Looking back at 5 historic Golden State Warriors players

The Golden State Warriors are home to some of the league’s biggest names. Before the current dynasty, however, the franchise has been graced by former players that made history.

Golden State Warriors fans have come love and admire stars like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, but it’s important to revisit the past and remember the contributions of former players that helped the team and game evolve to what they are today.

We know the Golden State Warriors as a Western Conference team based in San Francisco, California. When the franchise was founded, however, in 1946, they were known as the Philadelphia Warriors. After that, the team moved to San Francisco to become the San Francisco Warriors. Only in 1971 did its current name came to be.

Joe Fulks

Hall-of-Famer Joe Fulks spent his career playing for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1946-1954. Fulks was known as a great scorer, averaging a career 16.4 points per game and 23.9 points per game in his first three years playing.

Keep in mind that teams scored much fewer points in total during the early years of the league. Fulks was a 6’5″ power forward who had the versatility to shoot as well as drive. He was one of the first to do what we now know as a jump shot.

Fulks was a champion in 1947, making the Philadelphia Warriors the first to win an NBA (then BAA) championship ever. He was also the top scorer in the country that season and went on to be a two-time All-Star during his career.