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As a player, Shue racked up five consecutive NBA All-Star appearances from 1958 to 1962 and played one season with the Baltimore Bullets before going into coaching.
Shue’s coaching career spanned 13 total seasons in Baltimore and Washington, where he led the Bullets, now the Washington Wizards, to three 50-win seasons. During that time Shue also amassed a record 522 wins and was named NBA Coach of the Year twice.
“Gene dedicated his life to the game and left an indelible mark as a player, head coach and executive,” The NBA said on Twitter. “We extend our deepest condolences to the Shue family.”
Shue was born in Baltimore and attended Towson Catholic High School. He went on to play basketball at the University of Maryland where broke all scoring records and made the All-ACC team, according to the Baltimore Sun.
Upon graduating, Shue was drafted by the Philadelphia Warriors but was quickly traded to the New York Knicks in 1954. He later joined the Baltimore Bullets in for the 1963-64 season.
Two years later, Shue began his 22-year-long coach career where he spent the first seven with the Bullets, according to the NBA. He resigned after the 1972-73 season.
“We are saddened by the passing of former Bullets head coach, Gene Shue, a Baltimore native and the winningest coach in franchise history,” the Washington Wizards said in statement.
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