Eugene William Shue was an American professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association.
33 Facts About Gene Shue
2.
Gene Shue is credited with having invented the "spin move" while being an early harbinger of other plays and strategies.
3.
Gene Shue grew up in the city's Govans neighborhood and attended Towson Catholic High School.
4.
Gene Shue's family lived on welfare and he did not own a basketball as a child.
5.
Gene Shue grew up a fan of the Baltimore Bullets and Buddy Jeannette, recollecting in 1994:.
6.
Gene Shue did not receive a scholarship and instead worked odd jobs, including cleaning the basketball court.
7.
Gene Shue left Maryland as its star player and their first high-profile NBA prospect.
8.
Gene Shue broke all of the school scoring records and made the All-ACC team.
9.
Gene Shue started a streak of five All-Star Game appearances and five playoff berths.
10.
In 1962, Gene Shue was traded back to the New York Knicks for Darrall Imhoff and cash.
11.
In 1963, Gene Shue was traded along with Paul Hogue to the Baltimore Bullets for Bill McGill.
12.
Gene Shue developed a reputation for helping bad teams become competitive.
13.
Gene Shue succeeded Buddy Jeannette as coach of the Baltimore Bullets on December 5,1966.
14.
Gene Shue guided the Bullets to the NBA Finals in 1971, but got swept by the Milwaukee Bucks led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson.
15.
Gene Shue inherited a team whose 73 losses in the previous season is an NBA record.
16.
Gene Shue was fired six games into the following season on November 4,1977, having clashed with new owner Fitz Dixon despite raising the expectations to a championship.
17.
Gene Shue was fired the next season after an 11-game losing streak.
18.
Gene Shue won NBA Coach of the Year in 1968 and 1981, and was one of only eleven league coaches to win the award in multiple seasons at the time of his death.
19.
Gene Shue was the Eastern Conference Coach for two All-Star Games, in 1969 and 1977.
20.
Gene Shue was infamously the target of Charles Barkley, who called Shue "a clown" as part of Barkley's effort to force a trade, and rumored tampering from executives from other teams.
21.
Gene Shue was known as a "gunner" who played superb defense.
22.
Gene Shue had an ability to drive to the basket and use acrobatics to score or pass.
23.
Gene Shue's twisting layup wowed competitors, Elgin Baylor describing it as "tricky".
24.
Gene Shue was one of the few players of his time to have a jump shot instead of a set shot, and to emphasize transitional offense.
25.
Gene Shue invented the "spin move", the 360-degree spin with the ball switching hands.
26.
Gene Shue was inducted into University of Maryland's Hall of Fame in 1991.
27.
Gene Shue was first on a ballot as a coach for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1994, but was not elected.
28.
Gene Shue was nominated again the following year but again the bid was an unsuccessful one.
29.
Gene Shue was re-introduced in the Contributor category, where he was nominated, but not inducted, in 2011,2012, and 2013.
30.
Gene Shue was the godfather of Danny Ferry, who would similarly become an NBA player and executive.
31.
Gene Shue was in a domestic partnership with Patti Amis Massey from 2009 until the time of his death.
32.
Gene Shue died on April 3,2022, at his home in Marina Del Rey, aged 90.
33.
Gene Shue had suffered from melanoma prior to his death.