Hall of Famer Al Attles spent over 60 years with the Warriors organization as a player, general manager and team ambassador and he passed away at the age of 87 on Wednesday, the team announced.
“Alvin leaves behind a profound legacy within the game of basketball and the Bay Area community, but especially as a family man and humanitarian,” the Warriors said in a statement. “We mourn his loss alongside his wife, Wilhelmina, son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”
The Warriors selected Attles in the fifth round of the 1960 draft and the guard averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 711 games with the Warriors over 11 seasons. His No. 16 jersey was retired by the franchise.
He also tried his hand at coaching and became one of the first Black coaches in the league.
He coached Hall of Famer Rick Barry when he dropped 64 points against Portland on March 26, 1974.
“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.”
The Golden State legend coached the Warriors from 1970 to 1983 and led the franchise to the 1975 NBA championship with a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets.
Attles notched 577 coaching wins – the most in franchise history.
Later, he served as general manager for three seasons and held various front office roles including vice president and consultant.
He was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
“Most of the great organizations with a lot of history have one player who everybody associates with that franchise,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “Al Attles is that guy for us. He’s the face of our franchise for many generations of Warriors fans. We’re lucky to have him.”
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