Run TMC

History

Mullin joined the Warriors in 1985, Richmond was drafted by Golden State in 1988, and Hardaway was a rookie in 1989. They were the core of the Warriors' uptempo offense, known as "Nellie Ball" after their coach Don Nelson. Nelson was a Warriors vice president in 1987–88 before becoming their coach and general manager starting in 1988–89.

The Warriors led the NBA in scoring in 1989–90 in Run TMC's first season. Early on, Hardaway was not as proficient a scorer as Mullin and Richmond. In a win over the Boston Celtics in the 38th game of the season, all three players surpassed 20 points in the same game for the first time. In their two seasons together, they accomplished the feat 48 times, going 30–18 in those games.

The Warriors sold out every home game in 1990–91. In the season opener, they defeated the Denver Nuggets 162–158, the highest-scoring regulation game in NBA history. Despite their scoring prowess, the Warriors were limited defensively. On February 26, 1991, they lost 131–119 to the Orlando Magic despite the trio each scoring more than 30 points (the rest of the team totaled 21 points). Golden State finished the season 44–38, their best record in nine years, and finished second in the league in scoring (116.6). Mullin finishing eighth in scoring (25.7), Richmond 10th (23.9), and Hardaway 11th (22.9), averaging 72.5 points as the league's highest-scoring trio.}} surpassed only by the 76.7 by Denver's Alex English (28.4), Kiki Vandeweghe (26.7), and Dan Issel (21.6) in 1982–83. The Warriors advanced to the playoffs, upsetting David Robinson and the San Antonio Spurs before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.

On November 1, 1991, Run TMC was broken up when Golden State traded Richmond and Les Jepsen to the Sacramento Kings for 6 ft rookie Billy Owens, whose additional height compared to Richmond was the size that Nelson believed would complete the team. Nelson said he "was under pressure to get [the team] bigger" to improve the Warriors from a good team to a great one. In the trio's two seasons together, the Warriors had a cumulative record of 81–83, never finished higher than fourth place in the Pacific Division, and won one of two playoff series. "I'd never make that trade again," Nelson lamented.

Nickname

Hardaway, Richmond, and Mullin began the 1990–91 season being called the "Big Three". Midway through the season, The San Francisco Examiner sponsored a "Name the Warriors Trio Contest." Six entrants had entered "Run TMC", with musician Peter Elman declared the contest's winner in a drawing. The name was a reference to hip hop group Run-DMC. "Run DMC was one of the first rap groups that most people really took notice of ... We definitely liked that nickname," remembered Richmond. Former Laker Sam Perkins recalled that the Warriors even had Run–DMC perform at one of the Warriors–Lakers playoff games that season.

Aftermath

Richmond was a six-time All-Star with Sacramento, and the Kings retired his number in 2003. Owens never provided his expected impact and played only three seasons with Golden State. and the Warriors dealt Mullin the following year to the Indiana Pacers.

All three enjoyed successful careers after the breakup. Mullin and Hardaway came close to winning an NBA championship, while Richmond won one with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002, albeit with limited playing time.

Legacy

Mullin was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011. Nelson was inducted the following year. In 2014, Richmond was also voted in, while Hardaway was admitted as part of the Hall's class of 2022.

Run TMC's short time together belied their enduring popularity. As of 2013, Run TMC T-shirts were still available for sale online. Online tributes are authored by bloggers who were too young to have seen them play, and YouTube is filled with their highlights. NBA.com in 2011 attributed Run TMC's popularity to "romanticism of a loyal fan base that hasn't had much to cheer about." The New York Times opined that their enduring nature "will likely remain a mystery."

The Warriors gave away promotional Run TMC bobbleheads in 2012, with Mullin's likeness being handed out in conjunction with his number being retired by the Warriors. Mullin thought that Hardaway and Richmond should have had their numbers retired at the same time. "To me, it doesn't always have to be about one person. I know I'd feel more comfortable. That would feel natural to me." Mullin said. He called his time with Hardaway and Richmond "the most fun I had playing basketball in my whole life."

Notes

References

References

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2. Howard-Cooper, Scott. (August 23, 2011). "Time can't fade indelible mark Run TMC left on Warriors, NBA". NBA.com.
3. (March 20, 2012). "Warriors retire Chris Mullin's jersey". National Post.
4. Eddy, George. (October 9, 2012). "Nellie Ball". FIBA.com.
5. Osborne, Ben. (January 3, 2011). "Original Old School: Run & Shoot & Shoot...". SlamOnline.com.
6. Hoffman, Benjamin. (February 16, 2013). "Fascination Lingers for Three Stars of Warriors' Brief Run". The New York Times.
7. Poole, Monte. (September 17, 2020). "Why Warriors should keep, not trade, Wiggins this offseason".
8. (October 30, 1991). "A New Season". Los Angeles Times.
9. Yant, Larry. (February 10, 1991). "The Warriors' historic Big 3". San Francisco Examiner.
10. Yant, Larry. (February 24, 1991). "Trio unwraps its new nickname: Run TMC". San Francisco Examiner.
11. Araton, Harvey. (April 26, 1998). "Sports of The Times; The Trade That Wasn't Made: Richmond to Miami". The New York Times.
12. (December 29, 2003). "Guard led Kings in scoring for seven years". ESPN.com.
13. Simmons, Bill. (March 21, 2012). "How to Annoy a Fan Base in 60 Easy Steps". grantland.com.
14. Ostler, Scott. (March 1, 2013). "Don Nelson built Hall of Fame resume in odd style". San Francisco Chronicle.
15. Winderman, Ira. (April 7, 2014). "It's official: Mourning, Richmond to enter Hall; Zo: 'I'm humbled'". South Florida Sun Sentinel.
16. Lopez, Andrew. (April 2, 2022). "Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, Swin Cash, Lindsay Whalen among 13-member Hall of Fame class".
17. Hartlaub, Peter. (March 2, 2012). "A tribute to the Warriors Run-TMC era". San Francisco Chronicle.
18. "Limited Edition Run TMC bobblehead Series". nba.com/warriors.
19. (August 12, 2011). "Chris Mullin: Warriors Should Retire 'Run TMC' Jerseys". slamonline.com.