Al Attles, a former NBA guard, coach and executive who spent time with the Philadelphia, San Francisco and Golden State Warriors passed away on Tuesday at the age of 87.
“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,” the Warriors said in a statement.
Attles played for the Warriors from 1961 to ’71 and coached the team from 1970 to ’83. All in all, he appeared on the franchise’s payroll in some form or fashion for over 60 years.
As a player, the North Carolina A&T product and Newark, N.J., native averaged double-digit points per game and finished in the NBA’s top 20 in assists four times apiece.
Attles took over as a player-coach during his last two seasons and wound up leading the Warriors to an NBA title in 1975.
In those ’75 Finals, the opposing coach of the Washington Bullets was K.C. Jones—making the series the first championship series between two Black coaches in the history of North American sports.
