Zaza Pachulia has etched himself into Golden State Warriors history forever and now that the Georgian big man has been retired since 2019, he has nothing but fond memories to look back on from his time playing in the Bay.

He joined the Warriors at a monumental time in the team's history. Fresh off of blowing a 3-1 lead and ultimately losing to the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the Warriors were looking to regroup and reset. 

First was the now-iconic acquisition of Kevin Durant in the offseason, further pushing the Warriors into heights of the NBA at the time. Soon after, in pursuit of a center, the Warriors came calling after Pachulia, who had played the previous season with the Dallas Mavericks and was now a free agent.

His agent came to him with a handful of interested teams in mind, but when he mentioned Golden State, there was no doubt in Pachulia's mind, especially considering the inclusion of Durant to the roster.

"I was already thinking about it. This was Steph, Klay, KD and Draymond. And they needed a center. And I said, ‘Wow, these kinds of calls don’t happen.’ This is a lifetime opportunity... these are generational players," Pachulia said on a recent episode of the "Dubs Talk" podcast (via Yahoo Sports).

Pachulia went on to make it clear that his excitement for Golden State had nothing to do with the hard figures of the contract, whether that be years or dollars offered, which ended up being a one-year, $2.8 million deal.

It was all about the opportunity to win a NBA championship and he saw the roster of Hall of Famers the Warriors had assembled as his best shot.

He was right. The Warriors, Pachulia included, steamrolled the NBA in both the regular season and the playoffs, claiming the 2017 NBA championship after a 16-1 run through the postseason, the best playoff record for a team in NBA history. 

Pachuoia was brought back on another one-year deal, this time for $3.4 million, for the 2017-18 season and the Warriors repeated as NBA champions, earning Pachulia his second ring. 

It wasn't just the roster that impressed Pachuliua, though, it was the coach that led them. Pachulia requested to speak with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr before he signed the contract and everything that Kerr spoke to him about, from Kerr's own coaching influences to his plans for Pachulia, impressed the center. 

After that 2018 season, Pachuoia entered free agency again, this time going to the Detroit Pistons. He wouldn't be away for long, though. 

Pachulia retired after the 2018-19 season and returned to the Warriors as a front office consultant for basketball operations, where he works to this day. Working for Golden State in that capacity, Pachulia received his third ring after the Warriors took down the Boston Celtics in the 2022 Finals. 

Years after he signed that initial contract, Pachulia couldn't be happier with where it's all led him. 

"That was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life," Pachuoia said of signing with the Warriors. "At the end of the day, life is beautiful, because it’s just kind of either you make the right decision or you learn from it."