Former Golden State Warriors player and coach Alvin Attles and his wife Wilhelmina wave to fans along Broadway during the team's NBA championship victory parade in downtown Oakland, Calif., on . FamousBirthdays.com - use subject to the practices disclosed in our privacy policy. NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. But there were complications. Follow Bay Area News Group Warriors beat writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If you are having difficulty accessing any content on this website, please visit our Accessibility page. Five months later, one of his closest cousins, Eric Toscano, was shot and killed while celebrating his 18th birthday at his home on Ney Avenue in East Oakland. In 29 games, he has averaged 5.0 points on 52.8% shooting (40% from 3-point range), 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 19.1 minutes. Golden State Warriors | The team would make the playoffs only once more for the remainder of his tenure as coach. Lamb chops.. He's ready to pay it back to his mother -- the woman who gave him everything -- and pay it forward to his siblings. Leave all that. They have two children. I ran into the house and asked my mom what I should rescue from the house. One half of one percent of people looking to play professional basketball will even get the opportunity to try out.. Although I never quite understood the one-half-of-one-percent phrase, at five years old I understood that my father was a practical man. All she wanted was to keep him smiling. We were just so hurt, the staff and I, that a kid would be exposed to that, Attles said. Attles and his wife, Wilhelmina, reside in Oakland and have two adult children, Alvin III and Erica. Attles moved with the team to the Bay Area at the end of the 1962 season, playing until 1971. In all, Attles has been a Warriors employee in some fashion for 57 years, going back to when he was drafted by the team in 1960. I just, I was living in urban culture. HIs wise counsel, his unwavering loyalty, his great sense of humor, his deep compassion for others. But his desire to play basketball continued, which led him to play in Mexico for four seasons and play for the Mexican national basketball team. Al Attle's wife Wilhemina with children Erika and Alvin Jr. watch Game 4 of the championship series against the Washington Bullets May 25, 1975 (Photo by Terry Schmitt/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images), 1983 x 3296 px (6.61 x 10.99 in) - 300 dpi - 2 MB. Thats what kind of jump started me playing basketball. She and Kansas City . But my father never seriously entertained any of those offers. I think it's just there's a difference, you know, like actually indulging in, you know, the culture to traditions, the language, all of that stuff. Nicknamed the "Destroyer",[2][3] he played the point guard position and spent his entire 11 seasons (19601971) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the team, joining it when it was still based in Philadelphia and following it to the Bay Area in 1962. Attles became an assistant coach in 1968, while still a player. For those 20 or so minutes, he was like any other kid, giggling as he beat his classmates in footraces or pickup basketball games. It wouldn't matter if he was living there or pursuing his basketball dreams elsewhere -- Oakland was always home. (Karl Mondon/Staff Archives), Oakland, CA January 31, 1989 - Golden State Warriors head coach Al Attles in his office. "I'm from the Bay Area," he said back in March before quickly revising himself,"Wait, I'm not from the Bay. Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (Destroyer. Through the rest of elementary and middle school, Juan split time between his grandpas home and those of his AAU coaches in Oakland, not moving to Castro Valley full-time until the summer before his freshman year of high school. Now on that standard contract, Juan is ready to prove that decision was the right one. The path from Warriors Basketball Camp to the NBA for Toscano-Anderson was far from seamless. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! As kids, my sister once told my dad about a boy who was messing with at her at school. It seems hardly surprising since Attles cemented an 11-year career with the Warriors, coached them to their 1975 NBA championship and served as a longtime club ambassador. The racket she caused made my father get up to ask her what was wrong. This happened once he transferred schools after having a knife pulled on him in second grade. Toscano-Anderson contains a similar fire to that of Draymond Green, who's considered the heartbeat of the team. "It was like something to feed off of," the Warriors forwardsaid. The voice of the iconic Bill King rang out. My father is as humble as they come. She did her best to provide for her children, but it never was easy to balance being a solo parent while maintaining a job in social work to support them. