Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 20 - Vern Hatton (1958-61)
Founded in 1946 during the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- a precursor league of the NBA) era, the team has called home the cities of Philadelphia, San Francisco, Oakland, and even San Diego.
To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Warriors Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. For this article, we begin with the third of 29 players who wore the No. 20 jersey for the Warriors.
That player would be Golden State guard alum Vern Hatton. After ending his college career at Kentucky, Hatton was picked up with the 10th overall selection of the 1958 NBA Draft by the (then) Cincinnati Royals (now, Sacramento Kings).
The Owingsville, Kentucky native would play the first 22 games of his pro career with the Royals before he was dealt to the (then) Philadelphia (now, Golden State) Warriors in 1958. His stay with the team would span parts of the seasons, coming to an end when he was dealt to the (defunct) Chicago Packers in 1961.
During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Hatton wore only jersey No. 20 and put up 4.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
Nets display how scouting department approached 2025 NBA Draft
The Brooklyn Nets went into the 2025 NBA Draft with an interesting strategy as they found a way to get five first-round picks and use all of them in the same class. Brooklyn seems to be sold on rebuilding the franchise through the Draft and understandably so, but the Nets' content team showed what the conversations were like behind the scenes. "One of our slogans is disagree and commit. That's front and center in our war room. The meaning behind that is that it's healthy to disagree," general manager Sean Marks said during the fourth episode of the team's SCOUT series. The web series has been giving Nets fans a behind-the-scenes look into how Brooklyn's scouting department prepared for the 2025 NBA Draft, including the debates. "It's healthy to debate. If there's no debate and there's no disagreement, then I think something must be wrong," Marks continued. "We've all seen players in different life cycles at different points in their careers and so forth. So, we should be asking ourselves questions of who he reminds me of and, what would I question about that person?" One of the themes that followed the Nets after the conclusion of the 2025 Draft was whether Brooklyn overthought its picks too much or didn't do enough the opportunity they had with multiple first-round picks. The Nets taking guard Egor Demin with the eighth overall pick in the Draft appeared to surprise many people covering the draft, but this episode attempts to explain the thought process behind Brooklyn selecting Demin as high as they did. "You want to see if guys are fighters, if they care about winning as a team, competing as a team, like not just to win a game, but give yourself a chance," Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez said when explaining the general mindset of the team. "That's what competitive is, especially in this world. So, you know, we can see that in players and try to figure it out in different ways."
USA Today
7 minutes ago
- USA Today
ESPN analyst boldly calls Alex Caruso the NBA's best defensive player
When you win an NBA championship, expect an entire summer's worth of praise from the national talking heads. That's what the Oklahoma City Thunder have experienced fresh off one of the greatest campaigns the league has ever seen. The Thunder had a historic 68-14 regular-season record. They broke the NBA record for the largest point differential. That dominance carried over to the playoffs as they brought home the Larry O'Brien trophy. They destroyed the opposition with their defense, as most of their game-sealing runs happened from turnovers created. A key contributor to their championship run was Alex Caruso. Being load-managed in the regular season, the 31-year-old was finally able to play his all-out effort style of defense that included diving for the ball and emptying his tank as an energizer off the bench. The two-time All-Defense Team member might've had a pedestrian regular season, but Caruso showed why the Thunder were universally beloved for acquiring him last offseason in the playoffs. He was one of OKC's five best and most important players through four playoff series. Ranking the five best defensive players, ESPN's Kendrick Perkins loved what he saw from Caruso in the Thunder's championship run. The role player stepped up on the biggest stage and singled out for an individual performance that you could argue won OKC the championship before the NBA Finals even started. Perkins shocked his "NBA Today" colleagues when he put Caruso at the No. 1 spot. Thunder teammate Lu Dort was at No. 5. Evan Mobley, Amen Thompson and Victor Wembanyama rounded out the top five as the second-to-fourth best defensive players. "The eye test doesn't lie. What I saw what he did in the postseason, in a crucial Game 7, guarding Jokic... And locking him up," Perkins said. "When you're talking about a defensive specialist that can go out there and cause havoc in the game with four or five steals was the key reason, outside of SGA and J-Dub and Chet Holmgren, when you talk about franchise guys, on why OKC is set to hang a banner this upcoming season." The sticker shock is definitely there, but it's not outrageous to say Caruso is in the conversation. He's one of the greatest defenders of his era. There's a reason why all the advanced metrics love him. He has played an important role in two NBA championships now. Taking on Nikola Jokic in a Game 7 might be Caruso's Mona Lisa. It was a legacy-defining performance that saved the Thunder from a disappointing Round 2 exit. The 31-year-old was a savvy enough defender to overcome the serious size disadvantage. Being one of the best defenses the NBA has ever seen, the Thunder deserved to have multiple entrants on Perkins' top five current defensive players list. Caruso and Dort are valid choices that have the championship ring to back up the ESPN personality.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
2025-26 training camp: Rockets to open with September 29 media day
In what may serve as a de facto introductory press conference for Kevin Durant, the Rockets will host their annual media day on Monday, September 29. In what could be an introductory press conference of sorts for Kevin Durant, the Houston Rockets are expected to host their 2025-26 media day on Monday, September 29. The dates are publicly available on the NBA's website. Coincidentally, that September 29 date will be Durant's 37th birthday. Training camp will likely open the following day, September 30, with the preseason opener scheduled for a week later on October 6. Opening night for the Rockets could come as soon as October 21, with complete regular-season schedules to be released by the league office later this month. Because Durant was acquired in July and the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) does not mandate media availabilities in the offseason, the 15-time All-Star has yet to speak with reporters in Houston. While it's still possible that a press conference could occur earlier, nothing has been scheduled, and NBA personnel often spend the weeks immediately prior to camp traveling or spending time with their inner circle — i.e. family or close friends that they can't see as often during the season. In many cases, this requires traveling out of market. In a recent interview, Rockets veteran Dorian Finney-Smith referenced an unofficial team mini-camp being held in September, which could further tighten this year's schedule. Media day consists of interviews with each NBA team's key players, coaches, and executives, who are asked to share perspectives about the season ahead. Because Durant's media day interview will undoubtedly consist of questions about his new team in Houston, that might be another incentive for him to wait — since he will likely be addressing the same types of topics, regardless of whether he does an earlier event. After previous superstar acquisitions, such as Dwight Howard in the 2013 offseason and Chris Paul in 2017, the Rockets held offseason events featuring both a press conference with reporters and an opportunity for the player to directly engage with the fan base. It's a safe assumption that the team would have loved to capitalize on the Durant buzz with a similar engagement event, but the team cannot mandate his appearance in a period without games. It comes down to the player's availability, and there haven't been many indications of Durant physically being in Houston this offseason. The Rockets have yet to announce locations or times for media day or training camp. Last season, media day took place inside the team's home arena of Toyota Center, while training camp was held at the team's newly constructed practice complex in Houston. More: Will Kevin Durant debut at home? Rockets announce 2025 preseason schedule
