The Golden State Warriors have had a bevy of elite centers who have played for the franchise since the team was founded back in 1946. The Warriors used to be the Philadelphia Warriors. Then they changed to the San Francisco Warriors before settling on their current name.
For this piece, we'll rank the best big men in Warriors franchise history. The number one pick will be pretty obvious for most basketball fans, but the other players might require some folks to put on their thinking caps.
4. Clyde Lee
The San Francisco Warriors drafted Lee with the third overall pick in the 1966 draft. As a rookie, he averaged 7.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in 74 games.
Lee made the All-Star team in just his second year in the league by averaging 11.9 points and 13.9 boards. He finished his Warriors career with averages of 8.5 points and 11.0 rebounds.
Lee is fourth in Warriors franchise history in total rebounds with 6,416.
3. Neil Johnston
Johnston spent his entire Hall of Fame career with the Philadelphia Warriors. He averaged 19.4 points and 11.3 rebounds in 516 games with the team, winning the 1956 championship along the way.
Johnston made six All-Star teams and was a three-time scoring champion. The NBA legend was inducted into the Hall of Fame back in 1990.
Johnston is sixth in Dubs franchise history in rebounds and 10th in points. He scored 10,023 points with the team.
2. Nate Thurmond
The San Francisco Warriors drafted Thurmond in the 1963 draft third overall out of Bowling Green. He's not only one of the top centers in Warriors history, but he's revered in NBA history as well.
Thurmond averaged 17.4 points and 16.9 rebounds in 757 games with the Warriors. He made the All-Star team seven times and was an All-Defensive team member five times as well.
Thurmond was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. He's the Dubs' all-time leader in minutes played, total rebounds and defensive win shares.
1. Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt averaged a staggering 41.5 points and 25.1 rebounds per game during his Warriors career. He's arguably the greatest NBA player of all-time.
The Philadelphia Warriors selected Chamberlain in the 1959 draft with what was called a territorial selection. He won Rookie of the Year by putting up 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds. Oh, he also won the MVP award, too. That's how legendary Wilt was.
Chamberlain is the Warriors' all-time leader in field goals, points, minutes per game, points per game, rebounds per game, player efficiency rating and win shares. He scored 100 points for the Philadelphia Warriors in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962. It's a record which probably will never be broken.
Wilt was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979. He finished his legendary NBA career with averages of 30.1 points, 22.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Chamberlain made 13 All-Star teams, was a two-time champion and four-time regular-season MVP. He also won the 1972 Finals MVP with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Warriors have six championships in franchise history. Wilt wasn't able to win any with the Dubs, but he's still by far the most dominant player in franchise history by a long shot.
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