Al Attles

The Destroyer: Warrior for life, from player to coach to executive, leading Golden State to its first NBA title in 1975.

Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (November 7, 1936 – August 20, 2024) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive who spent his entire career with the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed the "Destroyer", he played the point guard position.

Quick Facts

Born: 7 November 1936
Birthplace: Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died: 20 August 2024
Place of death: Oakland, California, U.S.
High school: Weequahic (Newark, New Jersey)
College: North Carolina A&T (1956–1960)
Draft round: 5
Draft pick: 39

Lore & Background

Attles was selected by the Warriors in the 1960 NBA draft and played 11 seasons with the team, including moving with the team from Philadelphia to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1962. He took over as player-coach during the 1970–71 season, his last as a player. He remained the team's head coach after his playing retirement and led the Warriors to an NBA championship in 1975. He stepped down as head coach in 1983 and then served as general manager for the Warriors from 1983 to 1986. Attles was employed by the Warriors for the rest of his life, serving in roles including team ambassador and community relations representative. Attles's number 16 was retired by the Warriors in 1977. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

Reader's Guide

Attles was named player-coach of the Warriors midway through the 1970–71 season, succeeding George Lee. He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NBA. He retired as a player after the 1970–71 season, and stayed on as head coach, guiding the Rick Barry-led Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship over the heavily favored Washington Bullets, making him the second African-American coach to win an NBA title (the first was Bill Russell). 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 to 1986, Attles worked as the Warriors' general manager. He is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history, and also had the most wins in franchise history until being surpassed by Steve Kerr in March 2025.

Did You Know?

On March 2, 1962, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points.
Attles was known as 'the Destroyer' due to his defensive specialties along with once punching a player in the jaw.
He was a reserve on the 1964 Warriors team that reached the NBA Finals and lost to the Boston Celtics, and also played on the Warriors' 1967 team that lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the championship series.
Attles tore his Achilles tendon during the 1979–80 season and missed 21 games which were covered by his assistant Johnny Bach.