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Eugene William Shue (December 18, 1931 – April 3, 2022) was an American professional
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player and coach in the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
(NBA). Shue was one of the top guards of the early days of the NBA and an influential figure in the development of basketball. He is credited with having invented the "spin move" while being an early harbinger of other plays and strategies. Shue was an
NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of al ...
five consecutive times (1958–62). After his successful playing career, he became a long-serving coach, twice winning
NBA Coach of the Year The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led ...
. Throughout his career as player, coach, and executive, Shue was "a specialist at taking over faltering teams".


Early life

Shue was born in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
on December 18, 1931. He grew up in the city's Govans neighborhood and attended
Towson Catholic High School Towson Catholic High School was a private Catholic, co-educational high school in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland, whose closing was announced in July 2009. At its peak enrollment in the 1960s and 1970s, more than 400 children attende ...
. His family lived on
welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
and he did not own a basketball as a child. He grew up a fan of the Baltimore Bullets and
Buddy Jeannette Harry Edward "Buddy" Jeannette (September 15, 1917 – March 11, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and coach. Jeannette was widely regarded as the premier backcourt player between 1938 and 1948. He was named to the First T ...
, recollecting in 1994:


Playing career


College

As a prospect in 1950, Shue was lightly recruited by
University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
's newly hired coach
Bud Millikan Herman A. "Bud" Millikan (October 12, 1920 – January 28, 2010) was the head coach of the University of Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team from 1950 to 1967. He compiled a 243–182 record. Early life Millikan was born in Maryville, M ...
. However, he wanted to play for the more-established programs at Loyola or Georgetown. After getting turned down by Loyola and getting wait listed by Georgetown after two underwhelming tryouts, Shue opted to instead play for Maryland. Shue did not receive a scholarship and instead worked odd jobs, including cleaning the basketball court (only receiving a scholarship his senior season). Joining a program with Coach Millikan that had losing records in eight of its last 10 seasons, Shue later remarked: In his tenure with Maryland, Shue and Millikan led the school's team to new heights, including their first 20-plus win regular season (23 his senior year), their first appearance in national rankings (peaked at #13 in 1954), and entrance into the
Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...
. While at Maryland, Shue joined
Delta Kappa Epsilon Delta Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as ''DKE'' or ''Deke'', is one of the oldest fraternities in the United States, with fifty-six active chapters and five active colonies across North America. It was founded at Yale College in 1844 by fifteen ...
fraternity. Shue left Maryland as its star player and their first high-profile NBA prospect. He broke all of the school scoring records and made the All-ACC team.


Professional

Following his collegiate graduation, Shue was drafted third overall in the 1954 NBA draft by the Philadelphia Warriors. After just six games with the Warriors Shue was sold to the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
, after notifying then-owner
Eddie Gottlieb Edward Gottlieb (born Isadore Gottlieb; September 15, 1898 – December 7, 1979) was a Jewish-Ukrainian professional basketball coach and executive. Nicknamed "Mr. Basketball" and "The Mogul", he was the first coach and manager of the Philadelph ...
that his paycheck was $10 short ($110.15 in 2022). After the 1955–56 season, Shue was traded to the
Fort Wayne Pistons A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
for Ron Sobie. In 1956–57 season he played his first full season for the Pistons. The franchise moved to
Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
the following season. Shue recalled the struggles during the opening game at the Detroit Olympia: "There were so many delays during the game because the floor was slippery from the ice below it, a problem that often happened. I didn’t like playing there because it was a large building with small crowds and you were always freezing your butt off." In Detroit, Shue blossomed as a player and became popular enough for the P.A. to develop the
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
"Two for Shue". He started a streak of five All-Star Game appearances and five playoff berths. In 1959–60 season he recorded 22.8 pts/game (6th-most in the NBA) and 5.5 rebounds/game, leading the NBA in minutes (3,338) and finishing second in free throw percentage (.872) while earning All-NBA First Team honors. Eleven times during the season he played all 48 minutes. The following year, he averaged 4.3 rebounds/game, 6.8 assists/game (4th in the NBA) and 22.6 points/game (10th-most in the NBA). He also marked his highest field goal percentage (.421) and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. The 1961–62 season was his last one as star player; he averaged 19.0 pts/game and 5.8 assists/game (5th in the NBA). In 1962, Shue was traded back to the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
for
Darrall Imhoff Darrall Tucker Imhoff (October 11, 1938 – June 30, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. He spent 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for six teams from 1960 to 1972. He made an NBA All-Star team, an ...
and cash. In 1963, Shue was traded along with
Paul Hogue Paul H. "Duke" Hogue (April 28, 1940 – August 17, 2009) was an American basketball player. Early life Hogue grew up on Wilson Avenue in Knoxville, Tennessee and played basketball at Austin High School, an all-black high school where his fat ...
to the Baltimore Bullets for
Bill McGill Bill "The Hill" McGill (September 16, 1939 – July 11, 2014) was an American basketball player best known for inventing the jump hook. McGill was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1962 NBA draft out of the University of Utah, with whom he led the N ...
.


