Golden State Warriors Timeline

(1946 – Present)

The Golden State Warriors are a professional NBA basketball franchise founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors. After relocating to San Francisco in 1962 and later becoming the Golden State Warriors, they rose to become one of the league's most dominant teams of the 2010s, winning multiple championships behind stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Franchise Era

Warriors founded in Philadelphia

1946

The Philadelphia Warriors were founded in 1946 as a charter member of the Basketball Association of America, which later merged with the NBL to form the NBA. The team became one of the league's original franchises.

Warriors win first BAA championship

Apr 22, 1947

Led by Joe Fulks, the Warriors won the first-ever Basketball Association of America championship by defeating the Chicago Stags in five games, establishing the franchise as an early powerhouse of professional basketball.

Image source: 1947 BAA Finals

Paul Arizin joins the Warriors

1950

Paul Arizin joined the Warriors in 1950 and became one of the franchise's first great stars, pioneering the jump shot and leading the team in scoring throughout the 1950s.

Image source: Paul Arizin

Warriors select Tom Gola

1955

The Warriors drafted Philadelphia-area legend Tom Gola, whose arrival helped transform the team into a championship contender alongside Paul Arizin.

Image source: Tom Gola

Warriors win NBA championship over Fort Wayne Pistons

Mar 31, 1956

Behind the duo of Paul Arizin and Tom Gola, the Warriors defeated the Fort Wayne Pistons to capture their second championship, cementing their status among the NBA's elite early franchises.

Wilt Chamberlain debuts with the Warriors

Oct 24, 1959

Wilt Chamberlain made his NBA debut with the Warriors, scoring 43 points against the New York Knicks. The rookie sensation immediately became one of the most dominant players in basketball history.

Image source: Wilt Chamberlain

Franchise relocates to San Francisco

1962

The franchise moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 1962, becoming the San Francisco Warriors and playing its home games at the Cow Palace and later the San Francisco Civic Auditorium.

Chamberlain scores 100 points against the Knicks

Mar 2, 1962

Playing for the Warriors in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Wilt Chamberlain scored an unprecedented 100 points in a single game, a record that still stands as one of the most unbreakable marks in professional sports.

Image source: Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game

Rick Barry drafted by the Warriors

1965

The Warriors selected Rick Barry with the second overall pick in the 1965 draft. Barry won Rookie of the Year and led the league in scoring, quickly becoming the face of the franchise.

Image source: Rick Barry

Team renamed Golden State Warriors

1971

After briefly playing some home games in Oakland and San Diego, the team adopted the name Golden State Warriors in 1971, representing the entire state of California and settling primarily in Oakland at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

Warriors win NBA title as underdogs

May 25, 1975

Led by Rick Barry and coached by Al Attles, the heavily underdog Warriors swept the Washington Bullets in four games to win the NBA championship in one of the biggest upsets in Finals history.

Run TMC and Rebuilding

Run TMC era with Mullin, Richmond, and Hardaway

1989 - 1991

The trio of Chris Mullin, Mitch Richmond, and Tim Hardaway, nicknamed Run TMC after the rap group Run-DMC, formed one of the NBA's highest-scoring offenses and brought excitement back to the franchise under coach Don Nelson.

Image source: Run TMC

Chris Mullin leads Dream Team to Olympic gold

Aug 8, 1992

Warriors star Chris Mullin was a member of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics 'Dream Team', which dominated international competition and won gold, showcasing Mullin among the world's greatest players.

Chris Cohan era marked by struggles

1994 - 2010

Owner Chris Cohan's tenure saw the Warriors miss the playoffs for 13 straight seasons from 1994 to 2007, making them one of the league's least successful franchises during that stretch.

Draft picks of Joe Smith and Todd Fuller fail to revive team

1995 - 1996

The Warriors used high lottery picks on players like Joe Smith (1995) and Todd Fuller (1996), but neither lived up to expectations, prolonging a stretch of losing seasons through the late 1990s.

Image source: Joe Smith (basketball)

Latrell Sprewell choking incident ends his Warriors tenure

Dec 1, 1997

Star guard Latrell Sprewell choked head coach P.J. Carlesimo during practice, resulting in a lengthy suspension and his eventual trade. The scandal symbolized the franchise's turbulent late-1990s period.

