Bay Area

Al Attles Tribute Hall of Fame Celebration

Published

4 years ago

December 12, 2019

Come out and support one of Oakland’s finest, Alvin Attles Jr as he is honored for his Hall of Fame induction in Oakland, December 22, 2019.

An avid Warriors Legend & Community Ambassador, Attles is currently in his 59^th year with the Golden State Warriors organization (Al Attles’ current stint with the same team represents the longest active streak in NBA history). Attles, who celebrated his 83^rd birthday on November 7, 2019, joined the Warriors in 1960 (Philadelphia Warriors’ fifth-round draft choice) and has since been affiliated with the club in one capacity or another, building a unique relationship based on commitment, loyalty, and dedication.

Attles has many professional accomplishments to his name. In September 2019 it culminated with Attles being enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2018, Attles was named in ESPN’s Top 100 Most Influential Players of All-Time. In 2017, he was awarded the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2014, Attles was honored by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the John R. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award – its second highest honor.

Attles is one of only six players in Warriors history to have his jersey retired (#16) – joining Rick Barry (#24), Wilt Chamberlain (#13), Tom Meschery (#14), Chris Mullin (#17), and Nate Thurmond (#42) – and remains one of the most publicly recognizable sports figures in the Bay Area. Each of these players are honored in the plaza of the new Chase Center in San Francisco. Attles is also the only player to have his number retired (#22) at his alma mater, North Carolina A&T University.

His endless contributions locally as a player, coach, executive, and civic leader resulted in his much deserved induction into the Bay Area Hall of Fame in 1993. In the summer of 2006, the newly refurbished outdoor basketball court at Lincoln Square Park in downtown Oakland was permanently renamed “Alvin Attles Court” in honor of the local legend and longtime Oakland resident. The Warriors recently named the courts at the Warriors practice facility at the Chase Center after Attles. Each year, the Warriors present the Alvin Attles Volunteer Award to the team employee who goes above and beyond in their efforts to serve the Bay Area community as part of the organization’s Helping Hands program.

In the latter stages of the 1969-70 NBA season, Attles was named head coach of the Warriors, replacing George Lee after 52 games. Attles spent the final two years of his playing career, 1969-70 and 1970-71, as a player/coach, becoming the second African-American to hold such a distinction. His 30-game stint as head coach to end the 1969-70 season proved to be the start of the longest head coaching run in Warriors franchise history. His 13-plus year tenure produced, among other highlights, the lone NBA Championship in the club’s West Coast history (1974-75) until the championship drought ended in 2015.

During his 13-year coaching fun, Attles guided the Warriors to six playoff berths, two division titles and amassed an overall 557-518 record, which ranks 25^th on the NBA’s all-time coaches winning list. One season after leading Golden State to the NBA title, he led the Warriors to a sparkling 59-23 record in 1975-76, the best mark in franchise history (that held for 40 years) and the top record in the NBA that season. He was also named head coach of the Western Conference All-Star team in 1975 and 1976. Attles completed his coaching career in 1982-83 to become the Warriors General Manager, heading the team’s basketball operations for three years.

One of the most aggressive and hard-nosed players in the league, Attles earned the unique nickname of “The Destroyer”, which appropriately described his mentality on the court. During his 11-year NBA career, he averaged 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in 711 regular season games, which currently ranks fifth on the Warriors all-time games played list. Furthermore, Attles was involved in one of the most memorable games in NBA history on March 2, 1962 when he and teammate Wilt Chamberlain combined for 117 points against the New York Knicks, the most ever by a pair of players in league history. In that game, Attles has a perfect game as the second leading scorer tallying 17 points (8-8 FG, 1-1 FT), while Chamberlain netted an all-time NBA record 100 points. Attles retired from playing following the 1970-71 campaign to focus strictly on coaching – eliminating his dual role as player/coach.

A 1960 graduate of North Carolina A&T University, Attles earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Education and History. He later added a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of San Francisco in 1983.

Al and his wife, Wilhelmina, reside in Oakland and have two adult children, Alvin III and Ericka. The Attles also have eight grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

In October 2018, Attles III formed Attles Center for Excellence (ACE) to honor his father’s legacy. The Oakland-based non-profit will officially launch at the end of 2019. The mission is to create the next generation of high performing citizens through engagement in innovative STEAM-focused programs and health and wellness initiatives. In 2020 ACE plans to launch a comprehensive after-school program for at-risk youth and a series of basketball camps, incorporating coding, the arts, and nutrition.

Malaika Bobino

Posts by Malaika Bobino

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

7 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

State Controller Malia Cohen Keynote Speaker at S.F. Wealth Conference

California State Controller Malia Cohen delivered the keynote speech to over 50 business women at the Black Wealth Brunch held on March 28 at the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center at 301 Van Ness Ave. in San Francisco. The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

American Business Women’s Association Vice President Velma Landers, left, with California State Controller Malia Cohen (center), and ABWA President LaRonda Smith at the Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the ABWA at the Black Wealth Brunch.

By Carla Thomas

The Enterprising Women Networking SF Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) hosted the Green Room event to launch its platform designed to close the racial wealth gap in Black and Brown communities.

“Our goal is to educate Black and Brown families in the masses about financial wellness, wealth building, and how to protect and preserve wealth,” said ABWA San Francisco Chapter President LaRonda Smith.

ABWA’s mission is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professionally through leadership, education, networking support, and national recognition.

“This day is about recognizing influential women, hearing from an accomplished woman as our keynote speaker and allowing women to come together as powerful people,” said ABWA SF Chapter Vice President Velma Landers.

More than 60 attendees dined on the culinary delights of Chef Sharon Lee of The Spot catering, which included a full soul food brunch of skewered shrimp, chicken, blackened salmon, and mac and cheese.

Cohen discussed the many economic disparities women and people of color face. From pay equity to financial literacy, Cohen shared not only statistics, but was excited about a new solution in motion which entailed partnering with Californians for Financial Education.

“I want everyone to reach their full potential,” she said. “Just a few weeks ago in Sacramento, I partnered with an organization, Californians for Financial Education.

“We gathered 990 signatures and submitted it to the [California] Secretary of State to get an initiative on the ballot that guarantees personal finance courses for every public school kid in the state of California.

“Every California student deserves an equal opportunity to learn about filing taxes, interest rates, budgets, and understanding the impact of credit scores. The way we begin to do that is to teach it,” Cohen said.

By equipping students with information, Cohen hopes to close the financial wealth gap, and give everyone an opportunity to reach their full financial potential. “They have to first be equipped with the information and education is the key. Then all we need are opportunities to step into spaces and places of power.”

Cohen went on to share that in her own upbringing, she was not guided on financial principles that could jump start her finances. “Communities of color don’t have the same information and I don’t know about you, but I did not grow up listening to my parents discussing their assets, their investments, and diversifying their portfolio. This is the kind of nomenclature and language we are trying to introduce to our future generations so we can pivot from a life of poverty so we can pivot away and never return to poverty.”

Cohen urged audience members to pass the initiative on the November 2024 ballot.

“When we come together as women, uplift women, and support women, we all win. By networking and learning together, we can continue to build generational wealth,” said Landers. “Passing a powerful initiative will ensure the next generation of California students will be empowered to make more informed financial decisions, decisions that will last them a lifetime.”