Pedro Oliveira
Founded in Philadelphia in 1946 and moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962, the Western Conference team not only enjoyed a successful history in the early days of the league, it is also currently one of the best teams in the NBA, and in the last decade, one of the most-winning teams as well. Despite this, there seem to be no big names in the first 30 to 40 years of the franchise’s existence, but nothing could be further from the truth.
That’s why we bring you this list, which features the top 5 Golden State Warriors players in their history.
5.- Nate Thurmond
Selected as the third pick in the 1963 draft, Thurmond would blossom with the departure of then Warriors star Wilt Chamberlain and immediately become the franchise player. Out of his 14-year career, Thurmond would spend 11 years with the San Francisco/Golden State Warriors, earning 7 All-Star Game selections, being called up to 5 All-League Defensive Teams and All-Rookie Team honors in the 1963-1964 season.
Thurmond was one of the most dominant centers of his era, in fierce competition with his former teammate Chamberlain, against whom he lost his only NBA Finals in 1976 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Thurmond currently holds the top spot in rebounds (12,771) and minutes (30,735) historically in the franchise, averaging 17.4 points, 16.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.1 blocks in 757 games.
4.- Paul Arizin
With 10 All-Star Game selections, 4 All-NBA teams, 2 scoring championships (1951-1952 and 1956-1957) and the 1956 championship, Arizin starred in the NBA in the 1950s due to being one of the best scorers at that time, forming a lethal duo with his partner, center Neil Johnston (who could also have occupied a place on this list).
Arizin currently leads the Warriors historically in free throws (5010) and personal fouls (2764), and finished his 10-year career with averages of 22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 713 games, all with the Philadelphia Warriors. In their only championship, they defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons in 5 games.
3.- Wilt Chamberlain
The most historic statistical version of the 6-foot-6 center came to the NBA at the hands of the Warriors, who kept him for 6 seasons, where he defied the laws of reality by putting up perhaps the best individual seasons by a player in the history of basketball.
In his time with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, Wilt averaged 41.5 points, 25.1 rebounds and 3 assists from 1959 to 1965, when he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Chamberlain would average 50.4 points, 25.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists in the 1961-1962 season, achieving in the same season the unbeaten records of 100 points in a game, and 55 rebounds in another game, which to this day, have not been broken.
As much of a juggernaut as Chamberlain was for the Dubs, he would be thwarted in the postseason by Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics, losing in his final year with the franchise in the 1961-1962 NBA Finals. Chamberlain holds the franchise’s all-time record for most average minutes (47.2), points per game (41.5) and rebounds per game (25.1).
2.- Rick Barry
Rick Barry would become one of the most divisive figures in the NBA during the 1960s and 1970s, even after his divorce from the San Francisco Warriors and after a brief but successful career in the ABA, when he won a championship and was named All-Star four times and All-ABA four times.
In his time in the NBA he completed 8 All-Star Game selections, 5 All-NBA selections, a scoring championship in 1967 and a Steal Title in 1975. In his 8 seasons with the Warriors, he averaged 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Barry’s crowning achievement was leading the team to an unlikely NBA championship in the 1974-1975 season, when they reached the NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets, who were the league’s favorites due to having the league’s best regular season record at the time (60-12). Against all odds, Barry and Golden State would sweep the Bullets of Elvin Hayes and Wes Unseld 4-0. He is considered to this day to be the greatest upset in league history.
1.- Stephen Curry
There is no doubt, the best player in the history of the Dubs is still active today, and is one of the best players in the NBA, considered the best shooter in the history of basketball. The current MVP candidate for the 2021-2022 season was taken with the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, and the remainder of his career would be a tribute to a player who would forever transform the basketball world.
Labeled as a terrible defender, a streaky scorer and a player with a tendency to get injured all the time, Steph Curry has gone to great lengths to make all of these labels disappear so far in his 12-year career. Curry’s most humbling achievements in his career include 7 All-Star Game appearances, 7 All-NBA Team call-ups, and being a 2-time NBA scoring champion and steals leader in the 2015-2016 season.
With two consecutive MVP awards in the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 seasons (the latter unanimously, being the first in history to achieve it within the NBA), and 3 championships won (2014-2015, 2016-2017, 2017-2018), “Chef” Curry has left his name marked in the annals of basketball history as one of the most dominant players that have ever existed.
Curry also holds NBA records for: most three-pointers in a season (402), leading scorer in Golden State history (19,358), assists (5191), free throw percentage (90.2%) and most three-pointers (3011 and counting). In the current season, he surpassed Ray Allen as the NBA’s all-time leading three-point shooter, and Curry’s reputation only grows more legendary and wide as we write this piece. At 34 years of age, he still has working years ahead of him.
