NBA mascot power rankings, best past and present

11. Thunder: Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors don’t have a mascot these days, but prior to the Stephen Curry era, the fans that filled Oracle Arena had little to hang their hats on besides Thunder, the real-life version of the cartoony warrior that served as the team’s logo for much of the late 1990s and 2000s.

In many ways, Thunder was the heart and soul of the Golden State franchise during some dark periods in franchise history. Here’s what the man under the mask and foam muscles, Sadiki Fuller, said about the challenges of the role (h/t: Scott Cacciola, New York Times):

"“Steph Curry would have made my job so easy,” Fuller said in a recent telephone interview from his home in the Los Angeles area. “You know how hard it is to get 18,000 people to scream when they feel like the team is just going to lose again?”"

But Thunder clearly had an effect on the fanbase, even as the team piled up the losses:

"Thunder was often responsible for the game’s few highlights. He was like an action figure come to life. While the Warriors occupied themselves by bricking jump shots, Thunder spent timeouts soaring for dunks. The aesthetics of the costume itself were a stark departure from industry standards, and fans were receptive."

Thanks to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors got rid of the mascot in 2008 to avoid conflation. Not long after, the team became so great and fun to watch that a mascot would’ve been an ancillary part of the fan experience. But during those bleak years, Thunder was the glimmer of light that kept the fans coming.