Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team that play in the Western Conference Pacific Division of the NBA. Originally founded in Philadelphia, the franchise moved to San Francisco before moving to their current home in Oakland in 1972.

Golden State Warriors Logo

The Golden State Warriors were founded in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors. They played in Philadelphia until 1962, when they moved to San Francisco to become the San Francisco Warriors. The franchise was renamed as the Golden State Warriors in 1971.

The first Golden State Warriors logo featured an outline of the state of Califonia imposed on a basketball with a star denoting the location of the team, and the words Golden State Warriors circling the ball. This logo was used until 1987, when the logo was changed to just feature the word “Warriors” above the ball and state.

In 1997 the logo was updated again, and featured a man holding a lightning bolt in front of a basketball with the word Warriors underneath the ball. This logo was used until 2010 when the current incarnation of the logo was created. This features a stylised picture of the Golden Gate Bridge circled by the words Golden State Warriors.

Golden State Warriors Record

The Golden State Warriors are best known for their recent record-breaking efforts.

The Warriors started the 2015-16 season off in unstoppable form, winning 24 games consecutively. They were finally beaten by the Milwaukee Bucks on December 12, 2015.

This 24 game winning streak smashed the previous record for a best start to an NBA season of 15 games which was held jointly by the Houston Rockets in 1993-4 and the Washington Capitols in 1948-9. It also eclipsed the best ever start to a season in all professional sports in America, which was previously held by St Louis Maroons baseball team who started 20-0 in their 1884 season.

The streak also meant that the Golden State Warriors had won 28 games back-to-back reaching back into the previous season, eclipsing Miami Heat’s efforts in the 2012-3 season as the second longest winning streak in NBA history. The Warriors also set an NBA record 54 game winning streak at home, beating Michael Jordan’s 1995-6 Chicago Bulls’ record of 44.

The 2015-16 season saw three Golden State Warrior players – Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson - named to the All-Star game; the first time that this has happened since 1976. Green broke the franchise record for the largest number of triple-doubles in a season with 13.

Stephen Curry broke his own NBA record of 286 three-pointers in a season, landing 402 in total that season. He also broke the record for the number of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer scored, hitting the basket in 151 consecutive games. Curry tied the record for number of three-pointers in a game with 12 on February 27, 2016.

On April 13, 2016 the Golden State Warriors set the record for the most wins in a single season, ending with a 73-9 record. In a repeat of the previous NBA finals they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers but despite taking a 3-1 advantage they lost the series on their home court 4-3.

Golden State Warriors Coach

The Golden State Warriors are coached by Steve Kerr. Kerr won five NBA championships as a player with the Chicago Bulls (3) and the San Antonio Spurs (2). He was NBA Champion in his first season as head coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014-15.

Kerr played as point guard and shooting guard for a number of teams during a fifteen-year playing career. He was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 1988 NBA draft, and spent one year in Arizona before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1989, where he spent three years.

In 1993, Kerr signed for the Chicago Bulls and was part of the team that made the playoffs in 1993-4 and 1994-5. When Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls in 1995-6 season, the Bulls went a then record 72-10 in the regular season before beating the Seattle Supersonics in the 1996 NBA Finals. Kerr was a major part of the 1997 NBA finals winning team, scoring the winning basket in Game 6 against Utah Jazz which secured the title for the Bulls. He won his third championship with the Bulls in 1998.

Kerr then traded to the San Antonio Spurs for the 1998-99 season, winning the NBA championship again in his first season in Texas. After a brief spell with the Portland Trail Blazers, Kerr returned to the Spurs, where he won in the 2003 finals before announcing his retirement.

After a short career as a television analyst, Kerr became General Manager of the Phoenix Suns in 2007, a position he held until 2010. He became Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors in 2014, finishing 67-15 in his first season and winning the 2015 Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. The Warriors were even better in his second season, setting a regular season record of 73-9 but lost the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games against the Cavaliers. Kerr was named 2015-16 coach of the year.

Golden State Warriors Roster

The Golden State Warriors Roster for 2016-17 contains no less than four All-NBA players: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Kevin Durant.

Stephen Curry has been with the Warriors since he was drafted as seventh overall pick in 2009. In his debut season he was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. He’s been named an NBA MVP twice (2015 and 2016), and NBA All-Star three times (2014, 2015 and 2016). Curry has also been NBA scoring champion once (2016), NBA steals leader once (2016) and is just one of 8 players in the 50-40-90 club.

Klay Thompson has been with the Warriors since being selected 11th overall draft pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Thompson is twice an NBA All-Star (2015 and 2016) and won the NBA Three-Point Contest in 2016.

Draymond Green has been with the Golden State Warriors since being selected 35th overall draft pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Green has made the NBA All-Star team once (2016), and the NBA All-Defensive First Team twice (2015 and 2016).

Kevin Durant was signed by the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 off-season on a two year $54.3million contract with a player option after the first year. Durant was named NBA MVP in 2014, and has been an NBA All-Star no less than seven times (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016).