identifying the Golden State Warriors’ all-time greatest player (GOAT) from Stephen Curry, Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, and Rick Barry using the most precise formula available from Fadeaway World.
The Golden State Warriors have grown to be one of the most well-known and prosperous teams in NBA history during the past 76 years. Some of the biggest names and greatest superstars in NBA history have been part of the Warriors franchise, from their days in Philadelphia to their current home in the Bay Area under the Golden State moniker.
Today, the objective is to use our most precise formula to determine which player is the Golden State Warriors’ greatest player. Following a thorough investigation, the top four contenders for the title were found to be Stephen Curry, Wilt Chamberlain, Kevin Durant, and Rick Barry. In our team-by-team GOAT arguments, we’ll be discussing the Golden State Warriors next, much like we did with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers.
Many members of the younger generation believe that Stephen Curry is the greatest player in Warriors history since they grew up watching him alter the game. NBA supporters who have been around for a little while longer would argue for Wilt Chamberlain. The argument will finally be settled today when the real Golden State Warriors All-Time player is determined by applying our impartial and fair ranking system.
Now that the question of who the Golden State Warriors’ all-time greatest player is clear, let’s find out.
1. Wilt Chamberlain: 41.5 PPG, 25.1 RPG, 3.0 APG (4 Points) was his best stat.
2. Rick Barry: (3 points) – 25.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 5.1 APG, 2.3 SPG, and 0.5 BPG
3. Kevin Durant – 2 points; 25.8 points; 7.1 rebounds; 5.4 assists; 0.8 points; and 1.5 points;
4. Stephen Curry: 1 point, 6.5 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.2 steals, and 24.6 points per game
Nothing in NBA history compares to Wilt Chamberlain’s eye-popping numbers while he was a member of the Warriors from 1960 to 1965. With an NBA scoring average of more than 41.0 points and more than 25.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.6% from the field, Chamberlain earned the scoring title each season he played for the Warriors. In 1962, he set an unbreakable NBA record by scoring 100 points in a single game, breaking the previous record of 50.4 points per game in a season.
Rick Barry loses to Kevin Durant in the race for second place points. Durant outperforms Barry in terms of blocks, assists, and scoring, while Barry has the advantage in rebounds and steals. In a Warriors uniform, Durant shot roughly 10.0% higher at 54.6%, making him the more effective scorer as well.
Due to the impact of his extended tenure with the team on his statistics, Stephen Curry is given less credit in this category. Along with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, Curry remains the Warriors’ all-time top scorer and has the most championship victories in team history. Any day of the week, in my opinion, he would swap those achievements for higher per-game metrics.
The most NBA titles
1. Stephen Curry (4 points): 4 NBA Championships
2. Kevin Durant: Three points and two NBA titles
3. Rick Barry: Two points and one NBA Championship
4. Wilt Chamberlain: 1 point for having zero NBA championships
Curry receives the victory and four points in this category thanks to the four NBA titles he shares with his core group of teammates. Curry was the driving force behind all four of those championship victories thanks to his excellent and lethal three-point shooting, mobility off the ball, and attention-grabbing antics that provide Golden State the room it needs to thrive. He has won the most major awards of any player over the past ten seasons thanks in part to his four championships as a player.
During his three seasons with the organization from 2017 to 2019, Kevin Durant contributed to the Warriors’ consecutive NBA titles in 2017 and 2019. If Durant had not had an Achilles injury in 2019, it very well might have been only the fourth three-peat since the 1960s. In the early 1970s, Rick Barry also came back from the ABA and helped Golden State win a championship in 1975.
Wilt Chamberlain was a statistical juggernaut, but he was never able to secure an NBA championship for the Warriors. The first time Chamberlain would experience championship glory would be with the Sixers in 1967.
1. Stephen Curry has the most MVP Awards with two (4 points).
2. One MVP Award (Wilt Chamberlain; 3 points)
T3. Kevin Durant: 2 points and 0 MVP awards
3. Rick Barry: 2 points and 0 MVP Awards
In addition to owning the most titles among the Golden State Warriors players on this list, Stephen Curry has also received the most MVP nominations. Curry led the Warriors to a championship in 2015 and an NBA record 73 victories in 2016, earning him back-to-back MVP honors in 2015. His MVP victory in 2016—when he averaged 30.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game—was the only unanimous MVP award in NBA history.
