24. Bernard King
Again, another player that did most of his work for a team other than the Warriors. Bernard King played fourteen seasons in the NBA, but he just played two for Golden State. He is best known as a New York Knick, but his time with the Warriors was important for his Hall of Fame career.
In the 1979-80 season, King dealt with substance abuse as a member of the Utah Jazz. He played just 19 games. He was then traded to Golden State and he made an immediate impact.
The 6’7 small forward averaged 22.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists during his two seasons. During his second year with the team in 1981-82, he helped the team finish with a solid record of 45-37. He led the team in minutes, points, and field goal percentage that season.
In his first season in the Bay Area, King’s efforts was enough to secure him the league’s first-ever Comeback Player of the Year award. It was well-deserved after he came back from a dark place. He dealt with issues in Utah and, while his stats didn’t reflect it, he also had off-court problems before that with the New Jersey Nets.
He built on his success in his next year with Golden State. He become an All-Star and an All-NBA player. The Warriors would then trade him to his hometown Knicks. His career was very short, but he’s a Hall of Fame basketball talent (with off the court problems, to say the least) and he did good things on the court for the Warriors.
Next: No. 23