Warriors draft Jason Richardson and sign Gilbert Arenas

2001 - 2003

The addition of high-flying Jason Richardson and the emergence of Gilbert Arenas gave the franchise hope in the early 2000s, though Arenas left via free agency after just two seasons.

Image source: Jason Richardson

We Believe Era

'We Believe' Warriors stun top-seeded Mavericks

May 3, 2007

As the eighth seed, the Warriors led by Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and Jason Richardson upset the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in six games, becoming the first eighth seed to win a seven-game playoff series in NBA history.

Stephen Curry drafted seventh overall

Jun 25, 2009

The Warriors selected Stephen Curry out of Davidson College with the seventh pick in the 2009 draft. Despite questions about his ankles and size, Curry would become the greatest shooter in NBA history.

Image source: Stephen Curry

Joe Lacob group purchases the Warriors

Nov 12, 2010

A ownership group led by Joe Lacob and Peter Guber bought the Warriors for $450 million, ushering in new management that prioritized analytics, player development, and long-term success.

Image source: Joe Lacob

Klay Thompson drafted eleventh overall

Jun 23, 2011

Washington State sharpshooter Klay Thompson was selected with the 11th pick in the 2011 draft. Together with Curry, he would form the famed 'Splash Brothers' backcourt.

Image source: Klay Thompson

Draymond Green drafted in second round

Jun 28, 2012

Michigan State forward Draymond Green was drafted 35th overall. He developed into a Defensive Player of the Year winner and the emotional heart of the Warriors' championship teams.

Image source: Draymond Green

Dynasty Years

Curry wins first MVP award and Warriors win first title in 40 years

Jun 16, 2015

Under new coach Steve Kerr, the Warriors posted a franchise-best 67 wins, Curry earned MVP honors, and the team defeated LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to claim their first championship since 1975.

Image source: 2015 NBA Finals

Warriors set NBA record with 73 wins

Apr 13, 2016

The Warriors broke Michael Jordan's Bulls' record by finishing 73-9, while Stephen Curry became the first unanimous MVP in league history after hitting a record 402 three-pointers in the regular season.

Image source: 2015–16 Golden State Warriors season

Warriors lose NBA Finals after blowing 3-1 lead

Jun 19, 2016

Despite their historic regular season, the Warriors lost the NBA Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games after leading 3-1, one of the most painful defeats in franchise history.

Kevin Durant signs with the Warriors

Jul 4, 2016

Former MVP Kevin Durant shocked the basketball world by signing with the already dominant Warriors, creating one of the most talented rosters in NBA history and sparking debate about competitive balance.

Image source: Kevin Durant

Back-to-back championships over Cavaliers

Jun 12, 2017 - Jun 8, 2018

With Durant, the Warriors went 16-1 in the 2017 playoffs en route to beating Cleveland in five games, then repeated as champions in 2018 with a sweep of the Cavaliers, winning consecutive titles.

Third championship in four years over Raptors

Jun 13, 2018

The Warriors completed their third title in four seasons by sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers, though injuries began mounting, foreshadowing challenges ahead for the dynasty.

Image source: 2018 NBA Finals

Injury-plagued Finals loss to Toronto Raptors

Jun 13, 2019

Seeking a three-peat, the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games. Kevin Durant suffered an Achilles tear in Game 5 and Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6, ending the dynasty's run in Oakland.

Image source: 2019 NBA Finals

Recent Seasons

Team moves to Chase Center in San Francisco

Sep 6, 2019

After 47 years in Oakland, the Warriors opened the privately financed Chase Center on the San Francisco waterfront, marking the franchise's return to San Francisco after nearly five decades across the bay.

Image source: Chase Center

Key Facts

The franchise was founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors and won the inaugural BAA championship that same year.
Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA-record 100 points in a single game while playing for the Warriors on March 2, 1962.
The team moved to San Francisco in 1962 and adopted the name Golden State Warriors in 1971.
Rick Barry led the Warriors to their first NBA championship in California in 1975.
From 2015 to 2022, the 'Splash Brothers' era featuring Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson brought four more NBA titles and a record 73-win season in 2015-16.

Source

This Golden State Warriors timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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