The Golden State Warriors players are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.

Brief Background of the GSW Players

Founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, the Warriors moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962 and took the city’s name, before changing its geographic moniker to Golden State in 1971. The club plays its home games at the Chase Center.

The Warriors won the inaugural Basketball Association of America (BAA) championship in 1947, and won again in 1956, led by Hall of Fame trio Paul Arizin, Tom Gola, and Neil Johnston. After the trade of star Wilt Chamberlain in January 1965, the team finished the 1964–65 season with the NBA’s worst record (17–63).

Their rebuilding period was brief due in large part to the Warriors’ drafting of Rick Barry four months after the trade. In 1975, star players Barry and Jamaal Wilkes powered the Warriors to their third championship, widely considered one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.

1980

The team struggled in the 1980s, then became playoff regulars at the turn of the decade with stars Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin, nicknamed “Run TMC”. Led by Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, the team returned to championship glory in 2015, with defensive swingman Andre Iguodala being named Finals MVP.

2016

In 2016, the Warriors set the record for best regular season record at 73-9 before losing the Finals to the Cleveland Cavaliers (against whom they played a record four straight finals) and becoming the first team to lose a series after leading 3–1 in the Finals. After signing former MVP Kevin Durant, the team won back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018 (Durant winning both Finals MVPs).

2019-2022

They lost the 2019 Finals to the Toronto Raptors, a series which saw Durant and Thompson suffer serious Achilles and ACL injuries, respectively; Durant left that off-season. After missing the playoffs the following two seasons, the Warriors returned to the playoffs with a healthy Thompson and a new supporting cast that included All-Star Andrew Wiggins and key scorer Jordan Poole; they defeated the Boston Celtics in the 2022 Finals, where Curry won his first Finals MVP.

The Warriors’ dynasty has seen the team win four titles in eight seasons, as well as reach five consecutive Finals from 2015 to 2019 (six Finals in eight years); Curry, Green, Thompson, and Iguodala were on all four 21st century championship teams, Shaun Livingston and Kevon Looney were on three each.

2022-2023

During the 2022–23 season, the Warriors faced a challenging regular season due to numerous injuries. Key players like Iguodala, DiVincenzo, Thompson, Green, Kuminga, and Curry, who was also unable to participate in the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, were impacted.

However, despite the team’s average performance throughout the season, the San Francisco-based squad displayed remarkable determination and resilience. They ultimately finished with the sixth seed and a 44–38 record, qualifying for the last direct playoff spot. In the playoffs, they defeated the third-seeded Sacramento Kings in seven games, despite the Kings being up 2–0, to advance to the Western Conference semifinals.