Al Attles was not just a basketball player but a coach and an executive who spent his entire career with one single franchise. Yep, he was a Warrior even before the Golden State Warriors became a thing. Attles, popularly known as the Destroyer, was drafted into the league in 1960 by the Warriors when the franchise was situated in Philadelphia. And even when the team relocated to San Francisco, Attles stuck with the franchise until his retirement as a player.
However, much more than his status as a player, it was the late Hall of Famer’s coaching legacy that left a lasting mark in the Warriors’ franchise history. After all, he was the winningest coach in the GSW history until Steve Kerr replaced him just recently. But that does not take away from what Attles contributed to the team. So, let’s have a close look at his coaching career and legacy.
A closer look at Al Attles’ coaching career
Attles wasn’t just a coach—he was the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors for over a decade. Taking over as player-coach midway through the 1969–70 season, Attles didn’t get a raise, didn’t demand better terms—he simply accepted the job and kept pushing forward. According to SF Gate, his salary remained in the mid-$20,000s, but for the Destroyer, it was never about the money. It was about the team.
Now, here’s something you don’t see every day—Attles, still technically a player, would suit up even when he had no plans of actually playing. But why? Because he refused to embarrass a bench player by sending them in just to commit a foul. Instead, he’d take the hit himself. That kind of leadership speaks volumes, showing just how much he valued his players and their dignity.
His approach paid off as under his guidance, the Warriors made the playoffs six times in a seven-season stretch. Thanks to the fact that even after retiring as a player in 1971, he stayed on as head coach. In 1975, the Destroyer even led the Warriors to a stunning NBA championship victory over the heavily favored Washington Bullets. With that win, Al Attles became just the second African-American coach to ever win an NBA title, following Bill Russell.
Al Attles stood on businessIn the 1975 NBA Finals I remember this moment. The Hall of Fame coach rushed off the bench to defend @Warriors Rick Barry after Mike Riordan tried to punk Barry. Watch Attles..RIP pic.twitter.com/EfzbC9Fc1y
— MarkJonesESPN (@MarkJonesESPN) August 21, 2024
Speaking about that championship squad, Attles once said, “Every coach should have one team like that.” And honestly, you can see why—his players fought for each other, and it showed on the court. More importantly, Attles wasn’t afraid to experiment.
In one practice, he tried mixing up the starters and the second unit to intensify scrimmages. But the bench guys pushed back—they wanted to keep their unit intact. Attles respected that fire. “In practice those guys went at each other 100 percent,” he recalled, proof of the competitive culture he built.
Of course, not every season can end in a championship. After their win in 1975, the Warriors fell short the next year, losing to the Phoenix Suns in a hard-fought seven-game series. After that, playoff appearances became rare. By the 1979–80 season, an Achilles heel injury sidelined Attles for 21 games, with assistant Johnny Bach filling in.
All in all, Attles coached the Warriors until 1983, finishing with a 557–518 regular-season record (588–548 including playoffs). He later transitioned into the front office as general manager from 1983 to 1986. For decades, he held the title of the winningest coach in Warriors history—until, as mentioned previously, Steve Kerr finally surpassed him. But records aside, Attles’ legacy is something stats can’t capture.
Al Attles’ awards and honors include much more than his Hall of Fame induction
Attles’s impact on basketball isn’t just measured in wins, stats, or even championships—it’s in the lasting mark he left on the game and the people around him. One such moment was in 2014 when he received the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award. Given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, this award is the highest recognition outside of enshrinement, reserved for those who have truly shaped the sport. And if anyone fits that description, it’s Attles.
As we know by now, his connection with the Warriors runs deep, so it should be no surprise that his number 16 now hangs in the rafters. But his influence wasn’t just about what he did as a player; it extended far beyond, as he later became a team ambassador.
However, it was not just his time in the league that brought him awards and honors. Not many might know this, but North Carolina A&T, his alma mater, made history by retiring his number 22 on February 7, 2015, marking the first time the school had ever retired a jersey.
But during his time in the league, Attles didn’t earn a name just for his proficiency in his field but also for his loyalty. The fact that he was with the Warriors for over 60 years in different roles—the longest any individual has ever spent with one franchise—testifies to this.
No wonder that in 2017, Al Attles received another well-deserved honor—the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, which he shared with coaching legend Hubie Brown. Ever humble, he called it a “terrific honor.”And then came the moment every basketball athlete aspires for. On April 6, 2019, Attles was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, forever solidifying his legendary status in the game to which he dedicated his life.
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