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! But all it took was a little encouragement from the wife of a Warriors Hall of Famer to turn him onto the sport. Toscano-Anderson could have been among them. Ive always been a Warriors fan. She also helped him get on the Oakland Rebels' AAU basketball team. Attles worked with the PTA to raise money to replace all the stolen gifts. (Jane Tyska/Staff Archives), Former Golden State Warriors head coach Al Attles attends a press conference to introduce the team's new draft picks at the team's headquarters in Oakland, Calif., Monday, June 27, 2011. SPRINGFIELD, MASS. "Like, wow, I get to beat all of these kids? He impressed enough that he remained with the team up through the Dubs preseason games, being amongst the first players to grace the courts at Chase Center. She noticed that he seemed to be happiest when he was playing basketball in the schoolyard. She just changed my life, Toscano-Anderson shared. As a teacher, you spend so much time around these kids that you know what they need at various times, said Attles, who watches every Warriors game to cheer for Toscano-Anderson. [10], Attles at the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade on June 19, 2015, the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, "Al Attles, Hubie Brown recipients of 2017 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award", "50 years on, reluctant Warrior al Attles is the team's mainstay", "Al Attles, a Warrior for Life, is a Bridge to a Lone Bay Area Title", "North Carolina A&T to Retire Alvin Attles' Number", "On the occasion of his father's induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, a son pays tribute", Basketball-Reference.com: Al Attles (as coach), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Al_Attles&oldid=1138383068, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 9 February 2023, at 10:58. His work has been honored by APSE, CNPA and the Professional Basketball Writers Association. There were times people told Toscano-Anderson he made the wrong decision by going to the G League. After finishing fifth on the Warriors all-time games played list (711), he transitioned into coaching the organization. It's also in Mexico. (1999) and Black Magic (2008). But as of Thursday morning, Toscano-Anderson is an official member of the Warriors -- and stillan Oakland resident -- as he signed a standard, multiyear contract with Golden State. Juan Toscano-Anderson disputes fouling Jimmy Butler during a February game against the Heat at Chase Center. It has been his entire life, as he grew up on 95th Avenue in East Oakland. Juan went home and declared to his family he was giving up soccer. Back when Attles had a sharper memory, his consideration for others left a lasting impact. Even his wife Wilhelmina is a tough competitor. I remember attending an NBA all-star game one summer at The Forum. It's a city made up of an incredibly diverse population, making those of us who tend to fall in minority races or are biracial feel more at peace. Last season, the Warriors hosted Al Attles night during a regular-season game by playing a tribute video and handing out Toscano-Anderson memorialized his late cousin by getting a tattoo of 78 Erics jersey number with Oaklands Skyline High School football team on his upper left arm. In my case, I was raised in a predominantly white family and went to a predominantly white school. It's another experience I share in common with him, often being told I acted or sounded "too white" to be Black. On a handful of chilly nights, when Patricia couldnt afford a motel and no relatives had a spare room, she slept in the passenger seat while Juan and Ariana were in the back, their blankets pulled tight. He walks a little crookedly, and he struggles with his memory sometimes. Originally, we thought this piece was going to speak to his victories, his winning percentage, his accolades, and his achievements with the Warriors. Tough. It was 20 years ago when teacher Wilhelmina Attles, wife of former Warriors star player and coach Al Attles, encouraged Toscano-Anderson to play basketball. Clifford, who referred to Attles as a father figure to all of us, argued that background helped black NBA players feel more comfortable learning because of the similar cultural background. He hadnt known how to cook, just as he hadnt known how to coach when Franklin Mieuli asked him to take charge of the Warriors. But before he could play in a preseason game, Toscano-Anderson had to complete what has become a team tradition at the annual Open Practice: he had to sing. The Bay Area will catch a break from winter storms for a couple days, but it wont last very long. There is a probably apocryphal story to the effect that one of the sportswriters covering the game began his filing with the lede "HERSHEY, Pa. Wilt Chamberlain and Al Attles combined for 117 points last night as the Philadelphia Warriors defeated the New York Knicks 169147." "I would say, like at home, it was just like all Mexican traditions. Rather than voice her displeasure about her day in comparison to his relatively short day, she instead took her frustration out on the pots and pans in the kitchen. BARTs second Transbay