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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — As last night’s master of ceremonies Ahmad Rashad introduced Chris Mullin to kick off the evening, and he mentioned “the Flatbush section of Brooklyn.” A loud roar arose inside the stately Symphony Hall auditorium at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies.
Mullin got a standing ovation as he took the stage and in his New York accent, said, “Looking out, I realize I’m a long way from Flatbush Avenue. But Brooklyn is definitely in the house tonight.”
Another big roar filled the auditorium.
From Flatbush to St. John’s, to Oakland, to Indiana, Mullin’s wonderful basketball career reached its climax here last night when Mullin, the kind of gym rat YMCA founder and basketball inventor James Naismith would have adored, was officially inducted into the Hall. Louie Carnesecca, his coach at St. John’s, stood next to Mullin during his former player’s New York-centric and classy induction speech.
“Growing up in New York gave me a tremendous edge as a basketball player,” Mullin said. “Wonderful coaches at a young age. They taught me the fundamentals, gave me the confidence to go anywhere in the city and play against anybody at any time.”
Mullin had a group of former teammates and coaches from his many stops in attendance. He also had 40 relatives, including his three brothers and sister, and 50 more longtime friends from Brooklyn on hand.
Former St. John’s teammates Mark Jackson, Walter Berry and David Russell were in the audience, as were Mullin’s partners in Golden State’s “Run TMC” – Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond.
And Mullin also acknowledged two nuns in the audience. Both are in their 90’s, one of them his Aunt Kathryn. “They’ve been watching my games since I was 9,” he said. “At my age, when you still have two 90-year-olds praying for you, you know life is very good.”
Speaking of choosing a college, Mullin said, “It was an easy choice. I packed my bags for Utopia Parkway and St. John’s University. I chose the best coach in the best city, and I played in the world’s most famous arena. I made a dream of my passion.”
Mullin was drafted seventh overall by the Warriors in 1985 and acknowledged his rough early years without mentioning specifically his triumph over alcoholism.
“One friend said where is Golden State,” Mullin said. “All I knew it was a long way from New York — 3,000 miles away from home and took an adjustment for me. It was a difficult time in my life and today I call (the Bay Area) home.”
Mullin gave the night’s first speech and Dennis Rodman, wearing a black jacket with both the Pistons and Bulls logos, closed the evening with an emotional wreck of a performance. He cried through most of his speech in which he lamented being a bad father, husband and son. He needed a minute before he even could get started, leaning on presenter Phil Jackson.
“I thank the NBA community just for having me in the building,” said Rodman, wearing earrings in his nose, lips and ears.
At one juncture, he noted Penny Marshall’s presence, saying “She’s doing a documentary on me. I hope I’m living by the end of it.”
Rodman also mentioned Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, his former teammates with the Bulls, as the game’s two best-ever players.
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Another New York native entered the Hall last night. Satch Sanders, drafted by the Celtics in 1960 out of NYU, was enshrined as a “contributor.” Sanders grew up in Harlem and was a boyhood friend and NYU teammate of legendary Cal Ramsey, still working in the Knicks alumni relations department. Ramsey is NYU’s leading career rebounder and Sanders is second. Sanders won eight titles in Boston as a defensive-minded role player. Among the other inductees were Artis Gilmore,, Arvydas Sabonis, Tex Winter, Goose Tatum, Teresa Edwards and Trish Van Devere.
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Commissioner David Stern spent the last two days here with a smile plastered on his face — a much different demeanor than his dour look following the labor meetings. “I’m happy,” he said. “It’s the Hall of Fame.” . . . Hall officials said Isiah Thomas was scheduled to attend in support of Rodman but was a no-show. Rodman said he never got a congratulatory call from his former Pistons teammate.