Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are a professional basketball franchise based in San Francisco, California, competing in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, they were one of the league's original teams and won the first championship in 1947. Over the decades, the franchise has gone through several cities, names, and eras before returning to San Francisco — the city that gave it its first West Coast home — where it has since become one of the most decorated and recognizable clubs in professional basketball. The franchise has accumulated seven championships across 80 seasons of NBA play.

Early History and Arrival in San Francisco

The Warriors were founded in 1946 and were originally based in Philadelphia. One of the original members of the BAA, the team won the league's first championship behind the play of future Hall of Fame forward Joe Fulks, the BAA's inaugural scoring leader. The Warriors lost in the BAA finals the next season, and in 1949 the team became a part of the NBA when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League (NBL).

A group of San Francisco Bay Area investors purchased the franchise after the 1961–62 season and moved the team, which became known as the San Francisco Warriors. In 1962, the franchise relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area after spending nearly twenty years in its founding city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Without an official arena, the Warriors played most of their home games at the Cow Palace in San Francisco until 1964, when they moved to what is now known as the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

One of the key figures who made the move possible was Wilt Chamberlain, who had already established himself as the game's most dominant force. In 1959, the team changed basketball history when it drafted Philadelphia native Wilt Chamberlain, an imposing center who stood 7-feet 2-inches tall and weighed 275 pounds. Chamberlain made such an impact on the game that the NBA instituted several rule changes to minimize his advantage. In 1962, he scored 100 points in a game, an NBA record that still stands.

The Warriors reached the NBA Finals in 1964 with a team dominated by Chamberlain and in 1967 with a substantially rebuilt squad that featured forward Rick Barry, center Nate Thurmond, and guard-forward Jeff Mullins, only to lose on each occasion. The second loss in 1967 was especially tough because it came against the Philadelphia 76ers, the team to which the Warriors had traded Chamberlain two years earlier.

Becoming the Golden State Warriors

Former Warriors player Al Attles took over as the team's head coach during the 1969–70 season. In 1971 the franchise — which had been experiencing years of disappointing financial returns — relocated across the East Bay to Oakland and changed its name to the Golden State Warriors. The franchise adopted the name Golden State Warriors before the 1971–72 season, to suggest that the team represented the entire state of California. Almost all home games were played in Oakland that season; six were played in San Diego, but none in San Francisco or Daly City.

After changing their name from the San Francisco Warriors, the Warriors became — and remain — the only NBA team that does not include the name of their state or their city in their name, although "Golden State" is a well-known California nickname.

Despite the geographic shift, the franchise quickly found its footing in Oakland. The Warriors made the playoffs from 1971 to 1977 except in 1974, and won their first NBA championship on the West Coast in 1974–75. In what many consider the biggest upset in NBA history, Golden State not only defeated the heavily favored Washington Bullets but humiliated them in a four-game sweep. That team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles and led on the court by Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes. Barry was named Finals MVP.

The 1974–75 team was coached by former Warrior Al Attles and led on the court by Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes. Wilkes was named the NBA Rookie of the Year, while Barry had a great all-around season averaging 30.6 points per game, leading the league in both free throw percentage and steals per game, and finishing sixth in the league in assists per game.

However, their level of play steeply declined after that era. They finished last in their division in five of the nine seasons between 1977–78 and 1985–86. In the late 1980s the Warriors became known for head coach Don Nelson's up-tempo style, which relied on smaller players and an emphasis on scoring over defense. While Nelson's teams were entertaining, they failed to advance past the second round in the playoffs over this period.

Return to San Francisco and Chase Center

After playing in Oakland for nearly 50 years, the Golden State Warriors announced plans to move back across the Bay to San Francisco, where they originally started as the San Francisco Warriors.

The plan for building a new arena was announced on May 22, 2012, at a Golden State Warriors press conference at the proposed site, attended by then-San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern, then-California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and Warriors staff and city officials. The initial proposal called for a waterfront arena at Piers 30–32, but that plan was later abandoned. On April 19, 2014, the Warriors purchased a 12-acre site owned by Salesforce.com at the Mission Bay neighborhood for an undisclosed amount.

