Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors: NBA Championships and Key Players

Golden State Warriors History and Highlights.

The Golden State Warriors are the most successful team in the NBA in the past decade and one of the teams with the largest fan base in any sport.

The Golden State Warriors compete in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the NBA and play their home games in the Chase Center in San Francisco. They have won seven NBA championships, four of which have come in the last eight seasons.

Founding and Early Years

The team was founded in Philadelphia in 1946, and they moved to San Francisco Bay Area in 1962, taking the city’s name. In 1971 the team changed its geographic moniker to Golden State.

First Championship Win

The Warriors won their first season in the ABA in 1947, which many consider their first championship. Joe Fulks led that team, and they defeated the Chicago Stags 4-1 in the NBA Finals series.

Joining the NBA

With the merge of the leagues, the Warriors joined the NBA in 1949. Soon after, they won their second championship, defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1955.

Wilt Chamberlain: Greatest Player of All Time

Four years later, the Golden State Warriors signed Wilt Chamberlain, who would become one of the greatest players of all time. He spent the following six seasons with the Warriors leading the team in scoring and scoring 100 points in a historic performance in 1962, a record that still stands to this day. But unfortunately, that team didn’t win any championship and traded Chamberlain to Philadelphia in 1965.

The same year, the Warriors drafted Rick Barry, who would be the team’s star for the next decade. The Warriors won their third NBA championship in 1975, sweeping the Washington Bullets, which is still considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the NBA.

The 1980s

The Golden State Warriors didn’t see much success in the years that followed, even though they had a couple of good teams.

In the late 1980s, the Warriors had the Run TMC trio, which was very popular in the league. Tim Hardaway was the king of the cross-over, Mitch Richmond, a young deadly shooter, and Chris Mullin one of the best all-around players in the league. However, that team only stayed together for two seasons and won only one playoff series.

The 1990s

After breaking up that team at the end of the ‘80s, the Warriors got Latrell Sprewell and Chris Webber early in the 1990s. They also drafted Joe Smith with the first overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft, and that team looked very promising. Webber was soon traded to the Washington Bullets, and Joe Smith was not as good as advertised.

Sprewell Scandal

Latrell Sprewell was the creator of one of the biggest scandals in the league’s history when he attacked the Warriors coach PJ Carlesimo in 1997. After being suspended for a year, Sprewell was sent to the New York Knicks.

The 2000s

The “We Believe” Team

The Warriors struggled in the early 2000s until the “We Believe” team was created. Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, and Matt Barnes were part of the team that shocked the top-seed Dallas Mavericks in the 2008 first playoff round.

The Modern Era

After upsetting the Dallas Mavericks came one of the critical moments in the Warriors’ history. The team drafted Steph Curry with the seventh overall pick, and he would literally change the history of the team and the game of basketball. The Warriors then drafted Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, creating the team that will win 4 NBA championships and have the best regular-season record of all time.

The Dynasty Begins

The dynasty began in 2015 when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers. The two teams played in the next three finals, with the Warriors winning two of those and losing in 2016. That season, the Warriors finished the regular season with 73 wins and 9 losses but lost to the Cavs in the finals despite having a 3-1 lead.

Today

After going through numerous injuries of key players, the Warriors regrouped in the 2021-22 season, winning their seventh championship in franchise history, defeating the Boston Celtics in the finals.