Chris Mullin
The Steward
Legacy, values and the long now, leadership as care and continuity.
Chris Mullin reads as The Steward because he treats basketball as an inheritance to be passed on, not a résumé to be polished. He speaks of absorbing lessons from Carnesecca, Don Nelson, and Larry Bird, then deliberately transmitting them through coaching and mentorship. His return to Saint John's came from obligation, 'if I don't do it, I'm gonna regret this,' and he measures success in peer respect and earned mutual trust, the instincts of a guardian of continuity.
“There wasn't a day that went by in practice that I didn't find myself saying something that either coach Carnesecca taught me or Don Nelson, Larry Bird — just passing that knowledge on.”
“The best form of accomplishment is the respect from your peers and your teammates. All-Star games are things that are voted on, but when you have the respect of your opponent and your teammates, that's really what we played for.”
“Getting to know people for who they are — understanding the differences, but really more importantly understanding how much alike we are. That goes back to sports, traveling on the train in the subways in New York.”
Knuckleheads with Quentin Richardson & Darius Miles: “Chris Mullin”
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