Eddie Shannon
Encyclopedia
Eddie Shannon is an American
professional basketball
player who last played for the Adelaide 36ers
in the NBL
.
Shannon, a native of West Palm Beach in Florida, has played his entire career essentially with only one eye. While playing with some of his seventh-grade friends, Eddie was unintentionally hit in the right eye with a rock, forever altering his vision. Following the accident, he underwent surgery to remove blood clots from his eye, and a year later, had a cataract removed. As an eighth grader, his vision began to blur, and he could only see shadows. Even with limited vision, Eddie went on to star for Cardinal Newman High School
in West Palm Beach which led him to be recruited by the University of Florida
where he became the Florida Gators
starting Point Guard
and is among the schools all-time leaders in assists and steals.
Despite Shannon continuing to excel on the basketball court, the vision in his right eye got progressively worse. After consulting a doctor, he made the decision to have a certain type of surgery, known as an Evisceration, which involves removing parts of his eye. He was eventually fitted with a cosmetic prosthesis that covers his damaged cornea leading him to wear goggles when playing, though he has since discarded them.
Most of Shannon's professional career has been played in European leagues which included stints with KK Split
in Croatia
and Strasbourg IG in France
. In all he spent some nine seasons in Europe including a stint as team mate to Australian Boomers
center
Chris Anstey
at PBC Ural Great
in Russia
.
Eddie Shannon signed as an import player for the Adelaide 36ers mid-way through the 2010-11 NBL season and made his debut for the club as a substitute against the Wollongong Hawks
on December 10, 2010 where he scored 12 points and had 5 assists in a solid debut for his new team. For the rest of the NBL season Shannon started all bar two games for the 36ers, only missing the two games due to an ankle sprain. At the end of the 2010-11 season Shannon had played 18 games for the 36ers and averaged 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who last played for the Adelaide 36ers
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers are Adelaide's men's professional basketball team, established as the Adelaide City Eagles when they joined the National Basketball League in 1982. The Adelaide 36ers tally of four championships is equal with the Melbourne Tigers and second behind the Perth Wildcats as the most...
in the NBL
National Basketball League (Australasia)
The National Basketball League, also known as the iiNet NBL Championship for sponsorship reasons, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in Australasia....
.
Shannon, a native of West Palm Beach in Florida, has played his entire career essentially with only one eye. While playing with some of his seventh-grade friends, Eddie was unintentionally hit in the right eye with a rock, forever altering his vision. Following the accident, he underwent surgery to remove blood clots from his eye, and a year later, had a cataract removed. As an eighth grader, his vision began to blur, and he could only see shadows. Even with limited vision, Eddie went on to star for Cardinal Newman High School
Cardinal Newman High School (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Cardinal Newman High School, also commonly referred to as Cardinal Newman or simply Newman, is a Catholic coeducational secondary school located in West Palm Beach Florida, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Palm Beach...
in West Palm Beach which led him to be recruited by the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
where he became the Florida Gators
Florida Gators men's basketball
The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and the Southeastern Conference...
starting Point Guard
Point guard
Point guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
and is among the schools all-time leaders in assists and steals.
Despite Shannon continuing to excel on the basketball court, the vision in his right eye got progressively worse. After consulting a doctor, he made the decision to have a certain type of surgery, known as an Evisceration, which involves removing parts of his eye. He was eventually fitted with a cosmetic prosthesis that covers his damaged cornea leading him to wear goggles when playing, though he has since discarded them.
Most of Shannon's professional career has been played in European leagues which included stints with KK Split
KK Split
KK Split , KK Split CO for sponsorship relations is a basketball club from Split, Croatia. Currently, KK Split competes in the A-1 Liga and Krešimir Ćosić Cup.-History:...
in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
and Strasbourg IG in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In all he spent some nine seasons in Europe including a stint as team mate to Australian Boomers
Australia national basketball team
The Australian national basketball team is the men's basketball side that represents Australia in international competitions. The team is known in Australia as the Boomers, an Australian slang term for Kangaroo. Australia is ranked 9th in the world and finished 7th at the 2008 Beijing Olympic...
center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
Chris Anstey
Chris Anstey
Christopher John Anstey is a former Australian professional basketball player. At 7'0" his career included stints in the NBA, Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 1997 NBA Draft. He played for the Melbourne Tigers in the Australian NBL...
at PBC Ural Great
PBC Ural Great
PBC Ural Great Perm was a Russian professional basketball club that was located in Perm, Russia. The club's home arena was Molot Sports Hall. The team played in the Russian Super League.-History:...
in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
Eddie Shannon signed as an import player for the Adelaide 36ers mid-way through the 2010-11 NBL season and made his debut for the club as a substitute against the Wollongong Hawks
Wollongong Hawks
The Wollongong Hawks are a team competing in Australia's National Basketball League , based in the New South Wales city of Wollongong. They won the NBL championship in 2001 and finished as runners-up in 2005 and 2010...
on December 10, 2010 where he scored 12 points and had 5 assists in a solid debut for his new team. For the rest of the NBL season Shannon started all bar two games for the 36ers, only missing the two games due to an ankle sprain. At the end of the 2010-11 season Shannon had played 18 games for the 36ers and averaged 9.6 points, 2.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game.