Tube could get quashed as planners scale back S.F. He made about $2,000 a month with Santa Cruz. He thanked Attles again Thursday, noting, "She just changed my life." Point guard who starred for the Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors from 1960-1971, and coached the team from 1970-1983. Now, at 27, he is drawing comparisons to All-Star teammate Draymond Green for his court vision and energy. After that happened, I was just really aware that he needed me more than I had thought when he first came to school. One night, Raymond Young, the Oakland Rebels head coach, called Patricia and told her to make other babysitting arrangements. At the end of the day, I accept that I am in a different category of my own. Im all about winning. The Bay Area is catching a break from winter storms. Golden State Warriors | They've given me an idea of where I wanted to be in my life and what I wanted to do.". We couldnt share this moment in person with my father, because the game was played in Washington, D.C, and in 1975, teams did not fly families and friends to road games. The lone constant during a journey that included stops in Mexico and Santa Cruz was his unparalleled effort. Keen members of Dub Nation likely saw a lot of Toscano-Anderson while they watched this past NBA Summer League as he played on both of the Dubs summer squads in the California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League. That's when fate intervened. Credit: Attles was photographed at the team's downtown Oakland practice facility where a large sign honors the 74-75 Warriors. But I know once we return home,hell just put the ring and blazer somewhere in the back of his closet. Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast, El Viaje: JTA details his journey in proudly embracing Mexican roots. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. * * *. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Golden State Warriors | He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NBA. That yellow, single-story house with a lime tree in the front yard has long been a family haven. With Ray likening Attles on-court intensity to a combination of Dennis Rodman or Russell Westbrook, the Warriors leaned on Attles to make hustle plays and knock out his opponents. To Toscano-Anderson, this meant that he too could compete against the talent in the G League. Fell in love. Klay Thompson subscribes. His competitiveness always is on full display -- perfectly depicted in the play against the Boston Celtics that resulted in him needing 27 stitches in his head. Ahead of the 2018-19 season, he decided to go to the open tryouts being hosted by the G League Santa Cruz Warriors. You can also get notified of new episodes on iTunes, Google Play Music, Spotify, Stitcher and SoundCloud. Friends told her that he had blossomed into an all-state player at Castro Valley High School. Although celebrities such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jesse Jackson, and Bill Cosby were friends of his, he never took on celebrity airs. Toward the bottom of the cup was a familiar name in green marker: Juan Toscano-Anderson, now a 6-foot-6, 213-pound backup forward for the Golden State Warriors who has become a fan favorite. In the decade since Toscano-Anderson got that tattoo as a junior at Castro Valley, he had reasons to believe he might not be so special. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters. Now, just knowing that hecan provide for his family and stay close to them is just the icing on the cake to signing his contract. The bigger picture to my father was always his family, and the Warriors had become his family. Leave it to Toscano-Anderson to make his connection to the Bay Area known through his song of choice: Thizzle Dance by the late East Bay rapper Mac Dre. I love who I am. I was just like, This is insane, Toscano-Anderson said. He thanked Attles again Thursday, noting, "She just changed my life." Coming up in the part of the town that I came up in, it almost feels like youre in that book, Where the Wild Things Are, Toscano-Anderson said. . Barry, however, is less reticent, which is much of the reason he is an. Around this time, a student in Juans third-grade class at Stonehurst Elementary School in East Oakland threatened to stab him. Just being from Oakland, I feel like its embedded in me, he said in his Warriors Player Profile. Well before Warriors coach Steve Kerr adopted a strength in numbers philosophy to complement his All-Star players, Attles used that concept to help the Warriors lone star in Barry. Hes here, and hes making his presence felt.. On a typical day Rick and Pam Barry get up between 10 and noon in their house on Mercer Island outside of Seattle and begin their exercise routine: First, there's 15 minutes designed to develop the. Get the family photo albums.. After averaging 3.8 points per game over his four-year career at Marquette, Toscano-Anderson didnt receive a single offer to play overseas, much less in the NBA. Toscano-Andersons performance at the 2015 FIBA Americas championship was enough to land him a contract from Mexicos top league. He is the longest-serving coach in Warriors history, and also has the most wins in franchise history. At a time when you're trying to form your identity, this kind of commentary makes it nearly impossible. Heres why California has seen so much active weather. Kerrs game plan, the Warriors energy, lifted the Dubs to a much-needed win I am starting to accept that and who I am. There was a sadness in his eyes. And Al Attles Golden State Warriors have just won the NBA championship!. