Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues NBA Basketball Biography
Muggsy Bogues is proff that a person's stature isn't measured in feet and inches. As the shortest player in NBA basketball history, the former Charlotte Hornet point guard worked harder than anyone on the floor to compensate for his lack of height. Head and shoulders below most of his opponents, Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues was once considered to be a novelty act (a curiosity who was fun to watch but not taken seriously). Muggsy proved them all wrong and became one of NBA's top point guards.
Consistently among the league leaders in assists and steals, Muggsy Bogues was a catalyst on both offense and defense. In 1994, only Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton dished out more assists per game. Although Bogues may look like a dwarf amongst giants on the court, when it comes to heart, he was the biggest of them all.
The shortest of every team he has ever played for, Muggsy Bogues was constantly told that he had no future in basketball, but Bogues never doubted himself. Playing on the best high school team in the country, he routinely dominated games with his ability to break up defenses and penetrate inside on offense. Seeing that size didn't prevent him from controlling a game, Wake Forest offered Bogues a scholarship.
Despite Muggsy Bogue's success in high school, his detractors said he'd be crushed at the Division I level. By his sophomore season he was averaging 7.1 assists per game and making a name for himself as a defensive menace. The late North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano once told his players that if they weren't sure where Bogues was, they should stop dribbling and hold the ball over their heads until they located the pesky defender.
After a brilliant NCAA college career (highlighted by an average of 9.5 assists his senior year), Muggsy Bogues was still hearing that he was too small to play in the pros. When he was drafted in the first round by the Washington Bullets, everyone said the Washington Bullets had wasted a top pick on a player who might attract fans but would never win games. Even when the Charlotte Hornets picked him up in the expansion draft a year later, they did so as much for his impact at the box office as on the basketball court.
While Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues did become a fan favorite for the Charlotte Hornets, he also proved that he could play play professional basketball and in the NBA. He quickly became one of the top NBA point guards. In his first five seasons, he led the league in assist to turnover ratio (a stat used to rate a point guards playmaking and ballhandling abilities). In 1994, on a team with All Stars Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning, Muggsy Bogues was named the Charlotte Hornets player of the year, proving that you don't need a lot of height to stand tall in the NBA.
Muggsy Bogues Charlotte Hornets Throwback Jerseys, and Classic Retro NBA Apparel
Did you know?
Did you know?
- Muggsy Bogues could dunk a basketball
- Bogues Father was 5'7, his mother 4'11 and his tallest brother is 5'6
- In 1987 Wake Forest retired Bogues #14 jersey
- His father was jailed for armed robbery when Bogues was 12 and used to send Muggsy basketball pointers in letters.
Quote From Muggsy Bogues :
"Basketball isn't for big people, it's for people who can play"
"Basketball isn't for big people, it's for people who can play"
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