10 Oldest NBA franchises EVER

Golden State Warriors, 1946

Image Courtesy: USA Today

Established in 1946 as the Philadelphia Warriors, the franchise was a founding member of the BAA and was owned by Pete Tyrell. They were the 1st BAA champs, but it wasn't exactly a sign of things to come. When they became a part of the NBA, they were wildly inconsistent. Eddie Gottlieb purchased the team in 1952 and they won the title in 1956, but he sold the team soon after to Franklin Mieuli who relocated it to San Francisco.

In their short spell as the San Franciso Warriors, the team reached 2 NBA Finals but lost both. They changed the name to Golden State in 1971 and were crowned champs again in 1975. What followed, however, was one of the most disastrous runs in NBA history. From 1975-2012, the Warriors only made 8 playoff appearances and never even reached a Conference Final. Players, coaches, owners came and went but they remained terrible. Jim Fitzgerald purchased the team in 1986, only to sell it 9 years later to Chris Cohen.

Nothing seemed to work until Joe Lacob purchased the team in 2010 and we all know what's happened next. The greatest 3-year stretch in NBA history and 2 titles. The end doesn't exactly seem in sight for this dynasty and they might go down as the greatest team ever.