Duke basketball: The 10 greatest NBA Blue Devils of all time
By Matt Giles
All-time top 10 Duke basketball pro: No. 4 Jeff Mullins
Jeff Mullins, whose No. 44 jersey ended up in Cameron Indoor Stadium’s rafters after his two Final Four appearances, went No. 5 overall at the 1964 NBA Draft to the St. Louis Hawks. But the 6-foot-4 shooting guard would go on to average less than six points per game in each of his two years there.
However, Mullins quickly ratcheted up his production with the San Francisco Warriors, who became the Golden State Warriors midway through his 10-season stay there. In fact, in his first year in California, he averaged 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds for a team that snagged the Western Conference crown. After that season, he averaged 16-23 points across his next seven campaigns.
Though Mullins (who eventually became a successful 11-year head coach for UNC Charlotte) then contributed only 8.2 points per game in 1974-75 while playing alongside NBA legend Rick Barry, his championship ring from that season remained the only one for a former Blue Devil until Danny Ferry earned his with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.