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.
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 18th of 19 players who wore the No. 34 jersey for the Warriors.
That player would be Golden State big man alum Keith Benson. After ending his college career at Oakland, Benson was picked up with the 48th overall selection of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks.
The Cleveland, Ohio native played the sole season of his pro career with the Dubs after being cut and signing with Golden State, leaving the league as a player afterward.
During his time suiting up for the Warriors, Benson wore only jersey No. 34 and put up 1.0 rebounds per game.
All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.
Everyone knows an undefeated record in mixed martial arts (MMA) is a Opponent: Muin Gafurov
No one saw this one coming. Multi-time Japanese wrestling champion, Rinya Nakamura didn’t use his world-class grappling whatsoever at UFC 311, resulting in him getting out-struck by Muin Gafurov.
Clayton Carpenter (8-1)
Opponent: Michael Page
Only one fighter lost their undefeated record at UFC Saudi Arabia, but it was a big one: Shara “Bullet.” Indeed, the popular one-eyed fighter Opponent: Weili Zhang
No. 1-ranked women’s contender, Tatiana Suarez, got her long-awaited Strawweight title shot at UFC 312, but Opponent: Rongzhu
Top prospect and Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace, Kody Steele — who was a 3:1 favorite over Chinese fighter, Rongzhu — lost a unanimous decision on UFC 312’s “Prelims” undercard.
He got an extra $50,000 for “ Opponent: Aleksandre Topuria
UFC newcomers Colby Thicknesse and Aleksandre Topuria welcomed each other to the Octagon, but it was Topuria who ended up getting the unanimous decision win over Thicknesse.
Jean Matsumoto (16-1)
Opponent: Alonzo Menifield
“Juicebox” also stepped up on short notice to take on Opponent: Sam Patterson
UFC Welterweight Danny Barlow’s hype was upended when Sam Patterson knocked him out to kick off the UFC Vegas 103 main card ( Opponent: Joshua Van
Japanese Flyweight, Rei Tsuruya, lost a unanimous decision to surging contender, Joshua Van, on UFC 313’s “Prelims” undercard.
Diyar Nurgozhay (10-1)
Opponent: Carlos Vera
The biggest betting favorite ( Opponent: Carli Judice
Yuneisy Duben had a ton of hype going into her Octagon debut because of her Opponent: Marcin Tybura
United Kingdom heavyweight fighter, Mick Parkin — Opponent: Ode Osbourne
UFC rookie, Luis Gurule, had a very good first round, but got finished by Octagon veteran, Ode Osbourne, with a nasty left hand ( Opponent: Montel Jackson
Peru’s Daniel Marcos had a shot to get into the Opponent: Reinier de Ridder
UFC super prospect Bo Nickal suffered his first professional loss to former ONE Championship two-division champion Reinier de Ridder, getting nuked with a nasty knee to the liver ( Opponent: MarQuel Mederos
UFC newcomer Mark Choinski stepped up on short notice at UFC 316 but Opponent: Alonzo Menifield
France’s Oumar Sy lost his undefeated record to Alonzo Menifield as a -715 favorite. He lost a Opponent: Mohammad Usman
Egypt’s Heavyweight Hamdy Abdelwahab lost a forgettable unanimous decision to Mohammdad Usman at Opponent: Jhonata Diniz
Stepping up on short notice, UFC rookie Alvin Hines lost a competitive unanimous decision to Brazil’s Jhonata Diniz to kick off Opponent: Jose Delgado
It took 26 seconds for Hyder Amil to lose his undefeated record when Jose Delgado brutally knocked him out with a knee and follow-up elbows.
Tallison Teixeira (8-1)
Opponent: Brunno Ferreira
6’4” Middleweight Jackson McVey had his UFC debut spoiled by Brazil’s Brunno Ferreira as he was submitted in under four minutes.
It’s a remarkable story — one that the Hoosiers’ coach thinks is worthy of something more than just on-field success.
Shortly after his team’s 35-point win in the Rose Bowl, the second-year Indiana coach Curt Cignetti said in a postgame interview with ESPN that his team’s journey to becoming the No. 1 team in the sport would “be a hell of a movie.”
Rece Davis: “How would you describe the turnaround and what you have been able to build?”
