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.
.JPG) 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 0 in (1.83 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 |
| Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors | |
| Playing career | 1960–1971 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 16 |
| Coaching career | 1968–1983, 1994–1995 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1960–1971 | Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors |
| As coach: | |
| 1968–1970 | San Francisco Warriors (assistant) |
| 1970–1983 | San Francisco / Golden State Warriors |
| 1994–1995 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| As player:
As coach: | |
| 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 | |
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
editEarly life
editAttles 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
editAttles 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.[5][6][7] 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.[8] 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.[9][10] Attles also played on the Warriors' 1967 team that lost to Chamberlain's 68–13 Philadelphia 76ers in a six-game championship series.[10]
Coaching career
editAttles was named player-coach of the Warriors midway through the 1969–70 season,[11] 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.[12]
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.[13] He is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history,[13] and also has the most wins in franchise history.[5]
Attles returned as an assistant coach for the Warriors for the 1994–95 season.[14]
Death
editAttles 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
edit
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
edit.jpg)
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
edit| 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
editNBA
editSource[25]
Regular season
edit| 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
edit| 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
editSource[26]
| 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
edit- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ Johnson, Roy S. "ATTLES COACHES IN A PERSONAL WAY", The New York Times, January 28, 1982. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
- ^ "Alvin Attles". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c Ostler, Scott (January 11, 2010). "50 years on, reluctant Warrior Al Attles is the team's mainstay". Sfgate.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Van Niekerken, Bill (April 29, 2019). "Warriors' first drive to the playoffs in 1964 full of classic moments". SFGate. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Lerseth, Michael (June 3, 2015). "Warriors' 1st 2 visits to the NBA Finals". SFGate. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
- ^ Barry McDermott (April 21, 1975). "Attles Battles No Longer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Wolff, Alexander (June 27, 1983). "Bench-jockeying, NBA style". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "A Warrior for Life: Remembering Al Attles". NBA.com. August 21, 2024.
- ^ Call, Tommy (August 21, 2024). "Warriors franchise legend Al Attles dies at age 87". Yahoo! Sports.
- ^ a b "Warriors Legend Alvin Attles Passes Away At 87". NBA. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Al Attles, Warriors' most enduring, selfless legend, dies at 87
- ^ "Warriors staff directory". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "North Carolina A&T to Retire Alvin Attles' Number". January 28, 2015.
- ^ "Al Attles, Hubie Brown recipients of 2017 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award". nba.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ Spears, Marc J. (May 21, 2019). "Warriors patriarch Al Attles will return to Oracle one last time". Andscape. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ "Smallwood Praises Al Attles". The A&T Register. September 19, 1975. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- ^ "Al Attles: Warriors NBA Legend". Hayward Rotary Club. February 8, 2016.
- ^ "Al Attles NBA playing stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
- ^ "Al Attles: Coaching Record, Awards". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- Basketball-Reference.com: Al Attles (as coach) Archived June 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine