Golden State Warriors
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San Francisco Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are a National Basketball Association team based in Oakland, California. "Golden State" is the nickname of the state of California, derived from the 1849 Gold Rush.
- Founded: 1946
- Formerly known as: Philadelphia Warriors, San Francisco Warriors
- Home Arena: The Arena in Oakland
- Uniform colors: Midnight blue, Golden yellow, and Red
- Logo design: A stylized blue tinted man (a Native American warrior, which is a throwback to previous logos) holding a lightning bolt on a basketball background.
- NBA Championships: 1947 and 1956 in Philadelphia, 1975 in Oakland
- 2004-05 Record: 34-48
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Franchise history
The Philadelphia Warriors were a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, winning the championship in the league's inaugural 1946-1947 season by defeating the Chicago Stags, four games to one. (The BAA became the National Basketball Association in 1949.) The team was founded by Eddie Gottlieb, the long-time promoter of the Philadelphia Sphas, one of the mainstays of the original American Basketball League. Gottlieb retained the ABL Sphas until that league disbanded in 1955.
The Warriors are one of only three original BAA/NBA teams still in existence, the others being the Boston Celtics and New York Knickerbockers. The Warriors won their only other championship as a Philadelphia team in the 1955-1956 season, defeating the Fort Wayne Pistons four games to one. In 1959, the team signed their 216-cm tall (7'1") draft pick Wilt Chamberlain. Known as "Wilt the Stilt," Chamberlain quickly began shattering NBA scoring records and changed the style of play forever. On March 2, 1962, in a Warrior "home" game played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knickerbockers, a single-game record that may never be broken.
In 1962, the team moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and became the San Francisco Warriors, playing most of their home games in San Francisco and at the Cow Palace in neighboring Daly City, though occasionally playing home games in nearby cities such as Oakland and San Jose. The Warriors won the 1963-1964 Western Division crown, losing the NBA championship series to the Boston Celtics, four games to one.
In 1965, the Warriors drafted Rick Barry in the first round. Barry was named NBA Rookie of the Year in his first season, then led the Warriors to the NBA finals in the 1966-1967 season, where the team lost (four games to two) to the team that replaced the Warriors in the City of Brotherly Love, the Philadelphia 76ers. Angered by management's failure to pay him certain incentive awards he felt he was due, Barry sat out the 1967-1968 season, joining the Oakland Oaks of the rival American Basketball Association the following year. After several seasons in the ABA, Barry rejoined the Warriors in 1972.
With the opening of the Oakland Coliseum Arena in 1966, the Warriors began scheduling increasing numbers of home games at that venue. The 1970-1971 season would be the team's last as the San Francisco Warriors. They changed their name to the Golden State Warriors for the 1971-1972 season, playing almost all home games in Oakland. Six "home" games were played in San Diego during that season but more significantly, none were played in San Francisco or Daly City.
As the Golden State Warriors, the franchise has only won one NBA championship, in 1974-1975. In what many consider the biggest upset in the history of the NBA, the Warriors defeated the heavily-favored Washington Bullets in a four-game sweep. That team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles, and led on the court by Rick Barry, Jamaal Wilkes, and Phil Smith. So little was felt of the team's chances in the playoffs, even by their home fans, that the Coliseum Arena scheduled other events during the dates of the NBA playoffs. As a result, the home games of the Warriors' only West Coast championship were played not in Oakland but at the Cow Palace in Daly City.
The team had another successful string of wins in the late 80s/early 90s with the high scoring trio of point guard Tim Hardaway, guard Mitch Richmond, and forward Chris Mullin (collectively known as Run T-M-C). However, with then coach Don Nelson wishing to go with a bigger lineup, he made a trade that not only broke up the RUN T-M-C, core by sending Richmond to the Sacramento Kings for draft day bust Billy Owens, but also sent the Warriors into a tailspin as an organization. For eleven years, to this day, the Warriors have not made the playoffs. GM Garry St. Jean's team philosophy centered around "experienced veterans" and a college star when in reality, he brought in several has-been players and former standouts who were in the twilights of their career, such as Mark Price, Terry Cummings, John Starks, and Mookie Blaylock. He also drafted several busts such as Todd Fuller, Chris Porter, and Vonteego Cummings. He did, however, draft several players who are the core of the most recent Warriors, including 2-time NBA slam dunk champion Jason Richardson from Michigan State, NCAA champion Mike Dunleavy, Jr. from Duke University, and Troy Murphy from University of Notre Dame. With rising star Antawn Jamison leading the team, the Warriors seemed on the rise, however, a string of injuries kept them from making it on top in the competitive Western conference. Chris Mullin took over as VP of Basketball Operations, hiring Mitch Richmond as his assistant and former teammates Mario Elie as an assistant coach and Rod Higgins as the general manager. He is building the team around Richardson, Dunleavy, and Murphy, complementing them with experience in Derek Fisher, a free agent signed by Golden State after 3 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Calbert Cheaney, a playoff-tested sharpshooter. At the 2005 trading deadline, he further added to the team by bringing in the first superstar the Warriors have had since Mullin himself, Baron Davis.
Current Roster
Starters
- PG - #5
Baron Davis (UCLA)
- SG - #23 Jason Richardson (Michigan State)
- C - #36
Adonal Foyle (Colgate)
- PF - #1 Troy Murphy (Notre Dame)
- SF - #34 Mike Dunleavy, Jr. (Duke)
Bench
- F/C - #15 Missing image
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Andris Biedrins (Latvia) - F - #11
Zarko Cabarkapa (Clemson)
- G/F - #40 Calbert Cheaney (Indiana)
- PG - #4 Derek Fisher (Arkansas-Little Rock)
- G/F - #2
Mickael Pietrus (Guadeloupe)
- PF - #20 Missing image
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Nikoloz Tskitishvili (ნიკოლოზ ცქიტიშვილი) (Republic of Georgia) - SF - #3 Rodney White (Charlotte)
Players of note
Basketball Hall of Famers
- Paul Arizin
- Rick Barry
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Joe Fulks
- Tom Gola
- Neil Johnston
- Jerry Lucas
- Robert Parish
- Andy Phillip
- Nate Thurmond
Not to be forgotten
- Tim Hardaway
- Antawn Jamison
- Sarunas Marciulionis
- Chris Mullin
- Mitch Richmond
- Latrell Sprewell
- Chris Webber
- Jamaal Wilkes
- Larry Smith
- Manute Bol
- Bernard King
- World B. Free
Retired numbers
- 13 Wilt Chamberlain
- 14 Tom Meschery
- 16 Al Attles
- 24 Rick Barry
- 42 Nate Thurmond
- 28 - Nathan Bowens although he never played in the NBA due to multiple knee surgery, his number was retired by the organization for he was suppose to be the next big thing. Hailing from San Francisco, he was compared to the likes of Michael Jordan when he dunked on Jason Kidd at Kezar Pavillion in a charity game. Bowens went to Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory High School and graduated from SFSU mastering in Criminology/Sociology. He is now a silent partner and talent scout for the Warriors organization