The Golden State Warriors have, across their history, only selected one player directly out of Louisiana State University in the NBA Draft: Anthony Randolph. Randolph, a 6-foot-11 power forward/center, was drafted 14th overall in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft. He entered the draft after just one season with the LSU Tigers, where he was the first Southeastern Conference player taken in that year's draft.

Randolph's single collegiate season saw him average 15.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, starting all 31 contests for LSU. He also contributed significantly on the defensive end, tallying 70 blocks and 35 steals. Despite these numbers, some evaluators questioned his thin frame and raw game, while others saw tremendous potential and versatility. He weighed 197 lbs at the time of the draft, a point of concern for some analysts who believed he needed to add significant strength to compete at the NBA level.

The Warriors, coming off a disappointing 48-34 season where they missed the playoffs, selected Randolph hoping he could be a steal. Then-Warriors executive Chris Mullin expressed excitement about Randolph's athleticism and length, believing he could play multiple positions and develop into a playmaker within their system. However, Randolph's tenure with Golden State was relatively short, lasting just over two seasons before he was traded to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team deal in February 2011.

This pick exemplifies a period for the Warriors marked by an "endless and ongoing search for a franchise big man," as one fan retrospectively put it. The team had a history of using lottery picks on frontcourt players who didn't fully pan out in the years leading up to Randolph's selection. While Randolph eventually had some productive moments in the league, including a career-high 31 points and 11 rebounds in a start for the Timberwolves, his time in Golden State ultimately became a footnote in the team's pre-dynasty era.

Randolph's selection as the only LSU Tiger drafted by the Warriors highlights a peculiar historical quirk for a franchise that has otherwise dipped into a wide array of collegiate programs for its draft talent. While the Warriors have found immense success through the draft, their singular foray into the LSU talent pool with Randolph ultimately proved to be a short-lived experiment, paving the way for future draft strategies that would eventually yield their championship core.