Al Attles
On this date in 1975, Al Attles became one of the first Black coaches to win a professional championship in any team sport.
On that afternoon, his Golden State Warriors swept the Washington Bullets 4 games to 0 with a 96 to 95 victory in the NBA finals. The Bullets were coached by K.C. Jones, another Black coach. Attles coached the Warriors until 1983, compiling a 557-518 record overall.
The first Black coach to win it all was Bill Russell. At the beginning of the 1967 season, the Celtics named Russell to succeed Red Auerbach as head coach, making him the first African American NBA head coach. Russell served as a player/coach from 1967 to 1969, leading Boston to the 1968 and 1969 NBA titles.
