Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently a team ambassador, has died at the age of 87.
The Warriors announced Wednesday that Atlis died at his home in the San Francisco Bay Area on Tuesday surrounded by his family.
Nicknamed “The Destroyer” for his physical style of play, the Warriors were his love and only team after the then-Philadelphia team selected him in the fifth round of the 1960 draft. It marked the longest tenure with one team by a single player in league history. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 711 games with the Warriors over 11 seasons, and his No. 16 jersey was retired by the team.
“Alvin left a profound legacy in the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but especially as a family man and humanitarian,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We mourn his loss alongside his wife, Wilhelmina, son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”
Attles, one of the first black coaches in the NBA, has been a witness to some of the greatest games of all time. He was part of Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on March 2, 1962, when Attles scored 17 points on eight attempts.
He also coached Hall of Famer Rick Barry on the day he scored 64 points against Portland on March 26, 1974, and watched Klay Thompson score 60 points over three quarters in December 2016.
“My heart is heavy today for the loss of my mentor and friend. Al was my roommate during my first season in the league. He taught me valuable lessons about being a professional that could not have been learned on the court,” Barry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “Later, as our coach during our 1975 championship season, he embodied the leadership, consistency and sharp strategic ability that enabled us to succeed at the highest level.”
Attles coached the Warriors from 1970 to 1983, leading them to the 1975 NBA championship with a four-game win over the Washington Bullets. His 557 coaching wins are the most in team history. He later served as general manager for three seasons and held front office positions as vice president and consultant.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019. Attles was previously honored by the Hall of Fame with the John R. Boone Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
“Most great organizations with a long history have one player that everyone associates with that team,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Al Attles is that guy for us. He’s the face of our team for generations of Warriors fans. We’re lucky to have him.”
Attles didn’t compare all the great performances he cherished seeing up close. Different times in basketball, different challenges. He insisted that there were many special accomplishments to celebrate and appreciate.
“I saw a 100-point game,” Attles said from his seat during a late break on Thompson’s big night. “Rick was a great player, and he cared about winning. To score the number of points he scored, you have to get help from your teammates. I try to look at them individually because once you start comparing, there’s always going to be someone No. 2. Let’s give him credit.”
Attles joked about passing all those points to Chamberlain. He had six assists, while Jay Rodgers had 20 of the team’s 39 assists in a 169-147 win over the New York Knicks.
“I think it’s 50 assists. I don’t know. What happened? We won the game. That’s all that matters,” Attles said, laughing at his record-breaking assist total.
“Because I played with Wilt, people always ask me, ‘What do you think of Wilt getting 100 points?’ I say, ‘Give him credit for what he did at the time.’ It’s like comparing apples to oranges. They’re both good fruits. It’s about what you like. I was very close with Wilt, but you have to enjoy what he did that night. I enjoy any great performance.”
After missing most of the 2018-19 season — where his smiling face was a reliable presence at the team’s former Oracle Arena — Attles returned for Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors to cheers and celebrations.
It wasn’t the same when Atlis was away.
Former center Clifford Ray considered Atlas to be “a father figure to all of us” and noted that black NBA players often felt more comfortable learning from the coach because of their similar cultural background.
“He made things easy and simple, and didn’t overwhelm us with a lot of technical stuff and documentation,” Ray said. “It was very organized. We knew what we were doing.”
Born November 7, 1936, in Newark, New Jersey, Attles was a 2017 recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches’ Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
“Alvin’s name has become synonymous with the Warriors after he dedicated his entire life to the organization, starting with our final seasons in Philadelphia,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said in a statement following the announcement of Attles’ induction into the Hall of Fame. “He has thrived in every role and responsibility over the past 60 years, from player to coach to general manager, and most recently as an ambassador. And he has done so with an incredible amount of class and humility.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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