Hired away from James Madison after the 2023 season, Cignetti took over what had been the losingest program in FBS history until earlier this season. After a stellar debut season, with an 11-2 finish in 2024 that ended with a berth in the inaugural 12-team playoff, Indiana has gotten even better this year, with a 14-0 mark following the throttling of Alabama. It’s a program single-season record for wins. Thursday’s bowl win was Indiana’s first since the 1991 Copper Bowl.
A Rose Bowl victory would have been unimaginable for the Hoosiers as recently as 24 months ago. Over 21 seasons, from 1994-2014, they made just one bowl and in the 27 seasons before Cignetti got there, Indiana went just 113-204. In 82 of the program’s first 126 seasons, it finished with a losing record.
It didn’t just beat Alabama, but manhandled it, outgaining it by a 407-193 margin and scoring touchdowns on five of its final six full drives.
“Why should (the moment) be too big? Because our name’s Indiana?” Cignetti said in a postgame interview with ESPN. “We’ve got a lot of veteran starters who have played a lot of successful football in their careers. They have a lot of character. We’ve got great leadership and character on this football team. We’ve come through in the clutch moments. I’m proud of the way that they responded and prepared and met this challenge.”
“Why should [the moment] be too big, because our name’s Indiana?”
With their latest win, the Hoosiers will take on No. 5 Oregon in the playoff semifinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Jan. 9.
Before he and his team head back to Indiana, Cignetti may even be able to take a quick detour from Pasadena to Los Angeles to pitch his Hollywood-worthy underdog story.
No. 1 Indiana became the first team in the brief history of the 12-team College Football Playoff to win a game after receiving a first-round bye, smothering Alabama 38-3 in a quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.
An inauspicious start made it seem as if Indiana might continue the trend of teams unable to respond after a long layoff, going three-and-out on the opening possession with Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza taking two sacks. The Crimson Tide (11-4; No. 11 AP, No. 9 CFP) then found early success with two quick first downs into Hoosiers’ territory before the defense stepped up to force a punt.
From there, Indiana came to life, taking a 17-0 halftime lead on a 31-yard field goal by Nicolas Radicic and two touchdown passes from Mendoza. Avoiding an early deficit was crucial, as it had been something of a constant in the previous losses by idle teams.
ORANGE BOWL
NO. 5 OREGON 23, NO. 4 TEXAS TECH 0
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Matayo Uiagalelei caused a fumble to set up an Oregon touchdown, Jordon Davison rushed for two scores and the Ducks silenced Texas Tech’s offense for a win in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday.
Dante Moore threw for 234 yards and Atticus Sappington kicked three field goals for Oregon (13-1), which will play either No. 1 Indiana or No. 9 Alabama in the Peach Bowl — a CFP semifinal — on Jan. 9.
The Peach Bowl winner will be back in Miami Gardens for the national title game on Jan. 19.
Texas Tech — which finished at 12-2 — came into the day second nationally in points per game (42.5) and fifth nationally in yards per game (480.3) but got absolutely nothing going. The Red Raiders turned the ball over four times, were stopped on fourth downs three other times and had four three-and-outs.
Tech quarterback Behren Morton — who finished 18 of 32 passing for just 137 yards — was stripped by Uiagalelei early in the third quarter in Red Raiders territory. Uiagalelei rumbled deep into the red zone and Davison scored one play later to make it 13-0.
Morton threw a red-zone interception early in the fourth quarter and a fourth-down stop from their own 30 midway through the fourth quarter doomed whatever comeback chances existed for the Red Raiders. Davison plunged in from the 1 with 16 seconds left to cap the scoring.
After holding a walkthrough to start the week on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Rams were back to their normal practice schedule on Thursday in preparation for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
They welcomed back Tyler Higbee on Wednesday and one day later, Quentin Lake was on the field practicing for the first time since getting injured in Week 11. He was designated to return less than an hour after signing a three-year extension with the Rams on Thursday.
Davante Adams, Kevin Dotson, Josh Wallace and Blake Corum remain the biggest injury concerns for Los Angeles after all four missed Wednesday’s practice, but it sounds like Adams is at least making progress. The other three are still very much uncertain.
Adams returned to practice for the first time since getting hurt in Week 15, being a limited participant on Thursday.
