Gene Shue: The Little Mouse That Roared, 1961

[This post started out as a tribute to Hall of Famer Don Nelson, who passed away last weekend at age 86. I have a fantastic Nelson profile stashed somewhere on my magazine shelf. But, as sometimes happens, I couldn’t locate it. In any case, here’s to Nellie and a life well lived! Instead, I located this nicely done profile of Gene Shue, who passed away in 2022. Shue is best remembered today as an NBA coach. The one who, in the mod early 1970s, sported an unhip flat-top haircut. Mostly forgotten is that Shue was one heck of a ballplayer a decade earlier. In fact, he was one of the NBA’s best backcourtmen, a point that’s still well worth remembering today by reading this profile of Gene Shue the Player. It ran, with no byline, in Complete 1960-61 Basketball Magazine, featuring a spry Wilt Chamberlain on the cover. In the meantime, I’ll keep looking for that fantastic Don Nelson profile.] **** Ask any player in the National Basketball Association to name the best all-around player in the…