Remembering Al Attles: 1936-2024

Cover photo: San Francisco Warriors’ guard Al Attles drives the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers’ Gail Goodrich. Photo credit: Darryl Norenberg, USA Today Sports.

Photo: Al Attles coaching the San Francisco Warriors during the 1975 NBA Finals against the Washington Bullets. Photo credit: Walter Iooss Jr., Sports Illustrated and Getty Images.

An NBA legend was born on this date in 1936, as today would have been the 89th birthday of former NBA guard and coach Al Attles. 

Born in Newark, N.J., Attles, a 2019 inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor, played 11 NBA seasons from 1960-1971, all with the Philadelphia Warriors/San Francisco Warriors franchise. In his career, he averaged 8.9 points per game in 25.1 minutes per game. A teammate of Wilt Chamberlain’s for until 1965, Attles was perfect from the field and free-throw line (8-of-8, 1-of-1), on the night of Chamberlain’s 100-point game on March 2, 1962 against the New York Knicks. Attles totaled 17 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds in the game. 

Beginning his coaching career in 1968, Attles began at age 32 as an assistant with the Warriors, before becoming the team’s head coach during the 1969-70 season. He remained the franchise’s head coach through the 1982-83 season. 

Attles quickly turned the franchise into a winner, leading his team to 41 wins in 1970-71 after they were just 8-22 under his leadership in 1969-70. The 1971-72 Warriors won 51 games, and in the year following the team won 47 games, followed by 44 in 1973-74. Then came a historic run in 1974-75. 

The ‘74-‘75 iteration finished 48-34, and led by Rick Barry’s 30.6 points finished the season as the NBA’s No. 1 offense, scoring 108.5 per game. Jamaal Wilkes finished second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game and was named the 1975 NBA Rookie of the Year. Also finishing in double figures for Attles’ 1975 squad were Butch Beard (12.8 points per game) and Charles Johnson (10.9 points per game). Barry finished fourth in MVP voting and made All-NBA 1st team. In the postseason, the team defeated the Seattle SuperSonics four games to two in the first round, and bested the Chicago Bulls in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. In the Finals, the team swept the Phil Chenier-Elvin Hayes-Wes Unseld Washington Bullets. In Game 4 of the series, Barry and Bullet guard Mike Riordan got in a confrontation, which was started by Riordan. Attles, rushing to the floor, took up for his superstar player and was subsequently ejected from the game. 

Barry averaged 29.5 points per game and was named Finals MVP.

In 1975-76, Attles guided the Warriors to 59 wins and again the league’s top offensive spot at 109.8 points per game. The team lost to the Phoenix Suns in seven games in the Western Conference Finals. 

Attles led the Warriors to three more seasons of over .500 basketball - 46 wins in 1976-77, 43 wins in 1977-78, and 45 wins in 1981-82. He served as an assistant coach under both Don Nelson and Bob Lanier on the 1994-95 Warriors. Twice in his coaching career, Attles was coach of the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, in 1975 and 1976. 

As first a player, then coach, then serving as General Manager, Vice-President and a Consultant, Attles was the longest-tenured employee for a franchise in NBA history, at 64 years. He also served as Warriors Legend and Community Ambassador. He was the franchise’s GM when they drafted Hall of Famers Robert Parish (1979) and Chris Mullin (1985). His 1,085 games coached for the Warriors are the most in franchise history, and his 557 victories stood until current Warrior head coach Steve Kerr surpassed him. 

On August 20, 2024, Attles passed away due to complications from dementia. 

Said Kerr of Attles, “He’s the face of our franchise for many generations of Warriors’ fans.” 

Upon the passing of his coach and later good friend, Barry said:

“He really was kind of like a protector. He was a very peaceful guy, a very caring individual. But he also was incredibly tough.”

Attles’ No. 16 is one of seven retired numbers in the history of the Warrior franchise, alongside Mullin (17), Barry (24), Chamberlain (13), Tom Meschery (14), Nate Thurmond (42), and Andre Iguodala (9). 

Few NBA legends are as synonymous with one franchise as Al Attles is with the Warriors. On his birthday, we remember him.