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The Golden State Warriors are the most dominant team today and have been a force to reckon with for quite some time. With their team-work, skill, shooting, culture, and bench depth, the Warriors have revolutionised the NBA.
They play in front of sell-out crowds and basketball fans from all over the world attend to watch their favourite team play. The Warriors have won 6 NBA championships (1947,1956,1975,2015,2017,2018) and are currently looking to three-peat for the first-time in franchise history.
Some of the greatest basketball players of all-time have played for this legendary franchise in the past. We look at five of the greatest Warriors of the 20th Century.
#5 Nate Thurmond
Stats with Warriors : (11 seasons, 17.4 points, 16.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game)
Nate Thurmond was selected by the San Francisco Warriors as the third overall pick in the 1963 NBA draft. He spent most of his career with the franchise and is the franchise leader in minutes played with 30735.
The 7-time NBA All-Star was the first player to record a quadruple double in the history of NBA. He achieved this against the Atlanta Hawks in 1974 during his debut game for the Chicago Bulls. His statline was 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 blocks and the Bulls won this game in overtime.
He was part of the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice in his career. 'Nate the Great' also holds the record for highest rebounds in a quarter (18) and achieved this feat when he pulled down 18 boards in a quarter against the Baltimore Bullets in 1965.
After playing in the NBA for 14-years, he averaged 15.0 points, 15.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and is one of the only five NBA players to average at least 15.0 rebounds per game over the career. Currently, he is also the franchise leader in total rebounds (12771) and the Warriors retired his jersey number 42 in 1978.
#4 Chris Mullin
Stats with Warriors : (13 seasons, 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game)
Chris Mullin was drafted by the Golden State Warriors as the seventh overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft. He played in 13 seasons for the franchise and made it to the post-season in five of those seasons but was unfortunate to never win a championship ring.
In his long tenure with the Warriors, he averaged 20.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. The five-time All-Star is currently the franchise leader in total steals with 1360. Mullin was also part of the Dream Team in 1992 with legends such as Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
He won two Olympic gold medals (1984,1992) with Team USA. Chris is a two-time Hall of Fame inductee and his jersey number 17 was retired by the Golden State Warriors in 2012. The St.John's Red Storm head coach is also the Warriors franchise leader in games played with 807.
#3 Paul Arizin
Stats with Warriors : (10 seasons, 22.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game)
Paul Arizin was a high-scoring small forward and spent his entire career with the Philadelphia Warriors after getting selected by the franchise as a territorial pick in the 1950 NBA draft. He featured in the All-Star Game in his rookie season and averaged 17.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game that season.
After a really good debut season, he came back stronger in his second season and scored 1674 points at an average of 25.4 points per game and won the scoring title. That season, he also went on to clinch the All-Star Game MVP.
The 10-time All-Star added one more feather to his cap when he won the NBA championship in 1956 with the Warriors. Paul continued his dominance from regular season and averaged a league-high 28.9 points, 8.4 rebounds per game to bring home the second title. The two-time scoring champ was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history upon its 50th anniversary in 1996.
#2 Rick Barry
Stats with Warriors : (8 seasons, 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game)
Rick Barry is a hall of famer and played a key role in Warriors' championship-season in 1975. He took home the Finals MVP trophy after sweeping the Washington Bullets in the finals. Barry was known for his defensive prowess and is the franchise leader in steals per game with 2.3.
The San Francisco Warriors selected him as the second overall pick in the 1965 draft. Rick played in the NBA for 16-years and averaged 24.8 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. He was an 8-time All-Star and was also the All-Star Game MVP in 1967.
In his rookie season, he averaged 25.7 points, 10.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game and won the Rookie of the Year award. His jersey number 24 was retired by the Golden State Warriors and he is currently second on the list of points scored for Warriors with 16447 points.
#1 Wilt Chamberlain
Stats with Warriors : (6 seasons, 41.5 points, 25.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game)
A name that needs no introduction, Wilt Chamberlain is one of the greatest centers to ever play the game of basketball. In a career filled with accolades, Chamberlain is the only player in the history of the NBA to score 100 points in a single game.
'Wilt the Stilt' was selected as the territorial pick in the 1959 NBA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors and featured in six seasons for the franchise. He averaged a breath-taking 41.5 points, 25.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game during his tenure with the Warriors.
The 13-time All-Star was named an All-Star during all those six seasons with the franchise. In his rookie season with the Warriors, 'The Big Dipper' won the MVP award along with the Rookie of the Year award after averaging 33.2 points and 25.8 rebounds per game. The 4-time MVP is the franchise leader in points scored with 17783 points in 429 games and is also the franchise leader in rebounds per game with 25.1.
