Second-greatest player in the history of each NBA franchise
Golden State Warriors: Rick Barry
Greatest Player: Stephen Curry
Before the Golden State Warriors began making championship title a near-regular occurrence, they had just one championship to their name with Rick Barry largely to thank.
Having wrapped up a stellar four-year collegiate career at Miami, it was easy to tell Barry would be special upon being drafted second overall by Golden State — then in San Francisco — in 1965.
From the get-go, Barry proved that hunch correct by making All-Star appearances in his first two seasons and leading the NBA in scoring as a sophomore with 35.6 points per game.
After sitting out his third pro season following a failed jump to the ABA, Barry would then play four years in the ABA before returning to the Dubs — the only team he was legally allowed to play for per a United States District Court judge.
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Knee problems hurt his production, but Barry was still good enough to rattle off six straight All-Star appearances with averages of 24.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game.
The Warriors had missed the playoffs in 1974 but returned the following season in a big way, advancing to the Finals.
Once there, Barry’s 29.5 points, 5.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game were enough to earn Finals MVP honors in a clean sweep of the Washington Bullets for the first NBA title in Golden State’s history.