1975 NBA Championship

Lore & Background

Led by Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes, the Warriors swept the heavily favored Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals. Barry was named Finals MVP. The series is remembered as one of the biggest upsets in NBA history.

In Their Own Story

The air in the Capital Centre was thick with disbelief. Just minutes ago, the Washington Bullets had been poised to extend their season, but now, the scoreboard told a different story. Rick Barry stood at the free-throw line, his signature underhand motion cutting through the noise of a stunned crowd. The ball swished, sealing the 4-0 sweep. As teammates mobbed him, the realization hit: the giants had fallen. In the locker room that followed, there were no grand speeches, only the quiet, tearful joy of men who had defied every expectation to bring gold back to the Bay.

Reader's Guide

The Warriors won Game 1 in Landover, then Games 2, 3, and 4 in Oakland.

Did You Know?

• The 1975 championship was the Warriors' first NBA title after moving to the West Coast.
• Rick Barry was named Finals MVP for the 1975 series.
• The Warriors swept the Washington Bullets in four games.
• Despite having a better regular-season record than the Bullets, the Warriors played Games 1 and 2 on the road because Washington earned home-court advantage in the Eastern Conference Finals.