SAN FRANCISCO -- Six NBA Finals appearances in the last eight seasons. Three titles in a five-year span, and four more wins away from a fourth championship after a two-year playoff hiatus.
The Warriors are back, and they're still carried on the backs of their Big Three in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. They've been there for all the rings, the climb to the top and the return to Finals. But behind the scenes, the Warriors have another trio of leaders who have been there and done that.
Shaun Livingston was a key player for Golden State all three times the Warriors hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy. Zaza Pachulia was there for two, and Leandro Barbosa for one.
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"It's been great having those guys there to be a part of the coaching staff, be in the front office," Warriors center Kevon Looney said Wednesday. "They just add that championship DNA. They still are an extension of the culture that we're trying to build, things like that.
"They're great role models and great veterans for our young guys who are veterans that's playing now. They still can go talk to them, lean on them. They've been great for us all year."
Looney, a two-time champion himself, played four seasons with Livingston, two with Pachulia and one with Barbosa. He learned under them and now is watching younger Warriors reap the benefits of their knowledge.
Jordan Poole is one of them.
Golden State Warriors
The third-year pro's story is earning a bigger spotlight by the minute after grinding through the G League last season and now giving the Warriors a third Splash Brother, along with Curry and Thompson. Since the Warriors drafted Poole near the end of the first round in 2019, he constantly has asked questions to the veterans, trying to find any edge to better his game. It's invaluable to have so many champions on one roster.
Andre Iguodala returning to the Warriors this season has been huge in that regard. So has the championship pedigree of Barbosa, Livingston and Pachulia.
"I incorporate them with the vets as well, just because they have the experience, they've been here before, they've been in the Finals," Poole said. "Just being able to walk around the facility, locker room, ask those guys questions, is huge.
"It's a blessing. Being able to gain other knowledge from so many people who have been in this position, try to soak it all in, apply it when I have the chance."
Pachulia was the first former Warrior to join the franchise in his post-playing career. He was named a front office consultant in the basketball operations department at the end of August 2019. Livingston followed one year later in September, assuming the role of director of players affairs and engagement.
But a day before Livingston became the latest former Warrior to have a role behind the scenes, Barbosa retired from the NBA but found a to stay around the game on a daily basis as a player-mentor coach.
He's the one that is seen the most out of the three, and has his nose to the ground as someone still on the court every day with the Warriors. Before games, he can be seen working with rookies and veterans alike, guarding Andrew Wiggins in the post and Curry well before the 3-point line.
Barbosa scrimmages with the Warriors in 5-on-5 and 3-on-3. He goes through drills with them at times, and has been huge for the young players and role players who aren't receiving heavy minutes, stepping in and joining open runs with them.
When the Warriors, led by their bench and two teenage rookies, nearly erased a 29-point deficit on the road against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, that work with Barbosa was on display. Rookie Moses Moody hit two huge 3-pointers, recorded two steals and had four deflections in the fourth quarter alone.
That's the kind of impact that Barbosa had as a player for the Warriors, a non-stop reliable spark off the bench. Now, he's having that same kind of impact as a coach.
"Gigantic," Moody said after that loss, when asked how big Barbosa has been for his development. "He's been in the game, I can take a lot from him, how fast, how he plays downhill and he attacks angles, transition defense, on-ball defense. So that's just the mental things I can pick his brain and talk to him about.
"But even more than that, he's out there playing with us in pick-up and -- on the pick-up, usually when you're not in the rotation playing, then you play in a lot of pick-up, 3-on-3, 5-on-5 on the off days, and that's where I've been for most of the year. So he's been great, being able to compete in times like that."
Looney even believes the 39-year-old Barbosa still could produce in the NBA today, and he's probably not wrong by any stretch of the imagination.
"LB, he's even been playing a lot, being on scout team," Looney said. "He could probably still go out there and get some buckets if we needed them. Having guys like that with that much experience, a wealth of knowledge that you can go ask, talk to whenever you want, has been great for us and great for our young guys."
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After the Warriors finished off the Mavs at Chase Center, there Livingston was again, front and center around two major trophies. Only this time, he had a suit on instead of a jersey. Smiles shined of all ages. He announced the Warriors as Western Conference champions and handed off the trophy to Green, before making way for the first-ever Magic Johnson Western Conference finals MVP award being presented to Curry.
As the playoffs have ramped up, all three of Livingston, Barbosa and Pachulia have been there every step of the way. They've worn rings as Dubs before, and are ready to make room for more hardware on the mantle.
It's just another example of the Warriors' championship DNA seeping through the walls here in the Bay Area.