Al Attles
*Al Attles was born on this date in 1936. He was a Black professional basketball player, coach, and executive.
Alvin Austin Attles Jr. was born in Newark, New Jersey. He graduated from Weequahic High School and North Carolina A&T State University. Attles earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and history along with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Before the Warriors drafted him, he intended to return to Newark and coach at his local junior high school. He initially declined before accepting.
Attles was drafted by the NBA's then-Philadelphia Warriors in 1960 as a fifth-round selection. On March 2, 1962, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. At the end of the 1962 season, Attles moved with the team to the Bay Area and played until 1971. Attles married his wife, Wilhemina Rice, in 1963; his Warriors teammate, Wilt Chamberlain, was his best man. The couple had two children.
Attles was known as "the Destroyer" due to his defensive specialties, along with once punching a player in the jaw. Attles was named player-coach of the Warriors midway through the 1969–70 season. He was one of the first Black head coaches in the NBA. He retired as a player after the 1970–71 season. He stayed as head coach, guiding the Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship over the heavily favored Washington Bullets, making him the second Black coach to win an NBA title.
Attles coached the Warriors until 1983, compiling a 557–518 regular-season record (588–548, including playoffs) with six playoff appearances in 14 seasons. From 1983–86, Attles worked as the Warriors' general manager. He is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history and has the most wins in franchise history. He returned as an assistant coach for the Warriors for the 1994–95 season; his number 16 was retired by the Warriors in 1977. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019. Al Attles, who spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors, died at his Oakland, California, home on August 20, 2024, at 87.