The Golden State Warriors and GSW Arena LLC officially broke ground January 17, 2017, for Chase Center, a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment complex to be built in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. After two years spent participating in a public planning process, construction began and Chase Center was scheduled to open for the start of the 2019–20 NBA season.

The $1.4 billion mixed-use development includes an 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena, two office buildings, 100,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, and 3.2 acres of public plazas and open space. The project was privately financed by the Warriors' ownership, and according to the team is the only privately financed arena or stadium project built on private property in the modern era of sports.

The arena had its grand opening on September 6, 2019, with a concert by Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony. Before the 2019–20 season opened, the Warriors returned to San Francisco after 48 years in Oakland, moving into a state-of-the-art arena on the city's waterfront. Named for its naming rights sponsor JPMorgan Chase under a deal announced in January 2016, the arena replaced the Warriors' previous home at Oracle Arena in Oakland and forms part of a broader mixed-use development including the public Thrive City plaza.

The Chase Center arena is considered the capstone in the transformation of San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. The project has energized and engaged the neighborhood, completing the area's conversion from a deteriorating industrial zone into a flourishing urban entertainment center and transportation hub.

The Modern Dynasty

The Warriors enjoyed success in the mid-20th century but faced a long period of struggle until a resurgence beginning in the 2012–13 season. Under the leadership of star player Stephen Curry, the team reached five consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 to 2019, securing three championships and adding a fourth in 2022.

After a first-round playoff exit in 2014, the team hired head coach Steve Kerr, who had won five NBA titles as a player with the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs. The Warriors posted a league-high 67 wins in 2014–15 and won the NBA title for the first time in thirty years. On May 4, Stephen Curry was named the 2014–15 NBA Most Valuable Player, the first Warrior to win that award since Wilt Chamberlain in 1960.

In 2015–16, Golden State won 73 games, the most in NBA regular season history, but lost the NBA Finals 4–3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Upset by the loss, Golden State signed All-Star Kevin Durant in 2016 and proceeded to win the next two NBA championships.

After struggling with injuries and missing the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, Curry won his fourth championship and first Finals MVP award in 2022, leading the Warriors past the Boston Celtics in six games. That same season, he became the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made, surpassing Ray Allen.

On June 16, 2022, the team won their seventh NBA title, beating the Boston Celtics 4–2. Curry, Thompson, Green, and Iguodala all won their fourth championship as members of the Warriors. The Warriors' first victory parade in San Francisco was held in June 2022. The team had held its previous three parades in Oakland, which the Warriors called home from 1971 to 2019.

The Warriors' emphasis on three-point shooting, fast-paced offense, and team-oriented play has influenced how basketball is played at all levels.

Notable Players and Retired Numbers

Across their long history in the Bay Area, the Warriors have featured some of basketball's most celebrated players. Many notable players have contributed to the franchise's legacy, including basketball legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, and Chris Mullin.

The franchise has retired the following numbers: #13 (Wilt Chamberlain), #14 (Tom Meschery), #16 (Al Attles), #17 (Chris Mullin), #24 (Rick Barry), and #42 (Nate Thurmond).

In the modern era, Stephen Curry stands as the franchise's defining figure. He won back-to-back NBA MVPs in 2015 and 2016, with the latter making him the first unanimous MVP in league history. Head coach Steve Kerr won five titles as a player and four more as coach of the Warriors.

The franchise also has deep ties to WNBA basketball in San Francisco. The Golden State Valkyries were awarded as an expansion team and played their inaugural WNBA season in May 2025. Located in the heart of San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood, Chase Center is the home of both the NBA's Golden State Warriors and the WNBA's Golden State Valkyries.

Uniforms and San Francisco Identity

The Warriors have consistently paid homage to San Francisco in their visual identity. For the remainder of their run as the San Francisco Warriors, they wore what is now known as "The CITY" uniform. The design incorporated a silhouette of the Golden Gate Bridge inside a circle and an upward sloping San Francisco cable car on the front and back of the uniform respectively.

In the 2023–24 season, the Warriors wore a black "City" uniform as a tribute to San Francisco. The "San Francisco" wordmark, numbers, and embellishments paid homage to the city's iconic cable car. The "City" uniform used in the 2024–25 season incorporated the classic navy, yellow, and red color scheme the team used in the early 1960s, as well as a nod to the Golden Gate Bridge.