That got pretty boring after doing every day at recess. After the Warriors went 48-34 in the 1974-75 season, Attles coached the Warriors to their first NBA championship in 1975 by upsetting the Washington Bullets in a four-game Finals sweep. For the rest of the school year, she made herself available to Juan anytime he needed her. This happened once he transferred schools after having a knife pulled on him in second grade. Wilhelmina, the wife of Golden State legend Al Attles, could sense that something troubled her new student. The doctor asked Patricias family whom he should save, if it came down to a choice: mother or son. I know I am Black," Toscano-Anderson revealed. IRS delays tax deadline for Bay Area, but California hasn't followed: What should you do? Although the American team was full of G League players, Mexico came out on top. One family member who took them in for a period had a rule: Everyone needed to be out of the house by the time she left for work at 4 a.m. For the four hours before Patricia could drop her kids off at school, she watched as Juan read childrens books to his little sister and sang songs in their sedan. "He just brings that energy and juice to every moment that he comes into the game. He retired as a player after the 197071 season, and stayed on as head coach, guiding the Rick Barry-led Warriors to the 1975 NBA championship over the heavily favored Washington Bullets, making him the second African-American coach to win an NBA title (the first was Bill Russell). This happened once he transferred schools after having a knife pulled on him in second grade. He was just 19. San Francisco is at its most unaffordable point in at least a decade, S.F. . Workers in S.F. But all it took was a little encouragement from the wife of a Warriors Hall of Famer to turn him onto the sport. He needed an outlet.. I am starting to accept that and who I am. The Warriors have invited various luminaries, including Barry, Mullin, Sleepy Floyd, Marreese Speights and Jason Richardson for Sundays game against the Los Angeles Clippers, which marks the final regular-season game at Oracle Arena. Because there is nowhere better than home, playing for the home team. Toscano-Anderson grew up in a similar situation, only with his Mexican roots. I love who I am. "I'm sure there were some more opportunities out there for me, but this is home for me. Attles and his wife, Wilhelmina, reside in Oakland and have two adult children, Alvin III and Erica. His ability to guard multiple positions, find open shooters and ratchet up the tempo intrigued Golden State, which had helped hasten the leagues trend toward a positionless brand of basketball. 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." Alvin Attles, Actor: Inside Moves. Al Attles is best known as a Basketball Player. . (Ron Riesterer / Oakland Tribune Staff Archives), Oakland, CA February 13, 1976 - Golden State Warriors basketball coach Al Attles at a press conference. "Enjoy this journey that basketball and life have taken me on. In 1991, Oakland suffered a devastating Hills fire. Now living this childhood dream, Toscano-Anderson returned to Chase Center not as someone on the preseason roster contending for a spot, but as a Golden State Warrior. 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. As he walks past familiar liquor stores and laundromats, he is reminded of some childhood memories that shake him to this day. Al Attles is synonymous with the Golden State Warriors, and Friday night he will be immortalized here as a member of the basketball Hall Of Fame. When his mom moved back to Castro Valley when he was in fifth grade, he refused to leave East Oakland. Many in the Elmhurst neighborhood know that, if they need a place to stay while they get their lives back on track, Toscano-Anderson and his mom will try to help provide accommodations. Back when Attles had a sharper memory, his consideration for others left a lasting impact. (D. Ross Cameron/Staff Archives), Golden State Warriors' legend Alvin Attles ackowledges the crowd as Nate Thurmond, left, looks on during a special tribute to Attles as part of the NBA Hardwood Classics Month during the game agaInst the Milwaukee Bucks in the first half of an NBA game at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011. "Even with knowing that final part of the play, I would still make the same play 10 times out of 10," he said. But when Toscano-Anderson first arrived at Mrs. Attles classroom in cornrows and a Larry Hughes replica Warriors jersey, he was an 8-year-old from the urban flatlands of East Oakland in a room filled with children from the more affluent Oakland hills. Al Attles is a Warriors icon, but his wife, Wilhelmina, has been his rock for more than half a century. 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 . Toscano-Anderson's mother, Patricia, tried her best to flip the narrative for Juan and his siblings. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. Fueled by the desire to land a college scholarship and help his mom, Toscano-Anderson blossomed into a four-star recruit. Golden State Warriors Established 1946 | 7-time NBA Champions October 6, 2021 2:43 PM PDT Twenty years ago, Juan Toscano-Anderson was initially introduced to basketball by his third grade teacher,. One night in July 1992, Macarios youngest son, Juan, had an argument with someone in the neighborhood. She also helped him get on the Oakland Rebels AAU basketball team. Attles, 36, whose father starred for the Golden State Warriors and is now an executive with the team, is getting ready to release his first feature film.. A film set in Oakland. But eventually, they did. Patricia was a single mother of four. He is an actor, known for Inside Moves (1980), The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame. Either before the game or a during a timeout, they walk toward the concourse atop the lower bowl. I am excited to be in Springfield. In our Oakland home, thousands of miles away from my fathers ultimate coaching triumph, I hugged my little sister, Ericka and did a happy dance with my mother. 