Al Attles
Guard, Head Coach & Executive · Golden State Warriors
Basketball · Warriors Lifer
Al Attles
A 33-season fixture of the Warriors organization who went from guard to head coach to general manager, and has remained a team ambassador ever since.
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Seasons with the Warriors Organization
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Seasons as Head Coach
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NBA Games Played as a Guard
The Backstory
Three Roles, One Franchise
A 33-Season Warrior
Spent 33 seasons with the Golden State Warriors across three distinct roles: 11 years as a player, 14 as head coach, and 3 as general manager.
"The Destroyer"
Known by the nickname "The Destroyer," he suited up as a guard in 774 NBA games during his playing career.
A Championship Coach
Guided the Warriors to the 1975 NBA title with a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets, and became one of only twelve coaches in NBA history to reach 1,000 games on the bench.
Front Office and Beyond
Moved into the front office as general manager before taking on the role of vice president and consultant to the team starting in 1986, a post he has held ever since.
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See Al Attles in Action
Player → Coach → Executive
Career Timeline
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Player
11 seasons as a Warriors guard
Appeared in 774 NBA games across an 11-year playing career with the franchise.
A Career in Three Acts
An 11-year NBA guard nicknamed "The Destroyer."
774 NBA games played — As a Warriors guard
11 seasons as a player — With the Golden State Warriors
Nickname: "The Destroyer" — Earned for his physical style of play
Every award, on the record
Honors & Awards
NBA Champion (Head Coach)
Led the Warriors to a four-game sweep of the Washington Bullets in the NBA Finals.
1,000-Game Coach
Became one of only twelve coaches in NBA history to coach 1,000 or more games.
Vice President & Team Consultant
Continues to serve the Warriors organization in a front-office and ambassador capacity.
More To Know
Deeper Cuts on Al Attles
He was born in Newark, New Jersey on November 7, 1936, and passed away in Oakland on August 20, 2024, at age 87.
He played college ball at North Carolina A&T, which retired his jersey No. 22 in 2015 — the first number the school had ever retired.
He married Wilhelmina Rice in 1964, with teammate Wilt Chamberlain serving as his best man; fittingly, Attles scored 17 points the night Chamberlain dropped 100 on March 2, 1962.
The Warriors retired his playing number, 16, back in 1977, and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
His 1975 title made him only the second African-American head coach to win an NBA championship, after Bill Russell.
Later in life he received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award (2014) and the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award (2017).
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Every gift made in a legend's name funds youth sports access across the Bay Area — the same spirit that built Al Attles's career.