciting, or even the best Warriors look out there (more on this later) but representing Mullin and the exciting Run TMC W’s is worth the pick.

Also, with apologies to Jeremy Lin and his ridiculous 2012 Linsanity run with the New York Knicks, the number 17 doesn’t offer much else to choose from.

To bring it home, Magic Johnson once said, “When God made a basketball player, he just carved Chris Mullin out and said, ‘This is a player.’ ”

What else do you need to know but that?

Honorable Mention: Jeremy Lin (New York Knicks), John Havlicek (Boston Celtics)