In 1977, the Warriors retired his jersey. When Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle, the president of the NBCA, pointed out to Attles just how long hes been around the franchise, he smiled. Attles endless contributions as a player, executive and civic leader also led to his induction into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". The Warriors' record was 26-42 in their first NBA season and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Syracuse Nationals. Al Attles | Basketball Wiki | Fandom He finished with 17 points. He's gotthe Suns looking like a legitimate title contender early on in the season, which is a big step for a team that has failed to qualify for the postseason in each of the last 10 years. There is no doubt he was in charge, but there was not a territorial aspect about it, Barnett said. Instagram: @LilShortCuz He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NBA. Nicknamed the "Destroyer", he played the point guard position and spent his entire 11 seasons (19601971) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the team, joining it when it was still based in Philadelphia and following it to the Bay Area in 1962. With changes abound in their respective situations, they, too, have the task of shifting things for the betterment of a franchise's future. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Find out more. Attles would go on to coach the Warriors until the 1982-1983 making the postseason two more times. Al Attles career in coaching began during his playing career serving as an assistant coach for two season from 1968-1970 for the Warriors before being promoted to head coach in 1970. This almost-instant guaranteed success both confirmed that Black coaches were deserving of the opportunities they had long beendenied while subsequentlyservingas a reminder of the level of excellence that Black coaches must quickly reach to be deemed successful. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. In the era of enforcers, when teams had players inserted into the game to specifically disrupt other scorers and play stern defense, Attles was the one player who earned the nickname The Destroyer., By no means did Attles play in a way that brought harm to fellow players. In the following season, Attles led the Warriors to a 59-23 record setting a then team record for wins in a season (eventually broken in the 2014-2015 season when the Warriors finished with a 67-15 record). Al Attles is one of only five head coaches in Warriors history to serve as head coach for the NBA All-Star Game and one of two to do it more than once (Steve Kerr). [4] He has a bachelor's degree in Physical Education and History along with a master's degree in Curriculum and Instruction. Warriors Legend Al Attles reflects on his coaching career and the Warriors' 1974-1975 Championship run. Attles's team tried to repeat the following season, but they lost to the Phoenix Suns in the Conference finals in seven games. The Best NBA Players With No Championship Rings. After playing two years in Philadelphia, Attles' Warriors moved to San Francisco, and he followed along. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Coaching career Attles became an assistant coach in 1968, while still a player. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. You hear of the usual names of the Black pioneers of the game like Chuck Cooper, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. After defeating the Lakers in seven games in the 1969 Finals, Russell would step away from the game, both asa player and a coach, but hismark had been made. He was a great man. Attles may have retired from the game as a player, but he'd stay connected to the game, to the Warriors. He is a graduate of Weequahic High School in Newark and North Carolina A&T State University. He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Attles was the 39th overall pick in the 1960 NBA Draft. in Broadcast Journalism @LilShortCuz on Instagram and Twitter, Copyright 2016 - 2023 THE DMV DAILY, LLC. Nicknamed the "Destroyer",[2][3] he played the point guard position and spent his entire 11 seasons (19601971) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the team, joining it when it was still based in Philadelphia and following it to the Bay Area in 1962. I think of a gentleman.. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In the following season, Attles led the Warriors to a 59-23 record setting a then team record for wins in a season (eventually broken in the 2014-2015 season when the Warriors finished with a 67-15 record). In 2014, Attles was the recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Awardan annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to an individual who has contributed significantly to the sport of basketball, the award is the highest and the most prestigious honor presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame other than enshrinement. Al Attles Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (Destroyer. Halfway during the 1969-1970 season, the Warriors fired their coach, George Lee, and Attles. Though his career stats may not jump off the page 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists he was a crucial piece for the team. Trailing the Warriors three games to none in the 1975 Finals, Washington resorted to provoking Rick Barry into a fight in an attempt to have him ejected. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. If you werent cutting it, someone else would get a shot. Ranking Every Golden State Warriors Coach Best to Worst 52 votes. January 27, 1970: Hired as Head Coach by the San Francisco Warriors. After his coaching career, Attles became the Warriors General Manager. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Attles stayed on as the Warriors head coach until the 197980 NBA season, where he was replaced by Johnny Bach with only 21 games remaining in the season. Do you know his name? Al Attles, a member of the #Warriors organization for 50+ years, is honored with the Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award pic.twitter.com/VH3nziPubZ, Al Attles has been part of the @warriors family since 1960, when he joined the then-Philadelphia Warriors as a draft pick from North Carolina A&T. Attles led the Warriors the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as head coach of the team including leading them to their first 50-win season in franchise history during the 1971-1972. [8] On February 7, 2015, Attles's number 22 was retired by North Carolina A&T, the first ever retired by the team. I said things are going to get better.. Attles was known as "The Destroyer" due to his defensive specialities along with once punching a player in the jaw. J.B. Bickerstaff's father, Bernie, coached nearly 1,000 games in his career while Stephen Silas' father, Paul, coached just under 900 games with four different franchises. We present them here for purely educational purposes. The Undefeated: You were named the Warriors' head coach midway through the 1969-70 season and became a full-time head coach when you retired after the 1970-71 season. We knew it wasonly a matter of time when they got rid of me as a coach, Attles joked. Halfway during the 19691970 season, the Warriors fired their coach, George Lee, and Attles became the head coach. Attles was the head coach of the Warriors when on May 25, 40 years ago, they completed a stunning four-game sweep of the powerhouse Washington Bullets to win the franchise's only title in its. Al Attles* 1970: 1983: November 7, 1936: North Carolina A&T: Red Auerbach* 1947: 1966: September 20, 1917: George Washington: Randy Ayers: 2004: 2004: April 16, 1956: Miami University: B; Coach But dont try to tell Brown that Attles has gotten soft. Even more surprising was Attles answer when he was asked if he liked being a head coach: No, I did not like it at all, at first. But . Castro is the latest coaching hire this week in the . Still, there is more work to be done from a representation standpoint in a league in which over 80% of players are Black. Bickerstaff and Silas are in situations that are similaryet different, as the Cavaliers and Rockets franchises are each in interesting places. List of Golden State Warriors head coaches Attles was honored by making the Hall of Fame in 2019, a well-deserved honor that should have happened earlier. Warriors legend Al Attles humbled being selected to Basketball Hall of Al Attles was such a player, an enforcer. Mieulis faith in Attles was not misplaced. The late Scotty Stirling, who worked in the Warriors front office from 1976-82, said: Ive known him nearly 40 years and Ive never heard him say one swear word. Lenny Wilkens, who played against Attles and would eventually coach against him as well, recalled: Al wasnt dirty. During the 198384 NBA season, Attles worked as the Warriors' general manager. Attles, who coached the Warriors to the NBA championship in 1975, hopes to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 5, reports @ronkroichick. As good and tough as Attles was as a player, he brought the same approach to coaching, where he made an even bigger mark on the Warriors, managing stars like Rick Barry and Nate Thurmond. Attles moved with the team to the Bay Area at the end of the 1962 season, playing until 1971. Al-Ittihad's title-winning coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, may have been born in what is today Sao Tome and Principe, but since he entered the world a year before the islands achieved independence it . Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. [10][12] Nelson has also been named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. Attles coached the Warriors from 1970-83. Attles led the Warriors the playoffs in each of his first three seasons as head coach of the team including leading them to their first 50-win season in franchise history during the 1971-1972. He spent the first 24 years as a player, player-coach, head coach, and general manager. https://t.co/PzmaIvoJGZ pic.twitter.com/v7GQNYGpYA, San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) May 25, 2019. Then, in 1967, Attles, San Francisco Warriors, lost to Chamberlain's new team, the Philadelphia 76ers.