Surprisingly, during his six outstanding seasons with the Warriors, Wilt Chamberlain was only ever won MVP once. As a rookie, Chamberlain won the award with an average of 37.6 points and 27.0 rebounds per game. It wouldn’t happen again until 1966, when he switched teams and finished his career with the Sixers.
Regarding Durant and Barry, during their stints as Warriors players, they were unable to secure MVP honors. Nevertheless, they were both awarded prizes that are arguably more valuable than any other in NBA history.
1. Kevin Durant has the most Finals MVP Awards with two (4 points).
T2. Stephen Curry: 1 MVP Award for the Finals (3 Points)
T2. Rick Barry: 1 MVP Award for the Finals (3 Points)
4. Wilt Chamberlain: 1 point; 0 Finals MVP Awards
At least in the Warriors GOAT debate, Kevin Durant emerged as the winner in one category during their time together as teammates. With his victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2017 and 2018, Durant won the most Finals MVP titles in the history of the team. The Warriors won eight of the nine games between the two series because of Durant’s outstanding performances in those two Finals.
In 2022, Stephen Curry would win the Warriors’ most recent title, so putting the proverbial monkey on his back. Against the Boston Celtics, Curry guided the Warriors to their fourth championship since 2015. With 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, Curry won MVP of the Finals. With a strong performance in the 1975 Finals, Rick Barry would win the MVP award for the Finals. Barry led the Warriors to a 4-0 series victory over the Bullets with 29.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.5 steals per game.
Wilt Chamberlain – 0 Defensive Player of the Year Awards (0 Points) – Most Defensive Player of the Year Awards T1.
T1. Stephen Curry, who received zero points for defensive player of the year
Kevin Durant, Team Leader – Defensive Player of the Year (0 Points)
T1. Rick Barry received zero points for defensive player of the year.
None of these four legendary Warriors players have ever won Defensive Player of the Year, even though just one of them was regarded as an outstanding defender in their respective eras. The only other player on this team who has ever been selected to an All-Defensive Team is Chamberlain, and that was during his time with the Lakers, a lot later in his career. Wilt would be without a doubt the top player in this category if the All-Defensive teams had been around when he was the Warriors’ dominant player.
The All-Time GOAT Pyramid for the Golden State Warriors
The All-Time GOAT Pyramid for the Golden State Warriors
Most Selections for All-NBA Teams
1. Stephen Curry (4 points) with nine selections to the All-NBA team
T2. Rick Barry: Three points, six selections to the All-NBA team
T2. Wilt Chamberlain: Three points and six selections to the All-NBA team
4. Kevin Durant: Three selections to the All-NBA team (1 point)
Here is one instance where longevity with the franchise does benefit our formula in numerous ways. In his 14 seasons with the team, Stephen Curry has been selected nine times for the All-NBA Team; four times for the First Team, four times for the Second Team, and once for the Third Team.
With six All-NBA Team selections each, Rick Barry and Wilt Chamberlain tie for second place. Of his six selections, Chamberlain was selected for the First Team four times and the Second Team twice. Barry, however, received the most First Team selections on our list with five First Team selections and one Second Team nomination. In 2017 and 2019, Kevin Durant was selected to the First Team once, and to the Second Team twice.
Most Selections for an All-Defensive Team T1. Wilt Chamberlain: 0 selections to the All-Defensive Team (0 points)
T1. Stephen Curry: 0 Selections to the All-Defensive Team (0 Points)
T1. Kevin Durant: 0 Selections to the All-Defensive Team (0 Points)
T1. Rick Barry: 0 selections to the All-Defensive Team (0 points)
Another statistic where the Golden State Warriors’ all-time greats are tied is Most All-Defensive Team selections. Throughout his career, only Chamberlain was selected to the All-Defensive team, despite the fact that Barry and Durant are both undoubtedly undervalued in that aspect. Even though Curry was a former NBA steals champion and would normally be selected for the All-Defensive Team, his on-ball defense was too poor to overlook.
