If you look at the rafters in the Chase Center today, you’ll see a number 13 jersey hanging there. It’s for Wilt Chamberlain. Most modern fans see the blue and gold and immediately think of Steph Curry’s shimmy or Klay Thompson’s hot streaks. But the Wilt Chamberlain Golden State Warriors connection is a bit of a historical mind-bend.
First off, the "Golden State" name didn't even exist when Wilt was terrorizing the league in a Warriors uniform. The team was the Philadelphia Warriors when he started, then they packed their bags for the West Coast and became the San Francisco Warriors.
It’s kinda wild to think about. The most dominant individual force in basketball history actually played the prime of his "statistical" career for the Warriors franchise, yet most of his iconic moments feel like they belong to a different world.
The Philly Years: 100 Points and Video Game Numbers
Wilt was a territorial pick in 1959. Back then, the NBA had this weird rule where you could claim a player from your area. Since Wilt grew up in Philly and went to Overbrook High, the Warriors snagged him.
His rookie season was basically a crime against the rest of the league. He averaged 37.6 points and 27 rebounds. As a rookie. Honestly, those numbers don't even look real when you type them out. He won MVP and Rookie of the Year in the same breath.
That Night in Hershey
You've heard of the 100-point game. March 2, 1962. Most people assume he did that as a Philadelphia 76er. Nope. He was a Warrior.
The game wasn't even played in a major arena; it was in a drafty gym in Hershey, Pennsylvania, against the New York Knicks. There's no video footage of it. Just a radio broadcast and that famous photo of Wilt holding a piece of paper with "100" scribbled on it.
He shot 36-of-63 from the floor and—miraculously for a guy who hated the charity stripe—went 28-of-32 on free throws. He was shooting them underhanded that season. It worked, but he eventually stopped because he thought it made him look "like a sissy." Pride is a hell of a thing.
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The Move West: San Francisco Warriors Era
In 1962, the team moved to San Francisco. This is where the Wilt Chamberlain Golden State Warriors lineage starts to look more like the team we know today. Well, sort of. They played at the Cow Palace, which is exactly what it sounds like—a livestock pavilion.
The transition wasn't exactly smooth.
While Wilt was still putting up monstrous numbers—averaging 44.8 points in the 1962-63 season—the team actually finished 31-49. They missed the playoffs. Imagine having a guy score 45 a night and losing 50 games.
The 1964 Finals Run
Things got better when Alex Hannum took over as coach. He told Wilt he needed to pass more and play defense. Wilt listened, sort of.
The 1963-64 Warriors actually made it to the NBA Finals. They had a young Nate Thurmond—one of the few guys who could actually bother Wilt in practice—and a scrappy guard named Al Attles. They went up against Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics.
They lost 4-1.
Wilt averaged nearly 30 points and 28 rebounds in that series, but the Celtics were just a machine. This was the peak of the "Wilt can't win the big one" narrative that followed him everywhere.
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The Shocking Mid-Season Trade
Basically, the most confusing part of the Wilt Chamberlain Golden State Warriors story is how it ended.
During the 1964-65 season, the Warriors were bleeding money. Owner Franklin Mieuli was struggling, and the team was underperforming on the court despite Wilt's 38.9 points per game. Then, right after the All-Star break in 1965, the unthinkable happened.
The Warriors traded the greatest player on earth.
They sent him back to Philadelphia—this time to the 76ers (the old Syracuse Nationals)—for three players you’ve probably never heard of: Connie Dierking, Paul Neumann, and Lee Shaffer. Oh, and $150,000 in cash.
Shaffer never even played for the Warriors; he retired instead of reporting. It was essentially a salary dump. One of the worst trades in sports history, but at the time, some folks in San Francisco actually thought the team would be better off without "The Big Dipper."
The Aftermath and the 1967 Finals
The irony is thick here. Two years after trading him, the Warriors actually got good again thanks to Rick Barry. They made the 1967 Finals.
Their opponent? Wilt Chamberlain and the Philadelphia 76ers.
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Wilt demolished his old team. He didn't score as much—he only averaged 17 points in that series—but he grabbed 28 rebounds a game and anchored a defense that the Warriors couldn't crack. He won his first ring by beating the franchise that had just traded him away because they couldn't afford him.
Why the Wilt Chamberlain Golden State Warriors Connection Still Matters
We focus so much on the "Splash Brothers" era that we forget the Warriors were founded on the shoulders of giants. Wilt’s records are the reason the Warriors franchise has more "all-time" statistical leaders than almost anyone else.
If you want to understand the history of this team, you have to look past the three-pointers.
- Wilt holds the franchise record for points in a season (4,029).
- He holds the record for rebounds in a game (55).
- He averaged 41.5 points over his entire tenure with the team.
Nobody is ever breaking those. Not Steph, not anyone.
The Warriors eventual move to Oakland in 1971 and the name change to "Golden State" happened after Wilt was gone, but the DNA of the "Bay Area powerhouse" started with those wild years at the Cow Palace.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you're looking to dive deeper into this era, don't just look at the box scores.
Check out the book Wilt, 1962 by Gary M. Pomerantz. It’s the definitive account of the 100-point season and gives a gritty, non-sanitized look at what the Warriors were like back then.
Also, if you're ever in San Francisco, take a drive past the old Cow Palace. It’s still there. It’s a reminder that before the tech money and the luxury suites, the Warriors were a team that played in a drafty barn with a guy who was so good he literally changed the rules of the game—like widening the lane just to slow him down.
The Wilt Chamberlain Golden State Warriors story isn't just a footnote; it's the foundation of the whole house. Just remember that next time you see that 13 hanging in the rafters. It represents a time when one man was bigger than the game itself.