Al Attles, a US basketball Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organisation as a player, general manager and team ambassador, has died, aged 87.
The Warriors announced that Attles had died in his East Bay home on Tuesday surrounded by family.
Nicknamed “The Destroyer” for his physical style of play, the Warriors were his love and his only team after they selected him in the fifth round of the 1960 draft. It marks the longest stint with a single franchise for one person in league history.
Attles, one of the first Black head coaches in the NBA, was witness to some of the greatest games spanning different eras.
He played in Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors in Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1962.
He also coached Hall of Famer Rick Barry the day he scored 64 against Portland on March 26, 1974, then watched Klay Thompson drop 60 points over three quarters in December 2016.
“My heart is heavy today with the loss of my mentor and friend. Al was my roommate during my rookie season in the league. He taught me valuable lessons on being a professional that couldn’t be learned on the court,” Barry said in a statement released by the Warriors.
“Later, as our coach during the 1975 championship season, he exemplified leadership, togetherness and a keen strategic ability that enabled us to succeed at the highest level.”
This is another heartbreaking blow for the Bay Area sports community after the recent deaths of Giants baseball Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Orlando Cepeda.
Attles coached the Warriors to their first championship since moving West in 1975, then Golden State finally won again 40 years later in 2015. His 557 coaching wins are the most in franchise history.
Source Agencies
