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The Golden State Warriors – A History Spanning East to West 

Mason Bird

Outside of cheering for the Cleveland Cavaliers and forward LeBron James, political science student Mason Bird is an enthusiastic supporter of California’s Golden State Warriors. The team won the 2015 NBA championship in game six by defeating the Cavaliers with a score of 105 to 97.

The Warriors are one of the three remaining original teams in the National Basketball Association. The NBA got its start as the Basketball Association of America in 1946. The Warriors franchise started in Philadelphia in that same year and won the league’s first championship title, thanks to the extraordinary skills of “Jumping Joe” Fulks and others. The franchise went on to win three additional championship titles in 1956, 1975, and in the 2015 game with the Cavaliers that challenged Mason Bird’s loyalties.

In 1962, the Warriors relocated and became the San Francisco Warriors with a home base in Civic Auditorium. By the mid-1960s, they often played in Oakland’s newly constructed Coliseum Arena. As the 1971-1972 season approached, the team relocated across the Bay to Oakland and re-named itself the Golden State Warriors.

Notable players over the years include the legendary Wilt Chamberlain, still a record holder for 100 points scored in a single game in 1962; Rick Barry, who led the team to its 1975 championship; and Nate Thurmond, a seven-time All-Star center.