Hall of Famer Al Attles spent more than 60 years with the Warriors organization as a player, general manager and team attorney and died at the age of 87 on Wednesday, the team announced.
“Alvin leaves behind a deep legacy in the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but most of all as a family man and a great person,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We mourn his loss along with his wife, Wilhelmina, his son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”
The Warriors selected Attles in the fifth round of the 1960 draft and the guard averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 711 games with the Warriors over 11 seasons. His number 16 jersey has been retired by the franchise.
He also tried his hand at coaching and became one of the first Black coaches in the league.
He coached Hall of Famer Rick Barry when he dropped 64 points against Portland on March 26, 1974.
“My heart aches today for the loss of my mentor and friend. Al was my roommate during my rookie season in the league. He taught me important lessons about being a professional player that can be learned on the field,” Barry said in a statement released by the Warriors. “Later, as our coach in the 1975 championship season, he was an example of leadership, unity and sharp skill that saw us succeed at the highest level.”
This Golden State legend coached the Warriors from 1970 to 1983 and led the franchise to the 1975 NBA Championship with a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets.
Attles earned 577 coaching wins – the most in franchise history.
Later, he served as general manager for three seasons and held various front office roles including vice president and coordinator.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
“Most big leagues with a lot of history have one player that everyone associates with that team,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Al Attles is our guy. He is the face of our franchise for generations of Warriors fans. We are lucky to have him.”
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