The Golden State Warriors have raised championship banners at Oracle Arena to commemorate the franchise’s NBA titles won as the Philadelphia Warriors in 1946-47 and 1955-56, joining the existing banner that honors the team’s lone Bay Area title in 1974-75.
As one of three charter members of the NBA along with the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, the Warriors called Philadelphia home for 16 seasons before moving to San Francisco prior to the 1962-63 campaign. The franchise is one of only seven in the NBA to have won at least three championships since the league’s inception in 1946-47.
“One of the primary goals of our ownership group when we purchased this team nearly four years ago was to embrace the rich history of the franchise,” said Warriors Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob. “That history includes 16 successful seasons in Philadelphia, and the players and coaches from that era helped set the standard of excellence that we strive for as an organization today. As we continue our efforts to connect our proud past with what we feel is a promising future, we’re thrilled to finally give those championship teams the long-overdue recognition that they deserve in our home arena.”
The 1946-47 Philadelphia Warriors, coached by Ed Gottlieb, became the league’s inaugural champions in what was then known as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). Led by league scoring champ and future Hall of Famer Joe Fulks, the Warriors defeated the Chicago Stags in the Finals, 4-1.
In 1955-56, future Hall of Famers Paul Arizin and Neil Johnston helped the Warriors earn the league’s best regular-season record at 45-27, which ranks as the fourth-best winning percentage (.625) in franchise annals. Under Head Coach George Senesky, who played on the team’s championship club nine years earlier, the Warriors captured their second NBA title with a 4-1 series victory over the Fort Wayne Pistons.
In addition to a pair of NBA championships, several prominent players in franchise history began their careers in Philadelphia, three of whom have since had their uniform numbers retired by the club: Tom Meschery, Wilt Chamberlain and Alvin Attles. Chamberlain is the Warriors’ lone winner of the league’s Most Valuable Player award, a feat he accomplished as a rookie in Philadelphia in 1959-60, while Attles, currently a Warriors community ambassador, is entering his 55th consecutive season with the organization.