Six decades. One team. One amazing Hall of Fame career.

When Al Attles is enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday night in Springfield, Mass., he will hold a unique distinction.

Attles will be the first inductee to spend six full decades with one team, beginning as a point guard and then holding the positions of player-coach, coach, general manager, vice president and community ambassador. Only Red Auerbach comes close to Attles’ tenure with one team, in 57 years with the Celtics, but not in such a wide variety of roles.

Attles has intersected with every part of the Warriors’ long history, from the early days in Philadelphia to the state-of-the-art current team.

He played alongside Wilt Chamberlain in Philadelphia; he moved West with the team in 1962; he became a player-coach in 1970 and the full-time head coach in 1971, guiding the Warriors to the NBA title in 1975. In 1983, he took the reins as general manager and worked in the front office for more than three decades.

Here are observations from men who have known him through the decades.

Tom Meschery

Teammate of Attles, The Player, 1960s

“I met him in training camp in Hershey, Pa., in 1960. I understood immediately that I would have to upgrade my game. Just from how intense he was — he was a true lock-down defender. He was not to be fooled around with.

“Shame on you if you tried to fight him: He was pound for pound the toughest man in the NBA. It was wonderful for me because I could fight somebody, and I knew Al would back me up. One night he saved me from Zelmo Beaty. He got in a fight with me and Al drove him into the stands.

“He was very quiet and modest off the court. He has a nice sense of humor. He was very close friends with Wilt (Chamberlain) and Guy Rodgers. He kept his own counsel and was a real observer of the game. But he became more and more gregarious over the years. He became the real voice of the Warriors.”

Rick Barry

Teammate and later played for Attles, The Coach, 1970s

“He was my roommate my rookie year. He incentivized me. He was the veteran and I was the rookie. He got to pick the TV shows. He liked a hot room and I couldn’t stand it. He had this awful smelling aftershave. I told him, ‘I have to play really well so I can negotiate a single room.’

“He was very feared. He was an amazing boxer, with such quick hands. He’d hit you three times before you knew what happened.

“As a coach, he was a players’ coach. Everyone respected him because he could beat the hell out of you. If something happened on the court, Al would be out there, trying to protect you. Like in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, he was thrown out trying to protect me.

“He treated players the way you wanted to be treated. He knew when to rest you. He believed in his guys and went deep, sometimes playing 10 people. In Game 7 of the Western Conference finals I was struggling, and he put me on the bench. It was the best move he ever made. When I went back in I played well. If he doesn’t make that move I don’t know if we win that game or the Finals.”

Chris Mullin

Drafted by Attles, The General Manager, 1980s

“Whether it was me going to rehab (for alcohol addiction) or me having a great game, he was always there to support me. He had a huge impact on me on and off the court. For a long time, he was the only guy running the organization. He shouldered a big burden and did it with grace. He played every role imaginable and did each to perfection, with class and dignity. He was the stability of the organization, through championships and through tough times.

“Twenty-something years after he drafted me, I was the GM. I came full circle, asking him for advice. He was always accessible, but he was an old-school guy. He didn’t want to be seen hanging around too much. But all you had to do was ask.

“I was just visiting with him. We had a blast. He never changes. I told him, ‘I always try to emulate you.’ He and (the late) Nate Thurmond were such legendary figures but so humble and welcoming. He was a perfect example of how to conduct yourself as a leader.”

Garry St. Jean

GM with Attles, The Assistant GM, 1990s

“I got to spend 11 years with him. I think the world of him. He was a great person to go and talk to when you had questions: ‘How would you handle this? What do you see there?’ He wouldn’t come in and pontificate. He’d just give you his thoughts. You can’t teach experience.

“The coolest thing was to walk down Broadway in Oakland with him and watch how people reacted. We’d walk out of the practice facility to grab a burger and he would say hello to everyone. He was so gracious. And the way all the players reacted to him — Mitch (Richmond), Timmy (Hardaway), Mully, Manute (Bol). He had the respect of that generation and I see it with this generation, too. I love that they understand his legacy.

“His office was two doors down. He had a real love of boxing and music. He had an old CD player and you never knew what he would have on in there. Jazz, the symphony, pop stuff.

“He has an institutional knowledge. ... He’s forgotten more stuff about the franchise than most people have ever known. Yet he’s so humble. You’d never know what he did.”

Adonal Foyle

Sat at games with Attles, The Ambassador, 2000s

“He’s like the mayor of Warriorsville. He has this presence, and everyone wants to talk to him, everyone wants a picture. It’s what he represents to the team and the kindness he possesses. I always felt he was kind of paternal, in the sense that he is always there to listen and give you a good piece of advice.

“It was amazing to sit there and see that first Warriors championship (2015) through his eyes. He had won one in 1975, the year I was born, and then there was that gap. He’s been the steady engine through it all.

“He’s the dude who stood next to Wilt Chamberlain. Yet he can be so self-deprecating about his accomplishments. It’s just a tremendous legacy.”

Steve Kerr

Enshrinement ceremony What: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2019 induction celebration When: 4:30 p.m. Friday, broadcast begins on NBA TV at 3:30 p.m. Inductees: Bill Fitch, Bobby Jones, Sidney Moncrief, Jack Sikma, Paul Westphal, Tennessee A&I Teams of 1957-59, Teresa Weatherspoon, Al Attles, Charles “Chuck” Cooper, Vlade Divac, Carl Braun, Wayland Baptist University Teams of 1948-82 Where: Springfield, Mass.

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First Warriors coach to win title on West Coast besides Attles, The Champion, 2010s

“I invited Alvin and a few other former Warriors, Nate Thurmond and Tom Meschery, to talk to our team during my first season in 2014-15. It was an incredible day. We sat in a conference room at our practice facility and you could just feel the respect that Alvin and the other guys commanded from our team. Alvin was probably the most talkative that day, sharing his wisdom and anecdotes. I remember some stories about being teammates with Wilt Chamberlain and coaching Rick Barry. By the end of the session, the players were laughing and having a great time, especially those who have a real sense of NBA history, like Andre Iguodala and Steph Curry.

“They walked out of the room thoroughly impressed, which is not hard to do around someone like Al. He’s a legend. He truly is Mr. Warrior. For someone to spend 60 years with the same organization is amazing. And I’m not sure I’ve ever met a nicer human being.

“He’s done it all in the game of basketball and for him to be enshrined in Springfield is so richly deserved. Our community — and our world — is a better place because of him.”

The Hall of Fame honor comes 59 years after Alvin Austin Attles, Jr. was drafted in the fifth round by the Philadelphia Warriors out of North Carolina A&T. He will turn 83 in November.

“To be honest, I thought he was already in the Hall of Fame,” said Mullin.

Mullin isn’t alone. This has been an enshrinement six decades in the making. And for all the roles Attles has held over his long association with the Warriors most of us know him by this one:

Legend.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion