My college roommate Ryan Jacobs CAE is as obsessed as I am with the NBA and we both share a passion for the Golden State Warriors. Unfortunately in the NFL stakes my boy prefers to root for the 49ers, so we don’t share every passion! Jacob and I both study politics and share a dream for one day working in the news, presenting the sport of course! We both write for the college newspaper and we recently planned on publishing a story about the best players in Golden State’s history, unfortunately it was never written because we couldn’t decide on who to put on the list. With that in mind then, I thought I would put forward my top picks for the best players to have graced the Golden State jersey.
Wilt Chamberlain
Probably the only position on the list that Jacob and I were able to agree on was number one spot being occupied by the legend Wilt Chamberlain. Chamberlain was a true pioneer of the game and he shaped the way that the sport has been played ever since. Wilt’s scoring record was absolutely insane and during his 5 years with the Warriors, he averaged a whopping 20 points and 20 rebounds per season. What is quite scary about these stats is that he destroyed them playing for other teams, but 20-20 average is still incredible. Wilt won the NBA scoring title in each of his 5 seasons with the Warriors and they will do well to find a player of his like again.
Rick Barry
I was forced to play the defendant when Jacob and I were talking about second place, he was adamant that Paul Arizin should pick up the position but for me, clutch superstar Rick Barry is the only choice. Barry spent a glorious 8 years at the Warriors and throughout that time he had a 25.7 PPG average as well as 91% free throw record. Barry was included in the All Star team in all of his 8 seasons with the Warriors, leading them to the Championship in 1975. Aside from the incredible statistics however, there was nobody better with the ball in their hands at clutch time than Rick Barry, what a player!
Chris Mullin
The first thing that I want to say about Mullin is that in 1991/2 he made the All Star team, not a huge accomplishment you may think, that is until you bear in mind he was alongside players such as Jordan, Olajuwon, Ewing, Malone, Robinson, Barkley, Wilkens and Rodman to name just a few. Getting into that All Star team was a sensational achievement and it was thanks to his incredible scoring and rebound abilities, averaging over 25.7 PPG and 9 rebounds per game during a successful 5 year stint with the Warriors. Mullen may not be considered as great as these players mentioned above, but for Warriors fans he is a true legend of the game.