2022 Golden State Warriors

The dynasty had cratered. Durant left in 2019, Thompson got hurt, and Golden State won 15 and then 39 games in the two seasons after its last Finals. The Warriors rebuilt around Curry and a young trio of Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, and Andrew Wiggins, the last of whom arrived in a trade that drew shrugs at the time.

Wiggins became the answer on defense. He took the toughest wing assignment each round and made an All-Star team. Thompson returned in January, rusty but still able to score in bunches.

Golden State beat Denver, Memphis, and Dallas to reach the Finals, then fell behind Boston 2-1. Curry answered with 43 points in Game 4 in Boston to even the series, the swing of the whole thing.

He averaged 31.2 for the series and won Finals MVP, the one trophy missing from his case despite two regular-season MVPs. Kevon Looney rebounded everything, and Gary Payton II returned from a broken elbow to defend. It was the franchise's seventh championship.

The starting five was Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney. Steve Kerr coached the group with Jordan Poole as the primary bench scorer.

The full roster ran deeper than the headline names. Role players who mattered included Gary Payton II (returned from a broken elbow); Jonathan Kuminga (rookie); Moses Moody (rookie).

The 2022 title came in the modern era of load management, threes, and switch-heavy defense. The Golden State Warriors still had to win four series, usually against teams built to contend rather than tank.

The Golden State Warriors share a lineage with other banners from 1947, 1956, 1975, 2015, 2017, 2018. Compare those seasons on the franchise hub to see how the roster and style changed between title runs.

Looking back, the 2021-22 Warriors won their fourth title in eight years, beating the Boston Celtics in six. This one came after a fall: Kevin Durant was gone, Klay Thompson had missed two and a half years to a torn ACL and then a torn Achilles, and Golden State had missed the playoffs twice. Stephen Curry finally won his first Finals MVP at 34.

For the full roster beyond the featured starters, see the table on this page. For other Golden State Warriors titles, use the franchise hub linked below.