Sunday was a special day at Oracle Arena, and not just because the Golden State Warriors got back to their winning ways with a 121-114 victory over the Detroit Pistons.
It was also the return of fan favorite Zaza Pachulia. Pachulia made his first appearance at Oracle since joining the Pistons over the summer, and that meant one thing: He got to receive his championship ring.
The Warriors held a ceremony for Pachulia before the game started, with a tribute video, and a championship ring presented by former teammate and close friend Klay Thompson. It was pretty great.
Congratulations on your 2018 NBA Championship ring, @zaza27! pic.twitter.com/NM2nbXrDZA
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) March 25, 2019
The crowd gave Pachulia a raucous ovation, as did his teammates, past and present.
Pachulia signed with the Warriors in the summer of 2016, to help fill the hole left by trading Andrew Bogut. He started in 127 of 139 regular season games for the Dubs, and brought toughness, strong screens, solid passing, and good interior defense.
Most importantly, Pachulia won a pair of rings with Golden State, and no one will ever forget that.