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. Sure, he made up those scenarios in his head but didn't think they'd become reality. But my dads priorities even in a potentially life-changing situation, left a deep impression on me. After a long, winding, and non-traditional route, Juan Toscano-Anderson played his first minutes on the NBA hardwood in regular season action. Golden State Warriors | "He's been in and out of the hospital in the last few recent months," Ridder said. Attles also played on the Warriors' 1967 team that lost to Chamberlain's 6813 Philadelphia 76ers in an evenly matched, six-game championship series. Despite the violence, Toscano-Anderson came to appreciate East Oaklands blue-collar ethos at an early age. Juan Toscano-Anderson disputes fouling Jimmy Butler during a February game against the Heat at Chase Center. Though Patricia was three years older, she had viewed Juan as her protector. Those trophies and basketballs dont mean anything. She also helped him get on the Oakland Rebels' AAU basketball team. (By Dino Vournas/Straff Archives), Oakland, CA January 23, 1980 - Golden State Warriors basketball coach Al Attles rejoices. Beyond Attles No . I love the Bay, I love the Warriors.". Attles coaching credentials went beyond on-court accomplishments. (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. But hey, hes here and Im here. My mother fielded many of the phone calls from other NBA teams executives, and watched the offers come in. On March 2, 1962, he was the team's second-leading scorer with 17 points on the night Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points. She and Kansas City . As did the policeman. I'm glad I did everything my way.". Even now, 42 games into his NBA career, Toscano-Anderson still finds it hard to believe hes on the Warriors. I was 10 years old or so and ran around playing tag in the locker room with my cousins Bernard and Kevin. She missed doctors appointments. [9] He was inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. Friday, the basketball Hall Of Fame will confirm what weve all known all along. 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. Heres when rain, snow will return. The racket she caused made my father get up to ask her what was wrong. Leave all that. 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. But at the same time, knowing he is about to be making the most money he has ever made in his life, is a nice thought. But Ridder added, his family is going to play it by ear on whether he attends. Toscano-Andersons No. Attles was photographed at the team's downtown Oakland practice facility where a large sign honors the 74-75 Warriors. But it didn't matter to Toscano-Anderson. Even then, he knew that suburbia didnt suit him. At a time when you're trying to form your identity, this kind of commentary makes it nearly impossible. Juan Toscano-Anderson with his family as he graduates from Castro Valley High School. Last season, the Warriors hosted Al Attles night during a regular-season game by playing a tribute video and handing out I paint the city, man, Toscano-Anderson said. And so that was kind of humbling. Steph Curry could return during Warriors next road trip, per reports Many people see only his accomplishments as a player, coach, and executive. He was previously the Warriors beat reporter (2016-2021) and the Cal beat reporter (2015-16). NBA.com is part of Warner Media, LLCs Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network. Heres why California has seen so much active weather. But on the blacktop at recess, Toscano-Anderson forgot all about the outside world. Toscano-Anderson would require resilience, a change in the NBAs style of play and some luck to go from a seldom-used college reserve to a rotation player with the Warriors. I had this feeling that something bad was going to happen.. But hes home now and is getting a little bit stronger every day.. Without him, she felt lost. It was the same at home. 2023 Getty Images. Seventeen days after her due date, Patricia went into labor. HIs wise counsel, his unwavering loyalty, his great sense of humor, his deep compassion for others. Golden State Warriors | Juan Toscano-Anderson, even as a child, always appreciated his mother, Patricia, raising him in a single-parent home. Thurmond now serves as an Ambassador to the team and goes to 30 home games a season, with his wife Marci. I wanted to be a guy who establishes himself in this league and is not just here for preseason or a 10-day or a call-up. I am versatile. Attles, 82, has not been at Warriors games recently this season because of what team spokesman Raymond Ridder called age-related ailments. The Warriors have invited Attles to be among the Warriors luminaries to attend Sundays game against the Clippers, which will mark the final regular-season game at Oracle Arena. "Of course we had family, but you know, who wants to go to their family with their children? Some players play hungry; Juan plays like a guy whos starving, Warriors guard Mychal Mulder said. 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. That encouragement set Toscano-Anderson on a path that has eventually led with the versatile forward finding a home with his childhood team, as this past May he signed a multi-year contract with the Warriors. 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. 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. Im all about winning. "I can get in where I fit in in the hood, and I can go to a quinceaeraand speak Spanish. Almost every off day the Warriors get, Toscano-Anderson guides his Honda east on Interstate 580, toward the streets where he learned the power of perseverance. Everything I envisioned as a young kid, when I met Ms. Attles and I had cornrows and I used to wear a Larry Hughes jersey to school, Im doing all of that right now. It got even harder when their home burned down when Juan was in third grade. 