Top 10 Players in Golden State Warriors History

Since their inception in 1946, the Golden State Warriors have become one of the most successful NBA franchises, especially over the past decade. They were founded in Philadelphia in 1946 and won the NBA's first championship in 1946-47, when it was still known as the BAA.

The Warriors began in Philadelphia before they relocated to San Francisco in 1962, becoming the San Francisco Warriors. In 1971, they changed their name again to the Golden State Warriors. Since their founding in 1946, the franchise has won seven championships, including four since 2014-15.

Golden State has had many legendary players play for their historic franchise, including 19 Hall of Fame players. Some players who just missed the cut on this list include Tim Hardaway, Baron Davis, and Andre Iguodala.

Here are the top 10 players in the history of the Golden State Warriors.

10Neil Johnston

1955-56 champion, 6-time All-Star, Hall of Fame class of 1990

Neil Johnston spent all eight seasons of his NBA career with the Warriors. He joined the Warriors in 1951 and struggled during his rookie season, but that changed in his second year in the league.

In the three seasons after his rookie season, Johnston led the NBA in scoring, topping out at 24.4 points per game in 1953-54. In his eight seasons with the franchise, he averaged 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. He led the Warriors to a championship in 1955-56.

Johnston was a six-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA selection. He retired in 1959 due to a knee injury. After he retired, he returned to the Warriors as their head coach for two seasons. He ended his career as one of the best centers of his era and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.

9Nate Thurmond

7-time All-Star, Hall of Fame class of 1985

The Warriors selected Nate Thurmond third overall in the 1963 draft. He quickly became the face of the Warriors through the 1960s and early 1970s. While he never won a championship during his time in the Bay, Thurmond still carved out a solid career.

Thurmond spent 11 seasons with the Warriors, averaging 17.4 points and 16.9 rebounds per game. He was a seven-time All-Star and five-time All-Defensive selection. He was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 1974, a season before the Warriors won the Finals. In 1985, Thurmond's career was capped off by being inducted into the Hall of Fame.

8Kevin Durant

2 championships, 2 Finals MVPs

Kevin Durant would be higher on this list if he spent more than three seasons with the franchise. Despite his short stint with the Warriors, Durant made a huge impact, leading the franchise to three Finals appearances and two championships during his time with them.

Durant joined Golden State in 2016, a season removed from the Warriors setting the NBA record for wins in a season with 73. They also eliminated Durant's Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals after completing a 3-1 comeback. The signing was not received well around the NBA and Durant faced a ton of criticism.

In his three seasons with the Warriors, Durant averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Despite having the big three of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the roster, Durant was the Warriors' best player over the three seasons.

He was a three-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection. Durant also won two championships and two Finals MVPs in his stint in the Bay. He left in 2019 after the Warriors agreed to a sign and trade with the Brooklyn Nets that sent Durant to Brooklyn and D'Angelo Russell to the bay.

7Klay Thompson

4 championships, 5-time All-Star

The first member of the "Splash Brothers" comes in at number seven on this list. Since being selected 11th overall by the Warriors in the 2011 draft, Klay Thompson has become one of the best three-point shooters of all time.

Thompson spent his first 11 seasons in the NBA with the Warriors, averaging 19.6 points and shooting 41.3 percent from beyond the arc. Alongside Draymond Green and Stephen Curry, he helped lead the Warriors to four championships.

Over his career, he has been a five-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, and was selected to his only All-Defensive team in 2018-19.

In the 2024 offseason, Klay decided to leave the Warriors, signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

6Draymond Green

4 championships, 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year

When the Warriors made a trade with the New Jersey Nets, now the Brooklyn Nets, in 2011, they would never have guessed that the 2012-second round pick that they received in return would become one of their best players in franchise history. That pick turned into Draymond Green, who was selected 35th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Green has spent all 12 years of his career in Golden State, averaging 8.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. While the stats may not be elite, Green's defensive presence and overall leadership have helped the Warriors win four championships during his time with them.

He has been a four-time All-Star, two-time All-NBA selection, and eight-time All-Defensive selection. In 2016-17, he was awarded the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Although Green has become one of the most unlikeable players in the NBA due to his on-court antics, that can not take away from how much he has meant to the Warriors over his 12 seasons with the franchise.

5Chris Mullin

5-time All-Star, Hall of Fame class of 2011

Chris Mullin was selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the 1985 draft and quickly became the face of the franchise during the late 1980s and 1990s.

Mullin and the Warriors rose to fame as part of Run TMC, a trio of Tim Hardaway, Mullin, and Mitch Richmond. Mullin played his first 12 seasons in the bay before returning to Golden State in the final year of his career in 2000-01.

In his 13 seasons with the franchise, Mullin averaged 20.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. He was a five-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. In 2011, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Although he never won a championship and only reached the playoffs six times in his 13 seasons with the team, Mullin was a true leader that the Warriors needed at a time when the team was struggling. Because of this, he is a valuable part of Warriors' history, leading him to be fifth on this list.

4Paul Arizin

1955-56 champion, 1950-51 Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame class of 1978

Another Warriors player who dominated alongside Johnston in the 1950s was Paul Arizin. Arizin was selected third overall by the Philadelphia Warriors in the 1950 draft. In his first season, he dominated, winning the Rookie of the Year award and being named to the All-Star team.

The next season, he won the NBA's scoring title, averaging 25.4 points per game. After the 1951-52 season, Arizin served in the U.S. Marine Corps, causing him to miss both the 1952-53 and 1953–54 seasons.

Arizin returned to the NBA in 1954-55, picking up right where he left off. A year later, in 1955-56, he would lead the Warriors to a championship, the only one he would win during his career.

He spent all 10 seasons of his career with the Warriors, averaging 22.8 points and 8.6 rebounds. He was a 10-time All-Star and four-time All-NBA selection. In 1978, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame.

3Rick Barry

1974-75 champion, 1974-75 Finals MVP, 1965-66 Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame class of 1987

Rick Barry was mainly known for his underhanded free throws, but he was also a huge part of the Warriors during the 1960s and 1970s. Barry was selected fourth overall by the Warriors in the 1965 draft. He quickly began dominating the NBA, averaging 25.7 points and 10.6 rebounds in his rookie season, leading to him winning Rookie of the Year, being named an All-Star, and being selected to the All-NBA First Team.

Barry continued to dominate in his second season, winning the scoring title after averaging 35.6 points per game. After the 1966-67 season, Barry left the NBA for the ABA, playing four seasons from 1968-69 through 1971-72.

In 1972-73, Barry returned to the NBA, where he would spend six more seasons in Golden State before ending his career with the Houston Rockets.

In his eight seasons with the franchise, Barry averaged 25.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. He led the Warriors to a championship in 1974-75 and was named the Finals MVP. He was also an eight-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection. In 1987, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, capping off one of the best careers any Warriors player has ever had.

2Wilt Chamberlain

1959-60 MVP, 1959-60 Rookie of the Year, Hall of Fame class of 1979

Wilt Chamberlain is one of, if not the most dominant players in NBA history. In the 1959 draft, the Warriors selected Wilt third overall. In his first season, he dominated the NBA, averaging 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds en route to winning the Rookie of the Year award and the MVP award, the first of two players to win both awards in their rookie season, the other being West Unseld in 1968-69.

In his first six seasons, all with the Warriors, he won the scoring title every season, including averaging a career-high 50.4 points per game in 1961-62, the same season he scored 100 points in a single game, the most in a single game in NBA history.

In his six seasons with the Warriors, Chamberlain averaged an astonishing 41.5 points and 25.1 rebounds per game. He was also a six-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection. In 1979, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, capping off one of the most dominant careers any player has had in NBA history.

Despite his dominance, the Warriors never won a title with Chamberlain on the team, thanks to the Boston Celtics dominating the era. In 1965, he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, the same season the Warriors relocated from Philadelphia to San Francisco.

1Stephen Curry

4 championships, 2021-22 Finals MVP, 2 MVPs

There is no doubt that the greatest player in the history of the Warriors is Stephen Curry. Since being selected seventh overall by Golden State in the 2009 NBA Draft, Curry has turned the franchise back into a championship contender.

Curry started his career off strong, averaging 17.5 points, 5.9 assists and 1.9 steals during his rookie season. Despite these numbers, he finished second in the Rookie of the Year race to Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings.

In 2013-14, he made his first All-Star team. The next season, he won his first of two straight MVP awards and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1974-75, taking down LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In 2015-16, Curry won the MVP award once again after winning the scoring title after averaging 30.1 points per game. He won the MVP award unanimously, becoming the first and only player thus far in NBA history to do so.

Curry has spent his first 15 seasons in the NBA with the Warriors, averaging 24.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.4 assists and shooting 42.6 percent from three-point range. He has led the Warriors to four titles, winning Finals MVP in 2021-22. He has also been a two-time MVP, 10-time All-Star, and 10-time All-NBA selection.

Of course, most people know Curry as one of the best three-point shooters of all time. He is the NBA's leader in three-pointers made with 3,747. The next closest is Ray Allen with 2,973. As Curry now enters his 16th season in the NBA, fresh off of winning his first gold medal in the Paris Olympics, the future Hall of Famer looks to help the Warriors bounce back and return to championship form.