Al Attles, one of NBA’s first Black head coaches who led Warriors to 1975 title, dies at 87
Associated PressOAKLAND, Calif. — Al Attles, a Hall of Famer who coached the 1975 NBA champion Warriors and spent more than six decades with the organization as a player, general manager and most recently team ambassador, has died. “He’s been so for 60 years, so he’s an incredible presence.” After missing games for most of the 2018-19 season — his smiling face had been such a reliable part of the team’s former Oracle Arena — Attles returned for Game 4 of the 2019 NBA Finals against Toronto to cheers and fanfare. Former center Clifford Ray considered Attles a “father figure to all of us,” and noted that Black NBA players often felt more comfortable learning from the coach because of their similar cultural background. We knew what we were doing.” Born on Nov. 7, 1936, in Newark, New Jersey, Attles was a co-recipient of the 2017 National Basketball Coaches Association’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award and he also joined the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. “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,” Warriors owner Joe Lacob said upon Attles’ Hall of Fame announcement.
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