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. A month after Juan enrolled at Montclair, Attles learned from a member of the parent-teacher association that Juan had been staying at a family members house over the holidays when an intruder shot and killed one of Juans relatives, then stole the Christmas presents from under the tree. Miss Manners: I shouldn't call because the phone scares people? After joining the former Philadelphia Warriors in 1960 as the clubs fifth-round draft choice, Attles became known as The Destroyer during his 11-year NBA career because of his unyielding physical presence along with 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. And Toscano-Anderson has a similar tenacity, grit and hustle. I knew theyd knock him right out, Patricia said. Its nice they are recognizing someone who has been committed to the game of basketball.. She just changed my life, Toscano-Anderson shared. He tries to impact the game the same way Green does -- by doing a bit of everything. That is the Oakland seeping out of Toscano-Anderson's pores. My dad asked how he could help, and my mom suggested he help by giving her a break and cooking every now and then. He was one of the first African-American head coaches in the NBA. 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. Toscano-Andersons performance at the 2015 FIBA Americas championship was enough to land him a contract from Mexicos top league. None of the coaches, none of my teammates they really made me feel a part of this. Jersey No. As the years passed, Attles often wondered what had become of the meek boy with the cornrows and the Larry Hughes jersey. I get to enjoy everything I get to do with my family. "I'm from the Bay Area," he said back in March before quickly revising himself,"Wait, I'm not from the Bay. "We were houseless, we lived in a car, and from here and there to different places," Patricia said. OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) Hall of Famer Al Attles returned to Oracle Arena at long last. The path from Warriors Basketball Camp to the NBA for Toscano-Anderson was far from seamless. My dad never looked for trouble, but he would fight for his family. Mrs. Attles was right: Toscano-Andersonwas happiest when he was playing basketball in the yard at Stonehurst Elementary. JTA incredibly surprises camper with free trip to Cancun camp. But I never really indulged in the culture, per se. He plans on starting with getting his brother a car for his 16th birthday. What she couldnt have foreseen was that Juan would travel the world, only to return to the Bay Area and offer hope to the next generation of Oaklanders. Take the instance where Toscano-Anderson cracked his head open on a dive to save a possession in the April 15 game against the Boston Celtics as evidence. (Karl Mondon/Staff Archives), Oakland, CA January 31, 1989 - Golden State Warriors head coach Al Attles in his office. Attles was the second NBA black coach after Bill Russell. During the first few months in his new town, he took care of his two younger siblings while his mom worked as the director of Catholic Charities violence prevention program. Attles, one of Montclairs only African American teachers, felt an immediate kinship with Juan, who is half-Black, half-Mexican. Tap into Getty Images' global scale, data-driven insights, and network of more than 340,000 creators to create content exclusively for your brand. (Oakland Tribune Photo), Former player, coach, player/coach and the last coach to last Warriors' coach to win a championship Al Attles has a word with the Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry (30) following their victory over the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the NBA Western Conference finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, May 27, 2015. Now that I have this opportunity to play for the Warriors what I plan to do is just be me: be a great teammate, be the hardest playing guy on the floor, whatever it takes to win. He loved it. His career was built on maximizing his ability and working to become efficient in areas he wasnt comfortable. In addition to becoming a hero of sorts to Mexicans and Mexican Americans for being the only active NBA player of Mexican descent, Toscano-Anderson has become an icon to Oaklanders, many of them still upset that the Warriors left their home of 47 years for San Francisco. Point guard who starred for the Philadelphia/Golden State Warriors from 1960-1971, and coached the team from 1970-1983. But what he brings to this team extends far beyond what the stat sheet shows. On April 6, 2019, Attles was chosen as a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Staff Archives), Al Attles, former Golden State Warriors player and head coach, seen during an interview in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2011. After 3 hours of labor, Patricia gave birth to a 9-pound, 12-ounce baby. Toscano-Anderson contains a similar fire to that of Draymond Green, who's considered the heartbeat of the team. He is one of the last living members of the franchise who dates to their time in Philadelphia. In Game 4 of the 1975 Finals, Riordan walked up to Rick Barry and shoved the Warriors star. Family photos from Juan Toscano-Andersons youth. Dear Abby: Why do they imply my husband is a freak? I thought he changed the game the other night in the second quarter with his emotion. 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. "And at the end of the day, when it's all said and done, even if I fail, I can always look myself in the mirror and say I did it Juan's way. FamousBirthdays.com - use subject to the practices disclosed in our privacy policy. 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. I heard that message on more Saturday mornings than I can recall. 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. 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