10 NBA Players You Forgot Played For The Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. They have won a total of 7 championships dating back to their first one in 1947 when the NBA was still considered to be the BAA. They have been the home to world-class superstars over the years, such as Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, Rick Barry, Stephen Curry, and many, many more. Today, we will take a look at some of the stars that were on the Warriors during their career that fans and even basketball “experts” may have forgotten have spent time in The Bay.

These players may have been in Golden State during their earlier seasons or the later stages of their careers. Some made a significant impact, while others were only in Golden State for a short period of time. These players were usually more well-known for donning another team’s jersey and achieved star status elsewhere. As far as NBA franchises go, the Warriors have been the cream of the crop for the past decade, winning 4 titles in the past 8 seasons. However, most of the players that you will see on this list came from the darker days of the team and periods of time that most fans would like to forget.

Here are 10 players you may have forgotten who played for the Golden State Warriors.

Jerry Lucas

Jerry Lucas was an NBA superstar during the 60s and 70s with the Cincinnati Royals and New York Knicks. Lucas made his NBA debut in the 1963-64 season with the Royals and was immediately recognized as an All-Star player. He would play 7 seasons with the Ryals, earning 7 All-Star appearances. During his time with the team, he averaged 19.6 PPG and 19.1 RPG. In 1973, Lucas also was a big part of winning an NBA title with the New York Knicks. He would retire right after the 1973-74 season.

What most people may forget is that between his stops in Cincinnati and New York, Lucas played a season and a half with the San Francisco Warriors. The Royals traded him to the Warriors during the 1960-70 season in exchange for Jim King and Bill Turner. Lucas would make an All-Star appearance with the Warriors in 1970-71. During the 1971 season, Lucas averaged 19.2 PPG and 15.8 RPG. The team would make the playoffs but fall in the first round.

Jamaal Wilkes

Jamaal Wilkes is well-known for his time with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1978 through 1985. During his time with the Lakers, Wilkes made 2 All-Star appearances and won 2 NBA championships. Over the 8 years he spent with Los Angeles, Wilkes averaged 18.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. He was named an All-Star in 1981 and 1983 and had 3 straight 20.0 PPG seasons from 1980 through 1982.

What many may forget is that Wilkes actually began his career with Golden State. He was a rookie during their 1975 NBA championship run and averaged 14.2 PPG and 8.2 RPG during that season. Wilkes would be named an All-Star in 1976, with the Warriors averaging 17.8 PPG, 8.8 RPG, and 1.2 SPG. He would also have a decent 1976 campaign with the team with 17.7 PPG, 7.6 RPG, and 1.7 SPG. He would sing with the Lakers that offseason, and the Warriors would receive cash and a 1st-round pick as compensation. The Warriors later selected Purvis Short with the pick.

Robert Parish

Robert Parish is something of a folk hero in the City Of Boston. The former big man played with the Celtics for 14 seasons, helping them to 3 NBA championships alongside Larry Bird and Kevin McHale. During his time with the Celtics, Parish was a 9-time All-Star, including 7 years in a row from 1981 through 1987. In his 14 years with the Celtics, Parish averaged 16.5 PPG, 10.0 RPG, and 1.5 BPG. He was also named to 2 All-NBA Teams and finished 4th in the 1982 MVP race.

People tend to forget that Parish’s career did not begin, nor did it end, with the Boston Celtics. Parish was actually drafted with the 8th overall pick in 1976 by the Warriors. He spent his first 4 full seasons with the Warriors and averaged 13.8 PPG and 9.5 RPG during his time there. In 1979, Parish averaged 17.2 PPG and 12.1 RPG to go with 2.9 BPG, easily his best season with the team. He followed that up once more in 1980 with 17.0 PPG, 10.9 RPG, and 1.6 BPG. Parish was later traded to the Celtics in exchange for 2 first-round picks in 1980.

Ralph Sampson

Ralph Sampson and the City of Houston are synonymous with each other for a couple of different reasons. Sampson was the No. 1 overall pick to the Rockets in 1983, and he would spend the first 4 and a half seasons with them. He earned the only 4 All-Star appearances in his career in those 4 seasons. He averaged 19.7 PPG and 10.5 RPG with the Rockets over 305 games and helped lead them to the 1986 NBA Finals alongside Hakeem Olajuwon. Soon, the injury bug would strike him, and his career would never be the same.

In the 1987 season, Sampson was traded along with Steve Harris to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Joe Barry Carroll, Sleepy Floyd, and cash. Sampson would appear in just 90 games for the Warriors over a year and a half as he struggled mightily with lower leg and back issues. In 1989, Sampson’s only full season with the Warriors, he averaged just 6.4 PPG and 5.0 RPG, clearly reeling from the pain. In 1989, he would be traded to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for Jim Petersen.

John Starks

Who doesn’t remember John Starks with the New York Knicks? He was a fiery role player known for his infamous battles with Michael Jordan, which included induction His Airness into the poster dunk Hall of Fame. Starks spent 8 seasons with the Knicks from 1991 through 1998 and made the only All-Star appearance of his career with the team in 1994. In his 8 seasons with the Knicks, Starks averaged 14.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.2 SPG.

