Back in 1960, the Philadelphia Warriors drafted Alvin Austin Attles Jr. in the 5th round of the NBA Draft. Attles was so unimpressed that he took a job as a junior high gym coach. But when he changed his mind and headed to training camp, Attles began a lifelong association with the Warriors franchise that only ended with his death Tuesday, at age 87.
Attles spent 11 years as a player for the team, following them as they moved west to become the San Francisco Warriors and then Golden State Warriors. In 1968, he added assistant coach to his responsibilities, took over as head coach his final season as a player, then remained the head man through 1983, at which point he became the team’s general manager.