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Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 43 - Wayne Cooper (1978-80)

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Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 43 - Wayne Cooper (1978-80)
Golden State Warriors jersey history - No. 43 - Wayne Cooper (1978-80)Story byJustin Quinn, Warriors WireTue, February 3, 2026 at 2:00 AM UTC·1 min read

The Golden State Warriors have had over 600 players don the more than 60 jersey numbers used by their players over the more than 75 years of existence the team has enjoyed in its rich and storied history.

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.

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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 fourth of nine players who wore the No. 43 jersey for the Warriors.

Sep 15, 2017; Culver City, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors jerseys on display during the Nike and Sony press conference at Sony Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY SportsSep 15, 2017; Culver City, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors jerseys on display during the Nike and Sony press conference at Sony Studios. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

That player would be Golden State big man alum Wayne Cooper. After ending his college career at UNO, Cooper was picked up with the 40th overall selection of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Dubs.

The Milan, Georgia native played the first two seasons of his pro career with Golden State, coming to an end when he was dealt to the Utah Jazz in 1980.

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During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Cooper wore only jersey No. 43 and put up 8.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors jersey history - No. 43 - Wayne Cooper (1978-80)

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