NBA Coach: Al Attles

(Attles sitting on the bench during a game. Image courtesy of NBA.com)

Background

In his 13+ seasons as a coach, Attles led the Golden State Warriors to six playoff appearances, winning the 1975 NBA championship. He became the first coach to ignore the NBA's unofficial quota for having more than 2-3 black players on a team. Attles was the 3rd African American NBA Head Coach. 

Attles is the longest tenured coach in Warriors history. He also was a pioneer in using a 10-man rotation, something that was unheard of in the 1970s. Teams usually did not go very deep into their bench, playing starters almost all 48 minutes. In today's NBA, most teams play 10 players in just about every game. Attles still works in the Warriors front office, giving him over 50 years of experience within the organization. 

Drafted in 1960, Al Attles was an 11 year NBA veteran, playing for the Philadelphia Warriors and the San Francisco Warriors. In his career, he was nicknamed "The Destroyer". He was given this name for his efforts defensively, and for one time punching an opposing player in the jaw. Halfway through the 1969 season, Attles was promoted to player coach for the San Francisco Warriors.

At the time of his retirement from coaching in 1983, Attles compiled a record of 557 wins and 518 losses. 

(Attles coaching his Warriors players. Image courtesy of BestofNJ.com)

Accomplishments

• Attles was the third African-American head coach in NBA history. 
• When his Warriors won the 1975 championship, he became the second African-American head coach to win a title, only to Bill Russell. 
• His #16 jersey is retired by the organization, as is his #22 for his college team, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. 
• Attles is in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and as a coach. Attles won the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. The award is given out for the individual who honors outstanding contributions within the game of basketball.

(Attles at his Lifetime Achievement for coaching speech. Image courtesy of Daily Mail.

Quotes by Al Attles

"We have 44 defenses for him, but he has 45 ways to score."

"When a man scores 81 points in a regulation game, that speaks volumes."- Attles talking about Kobe Bryant

Additional Information

Al Attles talks with The Undefeated on his legacy.

Al Attles compares his 1975 Warriors to the 2015 Warriors.

Attles was ranked 9th on Complex's "Coolest Coaches in NBA History".

Race and Basketball in the New York Times

(Page researched and written by Sean Ellertson.)