Alaric Jackson is expected to play on Sunday and was limited again in practice. The same goes for Kyren Williams, Braden Fiske and others.
The #3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) face the #6 Ole Miss Rebels (12-1) in the CFP quarterfinals. The winner moves on to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl in the CFP semifinals on January 8th. Georgia will be looking to make amends for their lackluster performance in last year’s Sugar Bowl, while Ole Miss looks to keep the momentum from last week’s blowout of Tulane.
The Sugar Bowl, taking place in my, and many of your, birthplace of New Orleans, in the beloved Superdome, always makes this game a must watch for Saints fans. Along with the Fiesta, Orange, and Rose, the Sugar Bowl has long been regarded as one of the most prestigious and celebrated bowl games in all of college football, and this playoff game only continues to add to its prestige. This game should be great!
2026 Allstate Sugar Bowl
#6 Ole Miss Rebels vs #3 Georgia Bulldogs
Location: Caesars Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana
It is Heupel’s latest move to reshape his staff after he fired defensive coordinator Tim Banks and hired Jim Knowles to replace him.
Martinez was under contract through January 2027 and paid $540,000 annually. He had been on Heupel’s staff for all five seasons at Tennessee, and their relationship reaches back much further.
Martinez coached alongside Heupel at Oklahoma in 2010-11, when both were Sooners assistants. Heupel hired him as assistant head coach and secondary coach at UCF in 2018. And he took him from UCF to Tennessee in 2021.
Martinez was an effective recruiter. He turned transfers Jermod McCoy and Colton Hood into two of college football’s best cornerbacks in back-to-back seasons. And he guided a strong secondary on UT’s 2024 team that reached the College Football Playoff.
But Martinez coached the secondary through highs and lows, and the latest drop was the final blow.
Tennessee was ranked among the worst pass defenses in FBS in 2021-22. But it improved each of the next two seasons, climbing to 29th in 2024 as part of an elite defense on the playoff team.
But the Vols defense regressed in 2025, leading to Banks’ firing. UT ranked 113th in pass defense after losing three starting defensive backs. McCoy suffered an ACL tear in January. Cornerback Rickey Gibson suffered a season-ending injury in Week 1. And nickelback Boo Carter was dismissed from the team in November.
This ends Martinez’s second stint at Tennessee. He was on Butch Jones’ staff as associate head coach and secondary coach from 2013-16.
The Miami Dolphins have brought in Hall-of-Fame QB and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman as a consultant to assist with their search for a general manager. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Miami Dolphins have brought in Hall-of-Fame QB and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman as a consultant to assist with their search for a general manager, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The three-time Super Bowl champion’s role will not be permanent; he will serve as an advisor throughout the process of finding the Dolphins’ next GM.
Despite Aikman’s lack of front-office experience, it is common for teams to bring in new perspectives when seeking new leadership. Former Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers served as a key advisor during the Washington Commanders’ coaching search.
Former New England Patriots quarterback and Fox analyst Tom Brady has also served as an advisor to Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis in his role as a minority owner.
The biggest difference between Aikman’s role and Brady’s is that Aikman does not have ownership of the team, and his position is temporary. Aikman’s role with the Dolphins will end once they have found their next GM.
The new GM will need to work with Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to determine the future direction of the team. The first order of business will be deciding whether head coach Mike McDaniel and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will remain with the team next year.
McDaniel is 35–34 as the Dolphins’ head coach and has missed the playoffs in the last two seasons. Tagovailoa is coming off his worst season as a starting quarterback. McDaniel’s contract runs through the 2028 season.
In one of the worst losses and performances for the Crimson Tide in the Kalen DeBoer era, No. 1 Indianadefeated No. 9 Alabama 38-3 on Thursday, Jan. 1 in the Rose Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal game.
The Crimson Tide were kept to a third-quarter field goal and just 193 total yards of offense on the afternoon by the Hoosiers’ defense. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was benched in the third quarter by DeBoer in what was described by ESPN as a “coach’s decision” after Simpson sustained an injury following a hit he took in the second quarter.
The 35-point loss for the Crimson Tide is tied for the fourth-largest blowout in the history of the College Football Playoff.
