Alvin Attles, HBCU Athlete Turned NBA Legend, Dies At 87

The NBA Hall of Famer and HBCU alumnus was a storied figure for the Warriors.

Alvin Attles, an HBCU alumnus and NBA Hall of Famer, has died. The family of the longtime Golden State Warriors player and head coach confirmed the news on Aug. 21, a day after his death.

Attles was 87. A cause of death was not released.

Surrounded by his loved ones, Attles died in the San Francisco Bay area, a region that became his home following after the Warriors moved there from Philadelphia in 1962.

The NBA family mourns the passing of Golden State Warriors legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Alvin Attles. As a player, coach, executive and team ambassador, Alvin made a lasting impact on the Warriors and the league during his more than 60-year career. Alvin was admired… pic.twitter.com/83GESIguEK
— NBA (@NBA) August 21, 2024

“The NBA family mourns the passing of Golden State Warriors legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Alvin Attles,” the NBA said in a statement. “As a player, coach, executive and team ambassador, Alvin made a lasting impact on the Warriors and the league during his more than 60-year career. Alvin was admired throughout the NBA not only for what he accomplished in the game but also for his kind spirit, loyalty, and sense of community that he helped build.”

Born in 1936 in Newark, New Jersey, Attles attended North Carolina A&T University, receiving both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the school.

Attles, who stood only 6-feet tall and was drafted in the fifth round of the 1960 NBA Draft, made the most of his basketball career. “The Destroyer,” a nod to his intense defense, played 11 seasons for the Warriors before becoming coach. During the 1969-70 season, Attles was appointed as player-coach of the team, becoming one of the first African American coaches in the league.

In 1975, Attles became the second Black head coach to win an NBA championship. He coached the Warriors until 1983. He still holds the record as the franchise’s longest-serving coach and its winningest.

Attles received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement award in 2014 for his significant impact in the sport. In 2019, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted him as a member. He remained an integral part of the Warriors franchise, serving as a community relations representative until his death.

“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 team wrote on social media. “We mourn his loss alongside his wife, Wilhelmina, son Alvin, and all who knew and loved him.”

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