(Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have a storied history since the franchise was founded in 1946, with seven NBA championships to their credit and seven retired numbers.
It’s a sad day for the organization and its fans, as one of those retired numbers is no longer with us.
Warriors legend Al Attles passed away at the age of 87 after spending more than 60 years with the organization, most notably as a player for 11 seasons before leading them to the 1975 NBA championship as its head coach.
Warriors legend Al Attles passed away yesterday at the age of 87.
RIP pic.twitter.com/BtJKyNenqZ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) August 21, 2024
This is always the toughest kind of news for fans to hear.
Rest In Peace, Al Attles.
He lived and breathed Warriors throughout. As a player. As a coach. As a member of DubNation.
He became the first Black coach to win a title, coaching the Warriors to their first title in the Golden State era.
One of the most important figures in… pic.twitter.com/jkgV6DqwmF
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) August 21, 2024
Al Attles stood on businessIn the 1975 NBA Finals I remember this moment. The Hall of Fame coach rushed off the bench to defend @Warriors Rick Barry after Mike Riordan tried to punk Barry. Watch Attles..RIP pic.twitter.com/EfzbC9Fc1y
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) August 21, 2024
It pains me to hear that the icon Al Attles is no longer with us. The patriarch of the Warriors befriended me from the moment I moved back to the Bay in ‘09. I was blessed to sit next to him at press row during many games at Oracle. The world just lost a stellar human. RIP… https://t.co/H9WRYJywQ0
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) August 21, 2024
On June 7, 2019, Al Attles and his son, also Alvin, allowed me to walk into Oracle Arena with them as the Hall of Famer returned to see Game 4 of the NBA Finals. It was a special reunion for everybody when he arrived with that big smile. pic.twitter.com/4dGkKLPW5p
— Janie McCauley (@JanieMcCAP) August 21, 2024
During one of the Warriors’ many low points pre-Steph, several Bay Area journalists familiar with the broken franchise sat at a table in Florida discussing who on the payroll should be untouchable. Only unanimous answer: Al Attles. What a man. RIP sir https://t.co/g8lWrNnolp
— Monte Poole (@MontePooleNBCS) August 21, 2024
Attles’ time with the organization covered all facets, as a player, coach, general manager and ambassador, and it marks the longest stint with one franchise for one person in NBA history.
He was selected in the fifth round of the 1960 NBA Draft and averaged 8.9 points per game in 711 appearances for the Warriors.
The 6-foot guard was one of the first black head coaches in the NBA and also played in Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, scoring 17 points of his own for the Philadelphia Warriors.
His 557 coaching wins are the most in Warriors franchise history after serving from 1970 until 1983.
“Alvin’s name has become synonymous with the Warriors franchise after dedicating his entire adult life to our organization, dating clear back to our final seasons in Philadelphia,” current owner Joe Lacob said when Attles’ was honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame. “He has flourished in every role and responsibility over the last 60 years, from player to coach to general manager and, most recently, as an ambassador. And he’s done it with an incredible amount of class and humility.”
The legendary No. 16 passed in his Bay Area home while surrounded by family.
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