What many, and I mean many, people forget is that Starks made his debut with the Warriors in the 1988-89 season. He appeared in 36 games for the Warriors that season and averaged just 4.1 PPG. He then took his talents overseas to China, where he spent a full year before joining the Knicks. Starks also did a second stint with the Warriors in 1999 and part of the 2000 season. During his second stint with the Warriors, Starks appeared in 83 games, starting in 80 of them, and averaged 13.9 PPG, 4.8 APG, and 1.3 SPG.

Jim Jackson

To be fair, I do not fault anyone for forgetting about Jim Jackson with the Warriors, considering that Jackson played for 12 teams during his NBA career, mostly on 1-year deals. Jackson is remembered mostly for his time as a member of the Three Js with the Dallas Mavericks. Most likely even more for the contract dispute that occurred before he ever played a game, limiting him to just 28 games during his rookie season.

At the peak of Jackson’s shuffling around the NBA, he spent 31 games with the team during the 1997-98 season. In those 31 games, Jackson averaged 18.9 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 5.1 APG. Clearly, he wasn’t a part of their future plans, as he was allowed to walk that offseason to the Portland Trail Blazers. Jackson had all the talent in the world but could never find a team that would keep him long enough for him to call it home. Jackson retired in 2006 after 14 seasons in the NBA.

Gilbert Arenas

During the mid-2000s, there was a serious conversation to be had about Gilbert Arenas as the best point guard in basketball. From 2005 through 2007, Arenas made 3 straight All-Star appearances with the Washington Wizards. He averaged over 25.0 PPG in each of those seasons and took the NBA by storm with his high-scoring performances and propensity to knock down big late-game clutch shots. His career came to an end in dramatic fashion when he made national headlines after getting into a dangerous locker room altercation with teammate Javaris Crittenton.

Gilbert Arenas actually began his career with the Golden State Warriors in 2001. It took some time for him to get acclimated to what the Warriors were trying to do, but he soon began to crack the starting lineup. In his 2 seasons with the Warriors, Arenas averaged 15.6 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 5.3 APG. He formed a dynamic and high-scoring backcourt alongside Larry Hughes at the time, but it was clear he was not going to be a part of their future. In 2003, Arenas signed a free-agent deal with the Wizards and never returned to Golden State.

Derek Fisher

Derek Fisher is one of the greatest role-playing point guards to ever step foot in the NBA. He was a consummate floor general and had the ability to knock down big shots time and time again with the Los Angeles Lakers. Fisher actually had 2 separate stints with the Lakers and was a member of 5 different NBA title teams. Although he was mostly a bench player for the first 3 from 2000 through 2002, Fisher was the starter when they went back-to-back in 2009 and 2010.

In between his 2 different stints with Los Angeles, Fisher spent 2 seasons with the Golden State Warriors. Fisher was with the Warriors for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, mostly in a bench role, while getting himself 64 starts as well. He averaged 12.6 PPG and 4.2 APG in those 2 years and provided an intelligent veteran presence off the bench. Fisher played for 5 teams during his 18 NBA seasons, but the one that flies mostly under the radar is his time with the Warriors.

Nate Robinson

One of the great smaller players of the last 25 years was Nate Robinson. His athleticism was impressive during his NBA career, putting opponents on posters for dunks and winning himself an NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Robinson is probably most recognized for his time with the New York Knicks. Robinson spent the first 4 and a half seasons of his career with the Knicks as a tremendous spark off of the bench. In 2009, he was in the running for Sixth Man of the Year as he averaged 17.2 PPG and 4.1 APG in 74 games played.

After his start with the Knicks, Robinson’s career consisted of jumping from team to team on short deals. In 2011-12, he landed with the Golden State Warriors, where he once again filled a role on their bench. In 51 games with the Warriors, Robinson averaged 11.2 PPG, 4.5 APG, and 1.2 SPG. He would end up playing for 4 more teams over the next 5 seasons before retiring after the 2015-16 season.

Jermaine O’Neal

During the 2000s, Jermaine O’Neal was one of the best two-way big men in basketball. He was known mostly for his incredible run with the Pacers from 2001 through 2008. The infamous Malice At The Palace somewhat tarnished his reputation, but otherwise, he was an absolute superstar. O’Neal made 6 straight All-Star appearances from 2002 through 2007 with Indiana, averaging over 220.0 PPG and 10.0 RPG multiple times along the way. He was named to 3 All-NBA Teams as well with the Pacers.

After his time with Indiana, O’Neal made appearances with 5 different teams in an attempt to capture the NBA championship that had eluded him for the entirety of his career. The final stop of O’Neal’s career came with the Golden State Warriors for the 2013-14 season. By this time, O’Neal was heavily plagued by his age and injuries. The season with Golden State saw O’Neal make 44 appearances, mostly off the bench for Golden State. He averaged 7.9 PPG and 5.5 RPG, getting 20.1 minutes of player every night.

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