Golden State Warriors Hall of Famer Alvin Attles died on Tuesday at 87 years old.
The Warriors announced his death on Wednesday. A cause of death was not provided.
Attles joined the then-Philadelphia Warriors as a player in 1960 then spent the next 60-plus years of his life serving the franchise in multiple capacities including head coach and general manager. His stint with the Warriors was the longest with any single franchise by one person in the history of the NBA.
Nicknamed “The Destroyer” as a player, Attles served as an enforcer in 11 seasons with the Warriors from 1960-71. He spent five of those seasons playing alongside Wilt Chamberlain and was the team’s second-leading scorer with 17 points in Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. He earned his reputation as an enforcer and disrupter despite his stature as a 6-foot, 175-pound guard.
“Alvin Attles did not just epitomize what it meant to be a Warrior — he was Mr. Warrior,” a team statement reads. “His tenacious playing style earned him the affectionate nickname of ‘The Destroyer’ on the court, but it was his gentle soul, grace and humility off the court that served as a guiding light for the organization for more than six decades.”
Attles remained with the Warriors when they moved to the Bay Area in 1962 and through his retirement as a player in 1971. He averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists for his career.
Attles spent his last four seasons on the roster as a player-coach — two as an assistant then two as head coach starting in 1969. He remained on the sideline as head coach through the 1982-83 season, a span that entailed 14 seasons in the role.
Attles coached the 1974-75 Warriors to the NBA championship. A team that featured Hall of Famers Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes swept Elvin Hayes’ and Wes Unseld’s Washington Bullets in the 1975 NBA Finals.
“My heart is heavy today with the loss of my mentor and friend,” Barry said Wednesday, via a team statement. … “We shared so many wonderful and memorable moments together. My thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Wilhelmina, and his entire family. He will be dearly missed.”
Attles stepped down as head coach in 1983 to take over as the team’s general manager. He led the Warriors to a 557-518 record as head coach that included six playoff appearances and remains the franchise’s all-time leader in coaching wins.
Attles spent three seasons in his capacity as general manager, a post where he drafted another Hall of Fame Warriors icon in Chris Mullin (No. 7 pick, 1985).
He’d since worked in various roles for the franchise including vice president, consultant and ambassador. In 2014, the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame honored Attles with the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. Five years later, he was officially enshrined into the Hall of Fame. His No. 16 is one of six jerseys retired by the Warriors and hangs in the Chase Center rafters alongside those of Chamberlain, Barry, Mullin, Nate Thurmond and Tom Meschery.
Attles remained a fixture in the stands at home games during the franchise’s recent run to four NBA titles led by Stephen Curry and during the team’s subsequent championship celebrations. He was and remains synonymous with Warriors.
