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Long before a series of bold moves landed the Golden State Warriors Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and even Kevin Durant — and a sharpshooter named Stephen Curry, once viewed as a risk due to his ankle issues — the franchise was known for falling short instead of winning championships.
From 2015 through 2022, Curry and company hoisted the coveted Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy four times and cemented the franchise as the NBA’s most recent dynasty.
Other key contributors: Andre Iguodala, Kevon Looney, Andrew Wiggins, and Zaza Pachulia played important roles at different points in the Warriors run. Pachulia, who retired from the NBA after the 2019 season, recently reflected on his time in a Golden State uniform.
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Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green (23), Kevin Durant (35), Stephen Curry (30) and Zaza Pachulia (27) pause as Curry prepares to make a free throw after he was fouled against San Antonio Spurs in the first half of their opening night at Oracle Arena in Oakland, California on Oct. 25, 2016. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group via Getty Images)
“That was special,” Pachulia who spoke to Fox News Digital on behalf of Shoot 360, an innovative basketball company that utilizes AI-driven shot analytics. The company’s technology is leveraged at several NBA training facilities.
Pachulia serves as one of the company’s ambassadors and is an investor. Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young and four-time WNBA champion Sue Bird have also made investments.
“Being in the league 16 years (but) being part of the Warriors was different. First practice, you enter the gym and you see so much talent in there. …. All of these guys, Steph (Curry), Klay (Thompson), KD (Kevin Durant), Draymond (Green) in the best years of their careers. It’s also worth mentioning, the other guys we had (on) the team in the locker room, Andre Iguodala, David West, Shaun Livingston, had been starters for different teams. It was such a great combination, a mix of superstars, veteran players…. such a high IQ in the locker room.”
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The Warriors experienced limited success before Curry settled in, and Steve Kerr took over as the team’s head coach in 2014. During the 2007 NBA playoffs, the “We Believe” pulled off a shocking upset by eliminating the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks in the first round. The team fizzled out in the Western Conference Semifinals and failed to qualify for the postseason the following year.
Pachulia credited Bob Meyers, who served as the Warriors general manager from 2012 until he stepped down in 2023, and others for making key player personnel decisions to help get the team moving in the right direction.
“Obviously, Steve Kerr and Bob Meyers and everyone did a great job of having intial conversations of what the expectations were. that way there were no surprises,” Pachulia noted. “Of course, things are going to change throughout the season.”
“Everybody’s (talked) about Warriors culture and I give the credit to Steve (Kerr), Bob (Meyers), and Steph (Curry), those three guys definitely set the tone.”
“That was greatest team ever assembled in my opinion.” Pachulia added. “Just the fact that we were compared to the 90’s Bulls is such a a huge compliment.”
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is presented with a Money Ball by Zaza Pachulia prior to a game against the Orlando Magic at Chase Center on Feb. 03, 2025, in San Francisco, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
It arguably took a devastating defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals for the Warriors’ dynasty to reach its peak. Golden State won an NBA-record 73 regular season games, but couldn’t get past LeBron James and the Cavs in Game 7 of that year’s Finals.
But the Warriors were able to add Durant, another premier talent, to its roster in the 2016 offseason.
Durant, the 2014 league MVP and four-time scoring champion, gave Golden State an impressive collection of shooting ability. Durant won back-to-back titles with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018, receiving NBA Finals MVP honors in both of those years.
Golden State Warriors center Zaza Pachulia (middle) holds the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on June 8, 2018, in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Richard/USA TODAY Sports)
Pachulia left the Warriors in 2018, and spent his final NBA season with the Detroit Pistons. Thompson left the Warriors after the 2023-24 campaign and signed with the Dallas Mavericks. Curry and Green remain in Golden State. After falling short of the 2023-24 postseason and after the Minnesota Timberwolves knocked the Warriors out of playoff contention this past May, many questioned whether the Warriors window had finally closed.
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Curry pushed back against that idea.
“I mean obviously defining a dynasty can take a lot of different looks,” he told ESPN in July. “People thought this was over in 2019 … but 2022 was an amazing championship because we defied the odds … That’s 11 years of almost 12 years of championship relevancy built around a certain core.
“I don’t think [it will be replicated] just because it’s very hard to keep things together in this league. A lot more player movement. Me, Klay and Draymond, we complemented each other so well for so long. We all brought something different to the table, so we’ll see. Records are meant to be broken. Dynasties come all different shapes inside of us, so we’ll see.”
Pachulia said the culture that exists within the Warriors locker room will remain unshakable as long as Curry is wearing a Golden State uniform.
“Nobody can change it,” Pachulia asserted when asked if new faces could enter the Warriors locker room and alter the team culture. “As far as Steph (Curry) is in the locker room, is on the court, is the face of this franchise, no one can, no one will. Because he has so much respect, not only from his teammates, but also from his opponents. It’s so deep, it’s so strong nobody can break it (or) will even try to break it..”
Pachulia remains involed with the Warriors organization via his role as the team’s basketball operations consultant. The Warriors open the 2025-26 season on Oct. 21 in Los Angeles against the Lakers.
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