For a short while, Run TMC was the preeminent offense in the NBA. Run by its namesake's Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, it took the league by storm. But it was all taken down just two years in when Richmond was traded to the Kings. This is his story.
The Early Years
Mitch Richmond was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on June 30, 1965. After graduating from Boyd Anderson High School, he honed his basketball skills at Moberly Area Community College. Kansas State coach Lon Kruger liked what he saw in the young shooting guard for the Greyhounds and offered him a scholarship to Manhattan in the Fall of 1986.
Richmond was sensational for the Wildcats, putting up the most points (1,327) in a two year span in school history. As a senior, he made 51.4% of his shots while averaging 22.6 points per game and earning Second-Team All-America honors. His college career came to an abrupt end in a 71-58 loss to the eventual champion Danny Manning and the Kansas Jayhawks in the Elite Eight.
Still, it was the finest year in Kansas State's history and Mitch Richmond had proved to everyone that he belonged with the best in the business. Kansas State would eventually retire his jersey number 23, forever remembering all that he had done for the program
After his college career ended, he was part of the last amateur team to play for USA basketball in the Olympics. Although loaded with the likes of David Robinson, Danny Manning and Stacey Augmon, Team USA fell to the Soviet Union before settling for the bronze metal. If anything, Mitch Richmond came away inspired to accomplish even more. It was time to test his unique skills in the NBA.
Golden State
Mitch Richmond was drafted fifth overall in the 1988 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. While they hadn't won much recently, there was a whiff of confidence in the air. Chris Mullin had just posted his best season yet and Don Nelson had recently been hired away from the Milwaukee Bucks with a unique system in mind.
Richmond hit the ground running in his first year, averaging 22 points, 4.2 assists and 5.9 rebounds a game while beating out Danny Manning for the Rookie of the Year award. While the Warriors managed to sweep the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs, they fell to the Suns in the next round. They knew that every great offense needs a competent point guard and the Warriors found that in the 1989 NBA Draft.
When Tim Hardaway arrived from UTEP in the Summer of 1989, he didn't look all that impressive. In a sport dominated by size, his 6'0" frame belied the fire within his belly. That first year with Tim, Mitch and Chris all on the court, the Warriors led the NBA with 116.3 points per game while the young trio contributed an incredible 61.9 points to the cause. Still, the Warriors were never known for their defense in those days and finished the year 37-45 and out of the playoffs.
They were better the following year. With Don Nelson evolving his game plan to include forwards running the offense from the point (thus inventing the point-forward) and a wide variety of odd matchups and designs such as 7'6" Manute Bol shooting three-pointers, the Warriors took the NBA by storm.
The 1990-1991 campaign began with a 162-158 victory over the Denver Nuggets. To this day, it is the highest scoring non-overtime game in NBA history. From there, the Warriors lit the NBA on fire. While their defense was never a dominant factor in this era, they still outscored many an opponent. They beat Atlanta 143-128, the 76ers in overtime 141-138 and the Rockets 143-135.
Oddly enough, their best defensive performance happened against Michael Jordan's Bulls when the Warriors won 103-93. If the Warriors had any rival during this year, it was the Nuggets, who nudged them for the highest scoring offense that year. Including the season opener, each of their games was a shootout with scores such as 147-125 (Warriors won) and 150-145 (Warriors lost).
In the midst of this, all three of the Warriors famed trio averaged more than 20 points a game. While Mullin averaged 25.1 and Hardaway averaged 22.1 (along with 9.7 assists), Mitch Richmond averaged 23.9 points, 3.1 assists and 5.9 rebounds a game for the Warriors. Late in the year, the team held a public vote for what to call the famed trio. Live on television, the three picked the winner: Run TMC. Named after the famous music group Run DMC, the three immediately clicked with the hip-hop culture. While most of the NBA vied for the championship, Run TMC was basking in the glow of their newfound celebrity.
When the playoffs began, the Warriors looked to establish themselves alongside the game's elite. Mitch Richmond's 39 points in Game 1 sparked his team's eventual four game victory over the second-seeded Spurs. After beating the Lakers in Game 2 to tie the series, they ignited Los Angeles's fury when Run DMC introduced the Warriors in Game 3.
Although Richmond averaged 24.5 points in each of the final four games, it wasn't enough and the Warriors fell to the Lakers in five games. After losing in overtime 124-119 in the Great Western Forum, the Warriors players thought that they had several good years left in their famed trio. Little did they know that that defeat was the last time Run TMC would ever play together.
Later Career
Don Nelson knew that he needed size to really win in the NBA and had spent all offseason searching for ways to add height to his roster. Just hours before the start of the 1991-1992 season, he called Mitch Richmond into his office. Knowing what was about to happen, Richmond only asked that he not be traded to the Sacramento Kings. his now former coach could only sheepishly look down and admit that he had indeed traded him to the Kings for Billy Owens.
The Warriors went on to beat Denver that day and returned home where they would face, of all teams, the Sacramento Kings and their jilted teammate. Understandably, it was a brutal day for Mitch Richmond and he very nearly went into the wrong locker room. It was too early for him to play for his new team, so he was forced to watch from the bench as his old team obliterated his new one 153-91.
From then on, Mitch Richmond was determined to let the world know just what the Warriors lost when they traded him away. He averaged 22.5 points and 5.1 assists in his first year with the Kings and made his first All-Star Game in Year Two. It was the first of six straight All-Star appearances for the shooting guard. In the coming years, he earned was named Second-Team All-NBA three times and Third-Team All-NBA twice. He reached his peak in the 1995 All-Star Game by leading both squads with 23 points and earning the game's MVP as the West beat the East 139-112.
From afar and when they met on the court, Michael Jordan had always admired his game and lobbied for him to make the 1996 Olympic team. Along with Charles Barkley, Richmond was one of the two last names added to the esteemed list. The United States went on to win gold that year, beating YR Yugoslavia in Atlanta for the top prize.
Whether he was with the Warriors (1988-1991), Kings (1991-1998) or the Washington Wizards (1998-2001), Mitch Richmond never failed to put his best foot forward. By the time he signed on with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2001, he knew that his career was winding down. Still, he relished the opportunity to play for the two-time defending champs. He only played a little over a minute in the 2002 NBA Finals and scored two points, but he ended his career with the ball in his hands by dribbling out the clock. In the end, it was the traded one who won the long championship of Run TMC.
Mitch Richmond was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. He served as an assistant coach under Chris Mullin at Mullin's alma mater St. Johns from 2015-2019. Although they hadn't been teammates for quite some time, it was almost as if they had never stopped.
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