Coaching and executive career

As Shue moved on from playing, he would begin an NBA coaching career which would last over 22 years. He developed a reputation for helping bad teams become competitive. In 1986, the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' remarked, "Gene Shue has lost more games than any coach in
NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
history, which is more of a testimony of Shue's coaching ability than a criticism. Anybody who can lose 768 games—he has won 757—and still be employed must be a good coach."


Baltimore Bullets

In his first coaching stint, the then 35-year-old led the Baltimore Bullets and took over a 4-21 team mid-season leading them to a dismal 16–40 record in the 1966-67 season. Two seasons later, he led the franchise to the best record in the league, also the franchise's first winning season. He oversaw the team's improvement with three 50-plus-win seasons and an Eastern Conference Championship in 1970–71. He guided the Bullets to the
NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
in 1971, but got swept by the
Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...
led by
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...
and
Oscar Robertson Oscar Palmer Robertson (born November 24, 1938), nicknamed "the Big O", is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Cincinnati Royals and Milwaukee Bucks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Robertson played ...
. Shue's seven seasons in Baltimore were also noted for the Bullets' rivalry with the
New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
, in which both teams faced each other in the NBA playoffs for five straight years from 1969 to
1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: Citing progress in peace negotiations, U.S. ...
. The Bullets lost to the Knicks four times in 1969 (0–4),
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...
(3–4),
1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...
(2–4) and 1973 (1–4), winning only in
1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...
(4–3). Shue announced his resignation on June 8, 1973. He was not comfortable with the franchise's move to the Washington, D.C. suburbs beginning with the 1973–74 campaign. He explained, "Living and coaching in Baltimore was a beautiful situation. Now it is just not the same. They think I am Baltimore‐oriented and I am. They are looking for somebody to fit better into the Washington scene." He was replaced by
K. C. Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...
ten days later on June 18.


Philadelphia 76ers

On June 15, 1973, a week after his departure from the Bullets, Shue signed a two‐year contract to succeed
Kevin Loughery Kevin Michael Loughery (born March 28, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Career biography Loughery spent 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (1962–1973), almost nine of them with the Baltimore ...
as head coach of the
Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...
. He inherited a team whose 73 losses in the previous season is an NBA record. Under his leadership, the team increased their total from 25 games, then 34, then 46, and 50 with an Eastern Conference Championship. For the 76ers' 50-win 1976–77 season, Shue led a talented team with raised expectations, that Turquoise Erving (wife of
Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...
) would lament in March 1977, "I feel we have the talent to win, but I don't think they're playing much like a team. No one here respects Shue. How many guys want to win one for Shue? Not one. And sometimes not even for themselves." Although reaching the Finals, they eventually lost to the
Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
–led
Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
in the NBA Finals, a devastating loss as Shue had spent much of the season dealing with in-fighting among the team's many stars. 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. The team went as far as start a "We Owe You One" advertising campaign in reaction to the loss. Shue was succeeded by
Billy Cunningham William John Cunningham (born June 3, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, who was nicknamed the ''Kangaroo Kid'' for his leaping and record-setting rebounding abilities. He spent a total of 17 seasons with the ...
.


San Diego and Los Angeles Clippers

The next season, Shue joined the newly relocated
San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
and surprised the league with a 43–39 record and a near-playoff berth. He was fired the next season after an 11-game losing streak.


