Zaza Pachulia is retiring after 16 seasons, but he's not leaving the game behind.
The Golden State Warriors announced Thursday that the 35-year-old Pachulia is joining the team as a consultant. Pachulia started at center on the Warriors' championship teams in 2017 and 2018 before spending his final season in a limited role with the Pistons.
The team also announced Thursday that it has promoted Mike Dunleavy Jr. to assistant general manager. He joined the team as a pro scout last season.
A second-round pick in 2003 by the Magic, Pachulia also played for the Bucks, Hawks and Mavericks during his lengthy career. He averaged 6.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in 20.3 minutes per game.
Pachulia had a reputation as a physical player — some would say too physical. Most notably, Pachulia was heavily criticized in 2017 after he contested Kawhi Leonard's shot in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Pachulia appeared to take an extra step to slide under Leonard as he shot, and the then-Spurs star landed awkwardly, spraining his ankle. He missed the rest of the series.
The NBA responded the next season by creating the so-called "Zaza Pachulia rule" allowing referees to call a flagrant or technical foul if a player doesn't give his opponent space to land.
Dunleavy, who was selected No. 3 overall by the Warriors in the 2002 NBA Draft, played four-plus seasons for the team. He averaged 11.2 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in a 15-season NBA career.