Former Golden State Warriors head coach Al Attles from 1970-1983 passed away Wed Aug 20, 2024 at age 87 (USA Today photo)
Al Attles -Basketball in his Veins -As I Remember
That’s Amaury News and Commentary
By Amaury Pi-González
I had the privilege of knowing Al Attles during the Golden State Warriors years when he was a team advisor-executive and would travel most of the time with the W’s during the 1990s. Then, I was employed by the team as their Spanish play-by-play announcer.
For the record, the “only one they ever had in their history” to date. At their time, only four or five teams were broadcasting NBA in Spanish; I believe the Warriors were after the Spurs, Rockets, and Lakers, maybe we were the fourth in the country to do Spanish on KIQI 1010AM San Francisco.
But first, here is a little history about a great man and a great gentleman, Al Attles, who left us today after 87 years on this earth. He was born in Newark, New Jersey; the “Jersey Jet” was a player for the Philadelphia Warriors from 1960-1962 and then with the San Francisco Warriors until 1971.
The first professional sporting event I ever covered in the Bay Area was a Warriors game in the 1970s. The Warriors played temporarily at the Cow Palace, Daly City, while the Oakland Arena was under construction. I remember Mr. Hal Childs, the first Media Relations person I had to deal with for my credentials; he was then with the Warriors.
Al Attles played on that historic day when Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. Attles was humble and would not tell you that his 17 points during that same game resulted from making every throw he made: eight field goals and one free throw. He made them all but was always humble as a player or coach.
I once joked with him that when Wilt Chamberlain scored the record 100 points in that game, he must have had a bunch of assists. He joked about how he passed to Chamberlain, but in the end, he admitted he had six assists. By the way, in that game, the Warriors won 169-134 over the Knicks. It was on March 2, 1962.
Al would usually be first on the team bus after every game when traveling with the Warriors on the road. I would be a few minutes later since my post-game show, as I did a solo broadcast on all games home and road, would be handled in 5 minutes, and then I would send it back to our main studios in San Francisco. I would ‘pick his head’ after a game, specially if we lost that game, during those years the W’s had good teams but no titles.
One day, I remember the team losing by a large margin and blowing out 20 points. As I walked onto the bus, he said, “Did you put this team together?” On other occasions, he would tell me, “Can you push the ball?” And it continued, but I always listened to his wisdom and learned a lot from this humble and generous man.
After playing, Attles’s career was dedicated to coaching. He always liked to talk and teach basketball and coached the San Francisco Warriors and then the Golden State Warriors from 1968 to 1975. He won the NBA title in that great 1974-75 season as a coach.
Although I cannot remember the exact date, I did cover the Victory Rally at San Francisco Union Square after they beat the Washington team in the 1974-75 season NBA finals. I had my SONY small recorder in hand.
I remember as I walked to the Warriors celebratory rally, running into the “one and only Bill King” (best basketball play-by-play announcer I ever heard), who was sporting Jesus sandals and purple socks. He was there to speak at the rally, Al Attles, and then owner Franklin Meuli, wearing his inseparable Sherlock Holmes hat, also talked to a friendly crowd celebrating the moment.
The whole Bay Area is mourning today.
Rest in Peace Al Attles, I will forever remember you your wisdom and your profound voice.
Amaury Pi Gonzalez was a former play by play announcer on the Golden State Warriors Spanish radio network and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com
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