The Golden State Warriors announced that Hall of Famer and Warriors legend Alvin Attles died Tuesday at 87, surrounded by family at his home. Attles spent 11 years in the NBA after being drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Warriors in 1960. He spent his entire career with the Warriors, including when the team relocated from Philadelphia to San Francisco in 1962.
After three years at North Carolina A&T, where he averaged 13.1 points and 3.3 rebounds, Attles went on to average 8.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in the professional ranks. He was a key member of the Warriors teams that went to the NBA Finals in 1964 and 1967, playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain. On the night Chamberlain famously scored 100 points in 1962, Attles was the team’s second-leading scorer with 17 points.
Per the Warriors statement:
“Alvin Attles did not just epitomize what it meant to be a Warrior — he was Mr. Warrior. His tenacious playing style earned him the affectionate nickname of ‘The Destroyer’ on the court, but it was his gentle soul, grace and humility off the court that served as a guiding light for the organization for more than six decades. As a player, coach, general manager, ambassador, and most of all, as a person, Alvin set the standards of professionalism and class by which we all strive to achieve. He leaves behind a profound legacy within the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but especially as a family man and humanitarian. We mourn his loss alongside his wife, Wilhelmina, son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”
Attles became an assistant coach for the Warriors while still a player in 1968 and was named player-coach halfway through the 1969-70 season. When he retired following the end of the 1970-71 season, he remained the head coach for the Warriors, a job he kept until the end of the 1982-83 season. Attles was one of the first Black head coaches in the NBA, and during his 14 seasons in charge of the Warriors, he compiled a 557-518 (.518) record and made the postseason six times. Perhaps Attles’ biggest accomplishment as a player and coach came in the 1974-75 season when he coached a Warriors team led by Hall of Famer Rick Barry to the team’s second championship with a 4-0 series sweep over the Washington Bullets.
“My heart is heavy today with the loss of my mentor and friend,” Barry said in a statement about Attles. “Al was my roommate during my rookie season in the league. He taught me valuable lessons on being professional that couldn’t be learned on the court. Later, as our coach during the 1975 championship season, he exemplified leadership, togetherness and a keen strategic ability that enabled us to succeed at the highest level. We shared so many wonderful and memorable moments together. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Wilhelmina, and his entire family. He will be dearly missed.”
Attles went on to become the Warriors general manager following the end of the 1982-83 season, a role he kept for three years. During his time as GM, Attles drafted Hall of Famer Chris Mullin with the seventh overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft. Mullin led the Warriors through the late ’80s and ’90s and was the first building block of the electrifying, fast-paced offensive trio of Mullin, Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond, affectionately known as “Run TMC.”
“This is a difficult day for me,” Mullin said in a statement. “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. 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. There will never be another Alvin Attles.”
Attles’ No. 16 jersey is retired by the Warriors, one of just six players to have that distinction. In 2014, he received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award, which the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame uses to recognize individuals’ tremendous contributions to basketball. He was then inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. He remained a team ambassador for the Warriors even after no longer working in the front office. His 60 years of involvement with the Warriors is the longest single stint any person has spent with a team in the history of the NBA.
