Chris Mullin Interview: NBA Hall Of Famer On Big East, New York Basketball And Summer League

NBA Legend Recalls Golden Era Of New York Basketball

Born in Brooklyn in 1963, Chris Mullin came of age during the a golden age of basketball in the Big Apple. As immortalized in The City Game: Basketball From The Garden To The Playgrounds, Pete Axthelm's iconic ode to hoops culture, New York City was the center of the basketball universe as Mullin grew up. Not only were the Knicks winning championships at Madison Square Garden but courts across all five boroughs were filled with talented and dedicated players.

Mullin embraced this tradition during his youth, leaving Brooklyn to playing against anyone, anywhere. Looking up the 1970s Knicks backcourt tandem of Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe, Mullin matured into one of the most effective and entertaining college basketball players of the 1980s. Starring at St. John's in Queens, Mullin remained a fixture of the New York hoops scene, reveling in the annual Big East Tournament that was played at the Garden.

HuffPost Sports recently caught up with Mullin and had the chance to talk about his New York basketball education, the current state of the NBA summer league as well as the end of the Big East as we know it. Mullin was back in his native New York for the 26th Annual Great Sports Legends Dinner for the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis at the Waldorf-Astoria. The Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis was founded by NFL Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti after his son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game in 1985. Over the ensuing years, the Buonicoti Fund has supported ground-breaking research on spinal cord injuries. With Mullin among the main attractions, the fundraiser on Sept. 26 raised more than $10 million.

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot