All-Time Golden State Warriors Team
The Golden State Warriors have revolutionized the NBA.Longtime Golden State/San Francisco/Philadelphia Warriors fans remember things weren't always this good. The franchise that has become the NBA's gold standard had some lean years before the Splash Brothers era, but it also had some championship-winning years that many people forget.
Only the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers have won more titles than the Warriors. While "The Dubs" aren't on the same tradition level of those franchises yet, some of the game’s all-time greats have passed through the Warriors' organization, including three MVPs: Wilt Chamberlain, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.
You could construct an all-time Warriors team, and it still may not be able to defeat the current version in a seven-game series. But you never know, so here are the best 12 players to lace up the sneakers for the six-time NBA champion Warriors.
Stephen Curry
Whatever you want to call Stephen Curry (Steph, Baby-Faced Assassin, Chef Curry, The Human Torch, Threezus), he's money.Position: Point guard
Experience: 10 years, all with Warriors (2009-present)
Career stats: 23.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.6 APG
Championships: 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
All-time Warriors team role: Starter
Bottom line: Already the only unanimous MVP in NBA history, Stephen Curry might wind up being the league’s 3-point king when it’s all said and done.
Curry ushered in the era of the Splash Brothers, along with Klay Thompson, thanks to them treating the 3-point line how most people treat free throws. Curry has made more 3-pointers in his first 10 years in the league than the Warriors' entire franchise made in the first 15 years after the 3-point line was introduced.
Curry has revolutionized the game of basketball more than any other player over the last 20 years and helped create a modern-day Warriors dynasty in the process.
Klay Thompson
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is not an easy player to defend.Position: Shooting guard
Experience: 8 years, all with Warriors (2011-present)
Career stats: 19.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 2.3 APG
Championships: 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
All-time Warriors team role: Starter
Bottom line: You can’t have one Splash Brother without the other, and Klay Thompson often goes overlooked. But he’s just as proficient a 3-point shooter as Stephen Curry is, while being one of the best defenders at his position.
Thompson’s 37 points in a single quarter is an NBA record. For some perspective, that's more points than Hall of Famer John Stockton ever scored in any of his 1,504 career games.
Some people wonder how Thompson would perform on his "own" team, where he’s the star, but can you blame him for staying with a champion that could add more rings to the collection?
Rick Barry
Rick Barry played 642 career games with the Warriors.Position: Small forward
Experience: 10 years (1965-67, 1972-80)
Years with Warriors: 8 years (1965-67, 1972-78)
Career stats: 23.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 5.1 APG
Warriors stats: 25.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 5.1 APG
Championships: 1 (1975)
All-time Warriors team role: Starter
Bottom line: Rick Barry made the All-Star team in all eight seasons he played for the Warriors, though he also left the team in the prime of his career.
At 23 years old, Barry led the NBA in scoring as the Warriors advanced to the 1967 NBA Finals. However, he wasn’t happy with his contract, so he jumped ship to the ABA and didn't return to the Warriors for five years.
In 1975, he helped Golden State win the NBA title to make amends, and his 36.3 points per game scoring average in the finals is the highest in NBA history.
Nate Thurmond
Nate Thurmond was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.Position: Power forward
Experience: 14 years (1963-77)
Years with Warriors: 11 years (1963-74)
Career stats: 15.0 PPG, 15.0 RPG, 2.7 APG
Warriors stats: 17.4 PPG, 16.9 RPG, 2.7 APG
Championships: 0
All-time Warriors team role: Starter
Bottom line: Nate Thurmond was a center for most of his career, but he lined up at power forward during his first two years with the Warriors and Wilt Chamberlain at center.
Thurmond was one of the premier big men of his era and made all seven of his All-Star Game selections with the Warriors. He was the first player in NBA history to record a quadruple-double and remains the Warriors’ all-time leader in rebounds.
The only thing missing from Thurmond’s resume is an NBA championship. He was traded to Chicago just eight months before the Warriors won the 1975 NBA Finals.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain averaged 41.5 points in six seasons with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors.Position: Center
Experience: 14 years (1959-73)
Years with Warriors: 6 years (1959-65)
Career stats: 30.1 PPG, 22.9 RPG, 4.4 APG
Warriors stats: 41.5 PPG, 25.1 RPG, 3.0 APG
Championships: 2 (1967, 1972)
All-time Warriors team role: Starter
Bottom line: The NBA’s territorial draft pick forever changed Wilt Chamberlain's career. The territorial pick allowed the then-Philadelphia Warriors to select any player within a 50-mile radius of their home arena, and Chamberlain was a Philly native. If he had entered the draft, the Cincinnati Royals would have selected "Wilt the Stilt" with the first pick.
Instead, Chamberlain ended up a Warrior when he was at his physical peak. The 100-point game, the season he averaged 50 points and six straight scoring titles also came during his time with the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors.
Even though he played only five-and-a-half seasons with the Warriors, Chamberlain still is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and his No. 13 is one of just six players' jersey numbers retired by the franchise, along with Rick Barry (No. 24), Chris Mullin (No. 17), Nate Thurmond (No. 42), Tom Meschery (No. 14) and Al Attles (No. 16).
Paul Arizin
Paul Arizin was an early pioneer of the jump shot and led the Philadelphia Warriors to the 1956 NBA championship.Position: Small forward
Experience: 10 years, all with Warriors (1950-52, 1954-62)
Career stats: 22.8 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 2.3 APG
Championships: 1 (1956)
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: A Philadelphia native who played at Villanova, Paul Arizin spent his entire life in the city and chose to retire in 1962 rather than relocate with the Warriors to San Francisco. But he was arguably the greatest Philadelphia Warrior ever until Wilt Chamberlain came along.
Arizin lost two years in the middle of his career due to military service, but he played as well after serving as he did before. He won two scoring titles and retired with the highest points per game average in his final season (21.9) in NBA history.
In fact, Arizin is one of just a handful of NBA players to make the All-Star team in every season of his career with a minimum of 10 seasons played.
Chris Mullin
Chris Mullin was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.Position: Small forward
Experience: 16 years (1985-2001)
Years with Warriors: 13 years (1985-97, 2000-01)
Career stats: 18.2 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.5 APG
Warriors stats: 20.1 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 3.9 APG
Championships: 0
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: One of the most underrated players of his era, Chris Mullin was an elite scorer during the late 1980s and early 1990s. From 1988 to 1992, only two players scored more points than Mullin: Michael Jordan and Karl Malone.
Mullin was an elite shooter who would have fit right in with the Splash Brothers Warriors, alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Mullin's own Warriors weren't too shabby, either, as he was the best player on Run-TMC, which consisted of himself, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond.
Mullin remains the franchise’s all-time leader in games played and served as the team’s de facto general manager after retiring.
Neil Johnston
Philadelphia Warriors players Tom Gola (15), left, and Neil Johnston (6), center, battle for a rebound against the Fort Wayne Pistons in 1956.Position: Center
Experience: 8 years, all with Warriors (1951-59)
Career stats: 19.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 2.5 APG
Championships: 1 (1956)
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: Warriors fans can thank baseball for Neil Johnston suiting up for their team. Johnston played in the minor league system for the Philadelphia Phillies, then joined the Philadelphia Warriors when a major league baseball career was not in the cards.
The 6-foot-8 center established himself as one of the NBA’s premier players during its first decade of existence. He was a six-time All-Star (1953-58), three-time scoring champion (1953-55) and helped the Warriors win the 1956 NBA championship.
Johnston may be the NBA version of Wally Pipp. While he was a good player in his own right, the guy who succeeded him after an early retirement, Wilt Chamberlain, became the most dominant player in league history.
Draymond Green
Draymond Green, left, has developed into the heart and soul of the Warriors since joining the team in 2012.Position: Power forward
Experience: 7 years, all with Warriors (2012-present)
Career stats: 9.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 4.9 APG
Championships: 3 (2015, 2017, 2018)
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: Draymond Green's career averages may not wow anyone, but he is the backbone of the current Warriors team that has won multiple championships. His ability to be a small-ball center has revolutionized the NBA, and other teams are now looking for the next Draymond Green.
As a second-round draft pick, Green was not a projected star out of Michigan State, but he has surpassed all expectations to make three All-Star Game appearances and win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Green may not be the best, second-best, or even third-best player on his own team, but Green is the most important player on today’s Warriors.
Jeff Mullins
San Francisco Warriors guard Jeff Mullins, left, tangles with New York Knicks small forward Bill Bradley during a game at Madison Square Garden in 1968.Position: Shooting guard
Experience: 12 years (1964-76)
Years with Warriors: 10 years (1966-76)
Career stats: 16.2 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.8 APG
Warriors stats: 17.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.1 APG
Championships: 1 (1975)
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: Jeff Mullins was supposed to be Rick Barry’s sidekick with the Warriors, but the 6-foot-4 shooter known as "Pork Chop" became the go-to guy once Barry departed for the ABA. Mullins performed well in that role and averaged at least 20 points per game in four seasons.
His game was similar to Barry’s — both could operate as a lead scorer or distributor. And Mullins made three straight All-Star appearances from 1969 to 1971.
Mullins also was part of the Warriors' first championship team in California, and when he retired in 1976, he was the Golden State Warriors' all-time leading scorer.
Tom Gola
Tom Gola (15) collected 4,171 rebounds in 421 games with the Warriors.Position: Shooting guard
Experience: 10 years (1955-56, 1957-66)
Years with Warriors: 7 years (1955-56, 1957-62)
Career stats: 11.3 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 4.2 APG
Warriors stats: 13.6 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.9 APG
Championships: 1 (1956)
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: Another Philly native who ended up with the Philadelphia Warriors, Tom Gola was similar to Draymond Green with his ability to affect the game in many different ways.
One game, Gola could lead the team in rebounds. The next game, he could lead in assists. And the next night, he could shut down the opposing team’s best scorer.
Gola was the perfect complement to Wilt Chamberlain because he didn’t need the ball to be effective. Though his statistics are not eye-popping, Gola was the ultimate winner and is one of two players in basketball history to win the NIT, NCAA and NBA championships.
Tim Hardaway
Tim Hardaway, right, was named to three All-Star teams while playing on the Warriors.Position: Point guard
Experience: 13 years (1989-2003)
Years with Warriors: 6 years (1989-96)
Career stats: 17.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 8.2 APG
Warriors stats: 19.8 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 9.3 APG
Championships: 0
All-time Warriors team role: Reserve
Bottom line: In the late 1980s, Don Nelson was hired to coach the Warriors, and he brought his version of Nellie Ball to the Bay. Nelson needed a point guard to push the ball up the court on every possession, and Tim Hardaway became the perfect point guard for his run-and-gun attack.
With Hardaway leading the Run-TMC offense, he was a nightmare for opponents and a dream for fantasy basketball players. Only Oscar Robertson racked up 5,000 points and 2,500 assists in fewer games than Hardaway, who still holds the franchise record for assists per game.
Al Attles
Former Golden State Warriors head coach Al Attles waves during a ceremony for the Warriors' 1975 championship team in 2015.Position: Head coach
Experience: 14 years, all with Warriors (1970-83)
Career stats: 557 wins, 518 losses, .518 winning percentage
Championships: 1 (1975)
All-time Warriors team role: Head coach
Bottom line: Nicknamed "The Destroyer," Al Attles is as ferocious as they come. Attles earned the nickname despite being just six feet tall and weighing 175 pounds, but he was so tough that even the NBA’s goliath, Wilt Chamberlain, was scared to fight him.
During the end of Attles' 14-year playing career, he became a player-assistant coach, then a player-head coach, then just the head coach. He led the team to its first NBA championship since moving to the Bay in 1975 and then moved to the Warriors' front office, where he still works today.
Steve Kerr has accomplished more in the postseason than Attles did as head coach, but with all due respect to Kerr, he doesn’t have the hardest job in the world given the talent on his team. Attles is one of six coaches in NBA history to win 500 games and an NBA championship with one team.
That's why he gets the nod to lead the all-time Warriors team.