7 Times the Golden State Warriors missed on a superstar in the NBA Draft

By Tony Pesta | Apr 12, 2020

LANDOVER, MD - CIRCA 1984: Head coach K.C. Jones of the Boston Celtics looks on with Larry Bird #33 against the Washington Bullets during an NBA basketball game circa 1984 at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland. Jones coached the Celtics from 1983-88. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

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(Photo by Jerry Wachter/Sports Imagery/Getty Images) /

1. Larry Bird

Long before Stephen Curry was lighting up from beyond the 3-point line, Larry Bird was creating a legendary career based on pure skill and marksmanship.

Bird is an anomaly in NBA history. He is perhaps the only all-time great who isn’t an elite athlete. Aside from occasionally beating defenders off the dribble and elevating a few inches for a two-hand jam, Bird was mostly dominating due to his IQ and hand-crafted talents.

Bird’s career speaks for itself. He won three championships, reached 12 All-Star Games, 10 All-NBA teams, three All-Defensive teams and captured three MVPs.

The Warriors had a chance to be home to all of Bird’s greatness in the 1978 NBA Draft. Instead, the Dubs selected Purvis Short, a power forward out of Jackson State University. Short actually had a long and productive career with the Warriors, averaging 19.4 points across nine seasons.

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But, Short was no Larry Bird. There is no doubt that Bird could have drastically changed the Warriors’ history and helped make them a dynasty back in the 80s. Bird is the biggest star the Dubs ever missed out on.

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