"New York Knicks" Gene Shue Hand Signed 3X5 Card Todd Mueller COA

Description

Up for auction the
"New York Knicks" Gene Shue Hand Signed 3X5 Card.
This item is certified authentic by Todd Mueller Autographs and comes with their Certificate of Authenticity.
ES-1813
Eugene William Shue
(born December 18, 1931) is an American former professional
basketball
player and coach in the
National Basketball Association
(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 inventing the "Spin Move" while being an early harbinger of other plays and strategies. Shue was an NBA All-Star five consecutive times (1958–62). After his successful playing career, he became a long-serving coach, twice winning
NBA Coach of the Year
. Throughout his career as player, coach, and executive, Shue was "a specialist at taking over faltering teams."
After graduation, he was drafted 3rd 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
, after notifying then-owner
Eddie Gottlieb
that his paycheck was short. After the
1955–56 season
Shue was traded to the
Fort Wayne Pistons
for
Ron Sobie
. In
1956–57 season
he played his first season (third season in the league) for the Pistons. The franchise moved to
Detroit
the following season. Shue recalled the struggles during the opening game at the 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
"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) (1,712 pts) 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. He played 11 complete games during a season and tied the league with 3,338 minutes played.
The following year, he may have had his most complete year ever, averaging 4.3 rebounds/game, 6.8 assists/game (4th in the NBA) (530 assists also 4th) and 22.6 points/game (10th-most in the NBA) (1,765 pts). 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) (465 assists also 5th). In 1962, Shue was traded back to the
New York Knicks
for
Darrall Imhoff
and cash. In 1963, Shue was traded along with
Paul Hogue
to the
Baltimore Bullets
for
Bill McGill
.