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Golden State Warriors: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history

By Frank Urbina

June 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) waves to the crowd holding the championship trophy next to wife Ayesha Curry (left) during the Warriors 2017 championship victory parade in downtown Oakland. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
June 15, 2017; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) waves to the crowd holding the championship trophy next to wife Ayesha Curry (left) during the Warriors 2017 championship victory parade in downtown Oakland. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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2. Wilt Chamberlain (C) — Territorial pick in 1959 NBA Draft

Career stats (as a Warrior):  429 GP, 41.7 PPG, 25.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 50.6 FG%, 56.8 FT%

Just look at those career averages. Over 429 games as a Warrior, Wilt Chamberlain averaged nearly 42 points and over 25 rebounds a night while hitting over half of his shot attempts.

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2017 NBA re-Draft: De'Aaron Fox landing spot, Kings selection /

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    • (For the record, that last stat shouldn’t be ignored. Shooting 50+ percent in the late ’50s and early ’60s was nearly unheard of. Russell, a fellow legendary big from the era, shot 44.0 percent for his career; Thurmond, who we just covered, shot 42.5 percent as a Warrior; Bob Pettit shot 43.6 percent during his pristine career. All three big men are Hall-of-Famers.)

    Okay, sorry, got sidetracked by Chamberlain’s greatness for a second, back to his accolades as a Warrior.

    Over the span of his playing days, the “Big Dipper” won four MVPs (one with the Bay Area franchise), made 13 All-Star teams, seven All-NBA First Teams, three All-NBA Second Teams, won seven scoring titles and 11 rebounding titles.

    There was even one year where Chamberlain led the league in total assists (702 — 8.6 per game) because he got tired of hearing people complain about his lack of passing. He was that freakishly talented.

    Sadly, the former Kansas Jayhawk was never able win a title with the Warriors, which is the only reason he’s No. 2 on our list. Even then, it feels foolish to put anyone but him first. Then again, the guy coming up is probably equally as deserving.

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