Okay so last night I was watching old NBA highlights, right? And this question popped into my head: who exactly were the Big Four for those crazy good Warriors back in 2017? Everyone talks about them, but I realized I couldn’t actually name them off the top of my head. Embarrassing!
So, I grabbed my laptop, poured another cup of coffee – way too late at night, but whatever – and started digging. First stop? Google, obviously. Typed in “2017 Golden State Warriors roster”. Simple enough. Took me right to the team page from that year.
Scrolling down the list, the big names jumped out immediately: Stephen Curry, duh. Klay Thompson, yeah. Draymond Green, for sure. But then… Kevin Durant! Right, Kevin Durant joined them that season! That’s four. But I remembered people also saying “Big Four” before KD. Huh. My head was spinning a bit.
Needed to clarify. Tried searching “Warriors Big Four before Durant”. Oh! That brought up tons of old articles and forum chatter. Turns out, before KD signed in 2016, the “Big Four” often referred to Curry, Thompson, Green, and… Andrew Bogut? Or sometimes Harrison Barnes? Wait, no. Not quite matching the hype.
This was confusing. I found conflicting stuff online. Some sources insisted there were only ever a “Big Three” (Curry, Thompson, Green) who won the first title in 2015, and then adding KD made it a “Big Four”. But others definitely used “Big Four” before KD arrived, including Bogut or Barnes. My coffee was getting cold while I wrestled with this.
Dug deeper into the roster stats and key players for 2016-2017 specifically. That season was crystal clear:
- Stephen Curry (MVP, duh)
- Kevin Durant (The new super scorer)
- Klay Thompson (Splash Brother #2)
- Draymond Green (Heart, defense, playmaking)
These were the undisputed core that steamrolled everyone and won the 2017 championship. Andre Iguodala was super important off the bench, and other guys like Zaza Pachulia played roles, but those four were clearly head and shoulders above in terms of impact and star power that year.
So my conclusion? For the 2016-2017 season specifically, when people say the “Warriors Big Four”, it’s absolutely Curry, Durant, Thompson, and Green. That’s the group, that’s the dynasty core for that legendary run. The “Big Four” label became truly solidified when KD joined the existing trio.
Funny how things can seem simple but get messy when you actually start pulling the thread. Glad I looked it up though. Feels good to have the facts straight!
