Golden State Warriors
Updated:
7 Sep 2020
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city's name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. They play their home games at the Chase Center. The Warriors won the inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship in 1947, and won again in 1956, led by Hall of Fame trio Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, and Neil Johnston. After a brief rebuilding period after the trade of star Wilt Chamberlain, the team moved to San Francisco. In 1975, star players Jamaal Wilkes and Rick Barry powered the Warriors to their third championship, largely considered one of the biggest upsets in NBA history. The team struggled in the 1980s, then became playoff regulars at the turn of the decade with stars Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin, nicknamed "Run TMC". The team returned to championship glory in 2015, led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green; they won again in 2017 and 2018, with the help of former MVP Kevin Durant. Nicknamed the Dubs as a shortening of "W's", the Warriors hold several NBA records: best regular season, most wins in a season (regular season and postseason combined), and best postseason run. Curry and Thompson are among the greatest backcourts of all time. Only the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have more NBA championships. The Warriors are the seventh-highest valued sports franchise in the United States, and tied for tenth in the world, with a value estimated around $3.1 billion by Forbes.