Hall of Fame member Al Attles who became an NBA champion coach and general manager of the Golden State Warriors, passed away at the age of 87.
Attles began his NBA career with Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. On March 2, 1962, in Hershey, Pa., 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. Attles served as the Warriors’ player-coach during his final season and remained the head coach through 1983, coaching them to the 1975 NBA championship in which they swept the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals, making Attles the second Black coach to win a title after Bill Russell.
Attles a 557-518 record as the Warriors’ head coach and later served as the team’s general manager for three seasons. He returned as an assistant coach in the 1994-95 season and also worked in the front office as a vice president and consultant, ultimately spending more than six decades with the organization.
Attles was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. His number 16 is retired by the Golden State Warriors.
The organization stated “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.”
The team announced that Attles passed away at his home in East Bay, Calif., surrounded by his family.
