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Al Attles

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Attles with the San Francisco Warriors in 1970
Attles with the San Francisco Warriors in 1970
Personal information
Born November 7, 1936
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died August 20, 2024 (aged 87)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Listed height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight 175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school Weequahic (Newark, New Jersey)
College North Carolina A&T (1956–1960)
NBA draft 1960: 5th round, 39th overall pick
Drafted by Philadelphia Warriors
Playing career 1960–1971
Position Point guard
Number 16
Coaching career 1968–1983, 1994–1995
Career history
Playing
1960–1971 Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors
Coaching
1968–1970 San Francisco Warriors (assistant)
1970–1983 San Francisco / Golden State Warriors
1994–1995 Golden State Warriors (assistant)
Career highlights
As player: No. 16 retired by Golden State Warriors
No. 22 retired by North Carolina A&T Aggies
As coach:
NBA champion (1975)
2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1975, 1976)
Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2017)
Career playing statistics
Points 6,328 (8.9 ppg)
Rebounds 2,463 (3.5 rpg)
Assists 2,483 (3.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference
Career coaching record
NBA 557–518 (.518)
Record at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame

Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (November 7, 1936 – August 20, 2024) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive who spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Destroyer", he played the point guard position.

Attles was selected by the Warriors in the 1960 NBA draft and played 11 seasons with the team, including moving with the team from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962. He took over as player-coach during the 1970–71 season, his last as a player. He remained the team's head coach after his playing retirement and led the Warriors to an NBA championship in 1975. He stepped down as head coach in 1983 and then served as general manager for the Warriors from 1983 to 1986. Attles was employed by the Warriors for the rest of his life, serving in roles including team ambassador and community relations representative.

Attles's number 16 was retired by the Warriors in 1977. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Biography

Early life

Attles was born in Newark, New Jersey, to Alvin Sr. and Geraldine Attles.[1] His father worked as a railway porter.[1] Attles was a graduate of Weequahic High School in Newark.[2] He held a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and History from North Carolina A&T State University.[3] Before the Warriors drafted him, he intended to return to Newark and coach at his local junior high school. He initially declined before accepting and going to training camp.[4]

Playing career

Attles was drafted by the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1960 as a fifth-round selection.[5] On March 2, 1962, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points, shooting a perfect 8-of-8 on field goals and 1-of-1 on free throws, on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.[6] Attles moved with the team to the Bay Area at the end of the 1962 season, playing until 1971.[5] Attles was known as "the Destroyer" due to his defensive specialities along with once punching a player in the jaw.[7] He was a reserve on the 1964 Warriors team (with Wilt Chamberlain and Guy Rodgers) that reached the NBA Finals and lost to the Boston Celtics, four games to one.[8][9] Attles also played on the Warriors' 1967 team that lost to Chamberlain's 68–13 Philadelphia 76ers in a six-game championship series.[9]

Coaching career

Attles was named player-coach of the Warriors midway through the 1969–70 season,[10] succeeding George Lee. He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NBA.[5] He retired as a player after the 1970–71 season,[5] and stayed on as head coach, guiding the Rick Barry-led Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship over the heavily favored Washington Bullets,[4] making him the second African-American coach to win an NBA title (the first was Bill Russell). Attles's team tried to repeat the following season, but they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the conference finals in seven games.[4] The team would make the playoffs only once more for the remainder of his tenure as coach. Attles tore his Achilles tendon during the 1979–80 season and missed 21 games which were covered by his assistant Johnny Bach.[11]

Attles coached the Warriors until 1983,[5] compiling a 557–518 regular-season record (588–548 including playoffs) with six playoff appearances in 14 seasons. From 1983 to 1986, Attles worked as the Warriors' general manager.[12] He is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history,[12] and also had the most wins in franchise history until being surpassed by Steve Kerr in March 2025.[5][13]

Attles returned as an assistant coach for the Warriors for the 1994–95 season.[14]

Death

Attles died at his East Bay, California, home on August 20, 2024, at the age of 87.[1][15] He had spent weeks in hospice care.[16]

Honors

In 2014, Attles was the recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, an annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to an individual who has contributed significantly to the sport of basketball; the award is the Basketball Hall of Fame's highest honor besides enshrinement.[5]

Attles's number 16 is retired by the Warriors.[5] He also served as a team ambassador.[17] On February 7, 2015, Attles's number 22 was retired by North Carolina A&T, the first ever retired by the team.[18] He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.[5]

Attles was on the Warriors' payroll in one capacity or another for over 60 years, the longest stint of any person for one team.[15] He was one of the last living members of the franchise who dates to their time in Philadelphia. Attles was working as a community relations representative at the time of his death.[1]

In 2017, Attles was named a recipient of the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award.[19]

On April 6, 2019, Attles was chosen as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[20]

Personal life

Attles married his wife, Wilhelmina Rice, in 1964; his Warriors teammate, Wilt Chamberlain, was his best man.[21] The couple have two children, Alvin III and Ericka.[21] He has four grandchildren and one great-grandson. One of his grandsons, Isaiah Attles, played college basketball for the Alcorn State Braves.[22] Attles was friends with Bill Cosby and Les McCann.[21] Attles was Catholic.[23]

In 1983, Attles received a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Francisco.[24]

Career statistics

Legend
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage
RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game
BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
† Won an NBA championship * Led the league

Playing

NBA

Source[25]

Regular season
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1960–61 Philadelphia 77 20.1 .409 .599 2.8 2.3 7.0
1961–62 Philadelphia 75 32.9 .474 .592 4.7 4.4 11.3
1962–63 San Francisco 71 26.4 .478 .646 2.9 2.6 10.4
1963–64 San Francisco 70 26.9 .452 .673 3.4 2.8 10.9
1964–65 San Francisco 73 23.7 .384 .624 3.3 2.8 9.4
1965–66 San Francisco 79 26.0 .503 .611 4.1 2.8 11.2
1966–67 San Francisco 69 25.6 .454 .583 4.7 3.9 7.4
1967–68 San Francisco 67 29.7 .467 .694 4.1 5.8 9.8
1968–69 San Francisco 51 29.7 .451 .638 3.5 6.0 8.2
1969–70 San Francisco 45 15.0 .386 .664 1.6 3.2 5.1
1970–71 San Francisco 34 9.4 .407 .585 1.2 1.7 2.0
Career 711 25.1 .451 .632 3.5 3.5 8.9
Playoffs
Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1961 Philadelphia 3 36.7 .462 .357 4.0 3.0 9.7
1962 Philadelphia 12 28.2 .368 .548 4.6 2.3 6.1
1964 San Francisco 12* 32.2 .403 .536 3.1 2.5 12.2
1967 San Francisco 15* 15.8 .435 .375 4.1 2.5 3.1
1968 San Francisco 10 27.7 .403 .767 5.3 7.0 7.3
1969 San Francisco 6 18.2 .333 .250 3.0 3.5 2.5
1971 San Francisco 4 11.8 .571 .571 2.0 2.8 3.0
Career 62 24.3 .403 .544 4.0 3.3 6.4

Head coaching record

Source[26]

Legend
Regular season G Games coached W Games won L Games lost W–L % Win–loss %
Playoffs PG Playoff games PW Playoff wins PL Playoff losses PW–L % Playoff win–loss %
Team Year G W L W–L% Finish PG PW PL PW–L% Result
San Francisco 1969–70 30 8 22 .267 6th in Western — — — — —
San Francisco 1970–71 82 41 41 .500 2nd in Pacific 5 1 4 .200 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Golden State 1971–72 82 51 31 .622 2nd in Pacific 5 1 4 .200 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Golden State 1972–73 82 47 35 .573 2nd in Pacific 11 5 6 .455 Lost in Conf. Finals
Golden State 1973–74 82 44 38 .537 2nd in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1974–75 82 48 34 .585 1st in Pacific 17 12 5 .706 Won NBA Championship
Golden State 1975–76 82 59 23 .720 1st in Pacific 13 7 6 .538 Lost in Conf. Finals
Golden State 1976–77 82 46 36 .561 3rd in Pacific 10 5 5 .500 Lost in Conf. Semifinals
Golden State 1977–78 82 43 39 .524 5th in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1978–79 82 38 44 .463 6th in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1979–80 61 18 43 .295 6th in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1980–81 82 39 43 .476 4th in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1981–82 82 45 37 .549 4th in Pacific — — — — —
Golden State 1982–83 82 30 52 .366 5th in Pacific — — — — —
Career 1,075 557 518 .518 61 31 30 .508

References

  1. Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 Goldstein, Richard (August 21, 2024). "Al Attles, a Golden State Warrior in Name and in Spirit, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  2. Back to citation Johnson, Roy S. "ATTLES COACHES IN A PERSONAL WAY", The New York Times, January 28, 1982. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  3. Back to citation "Alvin Attles". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011.
  4. Back to citation occurrence 4.0 Back to citation occurrence 4.1 Back to citation occurrence 4.2 Ostler, Scott (January 11, 2010). "50 years on, reluctant Warrior Al Attles is the team's mainstay". Sfgate.
  5. Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 Back to citation occurrence 5.2 Back to citation occurrence 5.3 Back to citation occurrence 5.4 Back to citation occurrence 5.5 Back to citation occurrence 5.6 Back to citation occurrence 5.7 Back to citation occurrence 5.8 "Al Attles, former Warriors player, coach, GM, dies at 87". ESPN. August 21, 2024.
  6. Back to citation "Al Attles, former Warriors player, coach, GM, dies at 87". ESPN. August 21, 2024; Jenkins, Bruce (August 21, 2024). "Al Attles embodied the Warriors for a lifetime, from Philadelphia to Golden State". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 22, 2024; "Wilt's 100-Point Game Box Score". Philadelphia 76ers. NBA.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  7. Back to citation Rhoden, William C. (May 27, 2015). "Al Attles, a Warrior for Life, is a Bridge to a Lone Bay Area Title". The New York Times.
  8. Back to citation Van Niekerken, Bill (April 29, 2019). "Warriors' first drive to the playoffs in 1964 full of classic moments". SFGate. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  9. Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 Lerseth, Michael (June 3, 2015). "Warriors' 1st 2 visits to the NBA Finals". SFGate. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  10. Back to citation Barry McDermott (April 21, 1975). "Attles Battles No Longer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  11. Back to citation Wolff, Alexander (June 27, 1983). "Bench-jockeying, NBA style". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  12. Back to citation occurrence 12.0 Back to citation occurrence 12.1 "A Warrior for Life: Remembering Al Attles". NBA.com. August 21, 2024.
  13. Back to citation Emerman, Danny (March 15, 2025). "Steve Kerr passes Al Attles for most wins in Warriors franchise history". The Mercury News.
  14. Back to citation Call, Tommy (August 21, 2024). "Warriors franchise legend Al Attles dies at age 87". Yahoo! Sports.
  15. Back to citation occurrence 15.0 Back to citation occurrence 15.1 "Warriors Legend Alvin Attles Passes Away At 87". NBA. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  16. Back to citation Al Attles, Warriors' most enduring, selfless legend, dies at 87
  17. Back to citation "Warriors staff directory". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  18. Back to citation "North Carolina A&T to Retire Alvin Attles' Number". January 28, 2015.
  19. Back to citation "Al Attles, Hubie Brown recipients of 2017 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award". nba.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  20. Back to citation Attles III, Alvin (September 6, 2019). "On the occasion of his father's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, a son pays tribute". Bay Area News Group.
  21. Back to citation occurrence 21.0 Back to citation occurrence 21.1 Back to citation occurrence 21.2 Thompson II, Marcus (April 4, 2019). "Thompson: Known for his toughness, Warriors legend Al Attles' strength comes from his wife's love". The Athletic. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  22. Back to citation Spears, Marc J. (May 21, 2019). "Warriors patriarch Al Attles will return to Oracle one last time". Andscape. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  23. Back to citation "Smallwood Praises Al Attles". The A&T Register. September 19, 1975. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
  24. Back to citation "Al Attles: Warriors NBA Legend". Hayward Rotary Club. February 8, 2016.
  25. Back to citation "Al Attles NBA playing stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  26. Back to citation "Al Attles: Coaching Record, Awards". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
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