They played in Philadelphia as the Philadelphia Warriors from 1946 to 1962 , and in San Francisco from 1962 to 1971 . The team was first established in 1946 , as the Philadelphia Warriors , in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , where the franchise won the championship in the inaugural season of the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) , the league that would eventually become the National Basketball Association . In 1962 , the franchise was relocated to San Francisco , California and became known as the San Francisco Warriors until 1971 , when its name was changed to the current Golden State Warriors .