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. A few lucky ones would be invited to training camp with a chance to join the roster. He is an actor, known for Inside Moves (1980), The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame. (By Robert Stinnett / Oakland Tribune), Al Attles was the head coach for the Golden State Warriors during their only championship in the 1974-75 season. "He's been in and out of the hospital in the last few recent months," Ridder said. Almost all their belongings, including many of the kids childhood photos, were destroyed. Bay Area gets a break from winter storm. In 2014, Attles was the recipient of the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Awardan annual basketball award given by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to an individual who has contributed significantly to the sport of basketball, the award is the highest and the most prestigious honor presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame other than enshrinement. . Hes had a fighting spirit since the moment he came into the world, Patricia said. It was the same at home. After questioning his abilities, it is only fitting that Oakland native Toscano-Anderson found his way into the NBA by coming back to the Bay Area. [7] He was a role player on the 1964 Warriors team (with Wilt Chamberlain and Guy Rodgers) that made the NBA Finals and eventually lost the championship series to the Boston Celtics, four games to one. police arrest 2 teens suspected in brutal attack near Dolores Park, a hero of sorts to Mexicans and Mexican Americans. In an effort to recognize the meaningful impact Mrs. Attles had on his life, Toscano-Anderson surprised his former teacher at her home with a framed, autographed jersey. My dad agreed and the next day, he promptly burned a can of franks-and-beans for dinner. I knew theyd knock him right out, Patricia said. None of the coaches, none of my teammates they really made me feel a part of this. Al Attles, NBA player. All my life, my family and I have seen a Hall of Fame man. He played college basketball at North Carolina A&T, and was selected 39th overall in the 1960 NBA draft. "I always wanted to walk onto that court donning an NBA jersey," Toscano-Anderson said. To make the Santa Cruz Warriors 2018-19 roster, Toscano-Anderson needed some good fortune a timely preseason trade that freed up a contract for him. Because of those various roles, Attles is one of six Warriors players to have their jersey retired. Dad got ejected, not Barry, and the Warriors completed the sweep. Harriette Cole: I don't want the neighbor's kids at my house, Dear Abby: My wife said she doesn't like it, but it's part of my life, Ask Amy: I feel guilty for not speaking up about my co-worker's activities, Ask Amy: I'm your cabin housekeeper, and you apparently have no idea what I do. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, San Francisco, CA - Circa 1969 to 1971: Al Attles, #16, makes the jump during a San Francisco Warriors verus Los Angeles Lakers game. Its a reflection of Toscano-Andersons upbringing in East Oakland, the most dangerous area of a city with 30 homicides already in 2021. His toughness stemmed from loyalty.Related Articles The family has always felt that my fathers basketball contributions have been Hall Of Fame worthy. Connor Letourneau is a sports enterprise reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. Once he slipped up. src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=674090812743125&ev=PageView&noscript=1"/>. Do you understand me? he barked at the trembling guard, who apologized and slunk away. When his third-grade teacher Al Attles' wife, Wilhelmina took him to a Warriors-sponsored basketball camp, Toscano-Anderson returned home and told his soccer-obsessed grandpa, who asked . Alvin Austin Attles Jr. (born November 7, 1936) is an American former professional basketball player and coach best known for his longtime association with the Golden State Warriors. Because of those varying roles, Attles will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor on Sept. 6. So, the Warriors themselves, for what they are, they've given me dreams. And well just smile, because thats so him. Thompson: Known for his toughness, Warriors legend Al Attles' strength comes from his wife's love By Marcus Thompson II Apr 4, 2019 Al Attles, 82, is a champ in the kitchen. Of people looking to play professional basketball Writers Association came to school it was! 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