Second stints

Shue finally agreed to head coach the
Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
when he signed a three-year contract to succeed
Dick Motta John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Championship, and he won the 1971 ...
on May 27, 1980. He would coach in Washington for six seasons. His final head coaching assignment began on May 21, 1987, when he signed a three-year contract to return to the Clippers, which had relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
three years earlier. He succeeded
Don Chaney Donald Ray Chaney (born March 22, 1946) is an American former professional basketball player and coach, most notable for winning two championships as a player on the Boston Celtics, and winning NBA Coach of The Year while leading the Houston Roc ...
and inherited a Clippers team which had an NBA-worst 12–70 record in an injury-riddled 1986–87 and had failed to qualify for the playoffs for eleven consecutive seasons. With the Clippers beginning 1988–89 at 10–28 and in the midst of an eleven-game losing streak, Shue was fired on January 19, 1989, and assistant
Don Casey Lawrence Donald Casey (born June 17, 1937) is an American former professional and collegiate basketball coach. He has coached two National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, the Los Angeles Clippers and the New Jersey Nets—each for a season ...
was promoted to replace him. The
Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...
and
Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
, that season's expansion entries, both earned their first-ever victories at the expense of the Clippers which had the same win total as the former at the time of the coaching change. Shue's record in years in Los Angeles was 27–93. Shue finished his coaching career with a regular-season record of 784–861 while going 30–47 in the playoffs. His 784 wins are the 16th-most in NBA history and his 861 losses are the sixth-most in NBA history. He won
NBA Coach of the Year The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led ...
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. He was the Eastern Conference Coach for two All-Star Games, in 1969 and 1977. After his final coaching position, Shue opted to move to
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to become vice president of a mortgage business and work for a bank, while also serving as an analyst for
ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
on
Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...
games. He would soon be chosen as the GM for the 76ers. He was infamously the target of
Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Natio ...
, who called Shue "a clown" as part of Barkley's effort to force a trade, and rumored tampering from executives from other teams.


Legacy


As a player

Shue's dynamic guard play was influential for the newly formed NBA. He was known as a "gunner" who also played superb defense. His flair for
dribbling In sports, dribbling is maneuvering a ball by one player while moving in a given direction, avoiding defenders' attempts to intercept the ball. A successful dribble will bring the ball past defenders legally and create opportunities to score. A ...
and weaving was not the norm of the time, but would later become so for point guards. He had an ability to drive to the basket and use acrobatics to score or pass. His twisting
layup A layup in basketball is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, laying the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket. The motion and one-handed reach distinguish it from a Jump sh ...
wowed competitors,
Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lake ...
describing it as "tricky". He was one of the few players of his time to have a jump shot instead of a set shot (a habit from his grammar school's low ceiling), and to emphasize transitional offense. He invented the "spin move", the 360-degree spin with the ball switching hands. An advocate for skill-based play, he once posited that "a basketball team composed of little men up to 6 feet 5 inches could beat a team of tall men 6 feet 5 inches and over."


As a coach

Throughout his coaching career, Shue was known for his mix of fundamental basketball and unconventional strategies, many of which went against the norms of the time, but were sometimes adopted in future generations. His infamous playbooks were both celebrated for their innovation and maligned for their heftiness. In 1988,
Gerald Henderson Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Sr. (born January 16, 1956) is an American retired basketball player. He was a combo guard who had a 13-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1979 until 1992. He played for the Boston C ...
declared, "Gene Shue's teams always control the tempo."
NBA.com The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
stated that Shue was one of the only coaches that embraced set plays for the then-controversial
three-point shot A three-point field goal (also 3-pointer, three, or trey) is a field goal in a basketball game made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc surrounding the basket. A successful attempt is worth three points, in contrast to the two poi ...
s when the line was first introduced, stating that Shue "gave the shot the green light and red carpet." At times, he had his team's center bring up the ball.
George McGinnis George F. McGinnis (born August 10, 1950) is an American former professional basketball player who played 11 seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted into the ABA from Indiana ...
in describing the merits of Shue's coaching philosophy, said, "He has a lot of plays that use my individual talent and a lot of plays for the team."
Earl Monroe Vernon Earl Monroe (born November 21, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams ...
noted Shue's ability to get star players, like Monroe himself, to adapt their flashy skills to sound, fundamental team play (noting the perceived racial segregation in styles of play of the time).
Spencer Haywood Spencer Haywood (born April 22, 1949) is an American former professional basketball player and Olympic gold medalist. Haywood is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2015. High school career In 1964, Hayw ...
described Shue's ability to instill confidence "My guy was Gene Shue, and still is Gene Shue, who had the faith in me to say, "Take this team, and let's go."
Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...
wrote in his autobiography that Shue "was awesome, always so positive, upbeat, imaginative, and extremely creative." In 1980, ''
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
'' suggested that Shue "might be the reigning expert on the rehabilitation of players, judging from his penchant for taking in the league's rejects and wayward souls." In 2009,
Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the Fo ...
listed him as one of ten great players who became great coaches, noting that Shue "specialized in improving the fortunes of bad ball clubs, which is the only reason why he lost so many games." Although his lifelong tendency to seek out challenging situations to turn around resulted in fewer wins, trophies, and accolades as both a player and a coach; in 1987, he remarked, "I think when you come into any losing situation, the first thing you have to bring with you is a positive attitude, one that your players can begin to believe in. Not that I ignore problems. I'm both optimistic and realistic. I have always been honest. I don't try to kid people." In 1989, the ''Los Angeles Times'' stated, "Gene Shue has proven to be one of the best coaches the NBA has ever had."


Post-career honors

Shue was inducted into University of Maryland's Hall of Fame in 1991. He was first on a ballot as a coach for the
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...
in 1994, but was not elected. He was nominated again the following year but again the bid was an unsuccessful one. He was re-introduced in the Contributor category, where he was nominated, but not inducted, in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Shue's basketball career included over 40 years in the NBA, although split as player, coach, and executive.
Bleacher Report Bleacher Report (often abbreviated as B/R) is a website that focuses on sport and sports culture. Its headquarters are in San Francisco, with offices in New York City and London. Bleacher Report was acquired by Turner Broadcasting System in Aug ...
listed him first on their list of coaches not in the Hall of Fame (but factored in his playing career).


Personal life

Shue married twice, both ending in divorce. His first wife was Dottie Shue, resulting in 3 children: Susan Shue, Linda Shue and Gregory Shue. After his divorce to Dottie, he was married to Sandy Shue. In 1985, when asked about the effect of basketball on home life, Sandy Shue remarked, "People think he's got the most violent temper. They say, 'He must be an absolute bear to live with.' When we first began dating I really didn't like it. If he lost a basketball game he wouldn't speak to anyone, even me. Now he pretends like things are okay, but he still stays awake all night." He was the godfather of
Danny Ferry Daniel John Willard Ferry (born October 17, 1966) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and an All-American college player at Duke University. He most recently served as interim genera ...
(the son of
Bob Ferry Robert Dean Ferry (May 31, 1937 – October 27, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, assistant coach, and general manager (GM) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for the St. Louis Hawks, Detroit Pistons, and ...
, whom Shue played alongside and coached), who would similarly become an NBA player and executive. Shue was in a domestic partnership with Patti Amis Massey from 2009 until the time of his death. They lived together in
Marina Del Rey, California Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The p ...
. Shue died on April 3, 2022, at his home in Marina Del Rey, aged 90. He had suffered from
melanoma Melanoma, also redundantly known as malignant melanoma, is a type of skin cancer that develops from the pigment-producing cells known as melanocytes. Melanomas typically occur in the skin, but may rarely occur in the mouth, intestines, or eye ( ...
prior to his death.


NBA career statistics


Regular season


Playoffs


Head coaching record

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NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
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Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
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Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 52, , 30, , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central , , 5, , 1, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 25, , 57, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Atlantic , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 34, , 48, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Atlantic , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 46, , 36, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Atlantic , , 3, , 1, , 2, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
First Round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, - , align="left" ,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 50, , 32, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic , , 19, , 10, , 9, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern and Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion. The team that wins the series is awa ...
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Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, align="left" , , 6, , 2, , 4, , , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired) , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 43, , 39, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 35, , 47, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 39, , 43, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Atlantic , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 43, , 39, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Atlantic , , 7, , 3, , 4, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semifinals , - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 42, , 40, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Atlantic , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 35, , 47, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Atlantic , , 4, , 1, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
First Round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 40, , 42, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Atlantic , , 4, , 1, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in
First Round First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
, - , align="left" ,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, align="left" , , 69, , 32, , 37, , , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired), , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, align="left" , , 82, , 17, , 65, , , , , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Pacific , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , align="left" ,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, align="left" , , 38, , 10, , 28, , , , , style="text-align:center;", (fired) , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 1,645, , 784, , 861, , , , , , 77, , 30, , 47, , , , , - class="sortbottom" , colspan="12" style="text-align: center;", Source:


References


External links


BasketballReference.com: Gene Shue (as coach)



Video footage of Gene Shue as coach
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shue, Gene 1931 births 2022 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) head coaches Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973) players Basketball coaches from Maryland Basketball players from Baltimore Deaths from melanoma Deaths from cancer in California Detroit Pistons players Fort Wayne Pistons players Los Angeles Clippers head coaches Maryland Terrapins men's basketball players National Basketball Association All-Stars New York Knicks players Philadelphia 76ers head coaches Philadelphia Warriors draft picks Philadelphia Warriors players Point guards San Diego Clippers head coaches Shooting guards Sportspeople from Baltimore Washington Bullets head coaches