Basketball Hall of Famer Al Attles, a physical point guard known as ‘The Destroyer’ who later became an NBA champion coach and general manager of the Golden State Warriors, died Tuesday at 87.
The team announced Wednesday that Attles died at his home in East Bay, California, surrounded by family.
‘Alvin leaves behind a profound legacy within 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 began his NBA career as a fifth-round pick of the then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pennsylvania, he had 17 points against the New York Knicks on a night where teammate Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.
He moved with the franchise to San Francisco later in 1962 and remained a player through the 1970-71 season, finishing with career averages of 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 711 games.
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Attles served as the Warriors’ player-coach during his final season and remained the head coach through 1983, leading them to the NBA championship in 1974-75. They swept the then-Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals, making Attles the second Black coach to win a title after Bill Russell.
Attles compiled a 557-518 record as the Warriors’ head coach. He later served as the team’s general manager for three seasons, returned as an assistant coach in 1994-95 and also worked in the front office as a vice president and consultant, ultimately spending more than six decades with the organization.
‘Alvin Attles had a huge, positive influence on me and my career, not just drafting me in 1985 and bringing me to the Bay Area but guiding me through my journey as a player and a young man, both in good and difficult times,’ former Warriors star Chris Mullin said. ‘He was a dear friend, mentor and role model and someone I admired tremendously and tried to emulate. He set the standard for all of us when it comes to integrity and humility and was truly a champion both on and off the court.
Attles was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. His jersey No. 16 was retired by the Warriors.