Most Choices for All-Stars
1. Stephen Curry: 4 points and 9 All-Star selections
2. Rick Barry: Eight All-Star Picks (three points)
3. Wilt Chamberlain: Two Points for Six All-Star Picks
4. Kevin Durant: Three All-Star Picks, One Point
Stephen Curry just misses the top spot by four points in terms of the most All-Star selections in Warriors history. In the past ten seasons, Curry has been selected for nine All-Star teams; the only season he hasn’t been selected is 2020, when he missed 77 games. With eight All-Star selections over the course of his eight seasons with the Warriors, Rick Barry is just slightly behind Curry. Curry won the MVP award for the 2022 All-Star Game, but Barry took home the trophy in 1967.
Though their tenure with the Warriors was brief, Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant were named All-Stars in every season they played for the Warriors. In six seasons, Wilt Chamberlain was a member of six All-Star teams and was the MVP of the All-Star Game. During his three seasons with the Warriors (2017–2019), Durant was an All-Star each time. In 2019, he also added an MVP award from the All-Star Game while playing for the Warriors.
1. Stephen Curry – 128.0 Win Shares (4 Points) in total
2. Wilt Chamberlain (3 Points) with 112.4 Win Shares
3. Rick Barry – 2 Points with 85.9 Win Shares
4. Kevin Durant (1 Point; 33.9 Win Shares)
Given that Stephen Curry spent eight more seasons with the Warriors than Wilt Chamberlain, it’s incredible that this is so close. With 128.0 victory shares, Curry has the most in Warriors history. In 2016, after winning the MVP award unanimously, Curry topped the NBA in win shares on time. During his six seasons with the team, Chamberlain finished first in the NBA four times, including his greatest season, which had more win shares than Curry’s. Again, longevity gives Curry the advantage in this category.
In their brief tenure with the team, Rick Barry and Kevin Durant also produced results. Rick Barry played for the Warriors for eight seasons, five of which had win shares above 10.0. In his three seasons with the Warriors, Kevin Durant averaged 10.4 win-shares. In 2017, when the Warriors won 67 games and the NBA championship, he topped the NBA in win-shares per 48 minutes.
Wilt Chamberlain: 30.3 points (per attempt)
2. Kevin Durant (3 Points) – 25.8 PER
3. Stephen Curry (23.8 Points per Attempt)
4. Rick Barry: 1 point, 21.1 PER
The player efficiency ratings of each of these Warriors heroes complete this precise formula. Wilt Chamberlain leads the category with a PER of nearly 30.0, which is remarkable. For five of his six seasons with the franchise, Chamberlain’s PER was the highest in the NBA, with three of those seasons having a PER of more than 30.0. Kevin Durant, who spent three years with the Warriors, finished second with a 25.8 PER. In two different seasons in 2017 and 2018, his PER was higher than 26.0.
Rick Barry and Stephen Curry trail behind, which doesn’t really reflect their influence on the team. Curry, who topped the NBA in PER in 2016, is one of the most prolific and effective shooters we have ever seen. Curry has four seasons when his PER is above 25.0 and one where it is over 30.0. Rick Barry never led the NBA in PER or had a season with the Warriors where he finished above 25.0. Despite this, he maintained consistency and had eight seasons above 20.0.
Which Player in Golden State Warriors History Is the Greatest?
1. Stephen Curry: 5 categories won, 26 points
2. Wilt Chamberlain: 21 points, two wins in categories
3. Rick Barry: 19 Points, No Winning Categories
4. Kevin Durant: 17 Points, 1 Winning Category
As with one of his two MVP honors, the Golden State Warriors’ GOAT is unanimity in the outcomes. Yes, Stephen Curry is without a doubt the greatest player to ever play for the Warriors, and that is how things should be. The debate can end here with the team that has the most titles, MVP honors, win shares, All-Star, and All-NBA team selections.
This is not to argue that Wilt Chamberlain lacks merit in his claim. Just the talk is worthwhile due to his numbers. However, it’s very hard to say it’s even close anymore because there hasn’t been an NBA title and the associated postseason success. The most intriguing finding with our formula is that Rick Barry does not compare well to Kevin Durant; instead, more Finals MVPs and titles are revealed. Durant loses to Barry, who is unquestionably a Warriors great, by two points to win third place.
What about these findings caught your attention?