The loss for Alabama also gives the Crimson Tide back-to-back four-loss seasons under DeBoer, which is something that hasn’t happened in Tuscaloosa since the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the latter of which was Nick Saban’s first season.
Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns in the Hoosiers’ first bowl win since the 1991 Copper Bowl. The Hoosiers will now advance to the Peach Bowl, a CFP semifinal game against No. 5 Oregon on Friday, Jan. 9.
Given the dominance by the Hoosiers and the ugliness of the Crimson Tide’s performance at the Rose Bowl, college football social media didn’t hold back. Here’s a snippet of the reactions to the outcome of the CFP quarterfinal game:
College football reacts to Alabama’s performance vs Indiana in Rose Bowl:
Here’s a look at social media after Alabama’s performance in the Rose Bowl:
Alabama’s loss to Indiana is its largest in postseason history.
Alabama is going to have absolute nightmares of going to the Rose Bowl and getting humiliated by the Big 10. First Michigan now Indiana. Congrats to @IndianaFootball on a dominating performance. After that Ohio State choke job the Big 10 has reestablished itself as the…
Indiana having to go through Alabama to try to win a national championship felt important — and meaningful — for a program that’s flipping the sport on its head.
And what a statement it is that Indiana is beating Alabama like *this.*
There’s no way to slice it: this is an awful look for Kaleb DeBoer at @AlabamaFTBL. Losses happen. Thorough ass-kickings, in the CFB Playoffs, for an @SEC team is not suppose to go down this way. We’ll probably hear Alabama folks saying DeBoer should’ve taken himself to…
The SEC is a shell of itself. Alabama didn’t deserve to be here, and neither did Oklahoma. Texas Tech at least only lost one game, and earned their spot.
The Eagles released another injury report on New Years Day, ahead of their Week 18 game against the Commanders, and Jalen Carter was a notable addition to the list. Additionally, after practice on Thursday, veteran safety Marcus Epps reported concussion-like symptoms to the team, and after being evaluated, was added to the concussion protocol.
The Eagles listed five players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE:Jalen Carter,Lane Johnson, Jaelan Phillips, Dallas Goedert, and Nakobe Dean.
Carter was a new addition to the injury report on Thursday, and despite having recent issues with his shoulders, this was related to a hip injury. He likely wasn’t going to play on Sunday anyway, but this may tip things further into him resting.
Johnson hasn’t played since Week 11, and even though he’s been eager to get back out on the field, the team seems to be saving him for the playoffs.
Phillips is dealing with an ankle injury suffered against the Bills. The edge rusher didn’t get a bye week thanks to the timing of his trade from Miami to Philadelphia, so getting him some rest heading into the postseason will be helpful.
Goedert is listed with a knee injury, and is another starter unlikely to play on Sunday.
Dean has been dealing with a hamstring injury since Week 16, and with Jihaad Campbell playing so well, there’s no need to rush Dean back on the field.
The Eagles listed one player under FULL PARTICIPATION:Jihaad Campebell.
Campbell was a limited participant in Wednesday’s walk-through, but was upgraded on Thursday as he works through a back/shoulder issue. The rookie played a lot snaps in Week 17, and could at least see some playing time in preparation for the playoff run.
Cameron Williams was removed from the injury report because he was activated from injured reserve to the roster.
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
DT Jalen Carter (hip) LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) TE Dallas Goedert (knee) OT Lane Johnson (foot) EDGE Jaelan Phillips (ankle)
FULL PARTICIPATION
LB Jihaad Campbell (back/shoulder) S Marcus Epps (concussion)
WASHINGTON COMMANDERS INJURY REPORT (THURSDAY)
Marcus Mariota didn’t practice for the second day in a row, paving the way for Josh Johnson to start at quarterback for Washington.
The other notable development on the Commanders’ report is that Brandon Coleman was added to the injury report with a knee injury. With Laremy Tunil on track to be out, Coleman was set to start at left tackle. We’ll see if Coleman is still able to play or if Washington will be down to their third option at LT.
Speaking of offensive line injuries, the Commanders also put starting center Tyler Biadasz on injured reserve earlier this week.
DID NOT PARTICIPATE
WR Treylon Burks (illness) QB Marcus Mariota (right hand/quad) OT Laremy Tunsil (oblique)
