Muggsy Bogues

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Lore & Background

Bogues was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in the Lafayette Court housing projects. At age five, he was hit by stray buckshot and hospitalized. He witnessed a man beaten to death with a baseball bat. When he was 12, his father was sentenced to 20 years for armed robbery; his brother Chuckie began using hard drugs. He was nicknamed 'Muggsy' after a character from The Bowery Boys. He attended Southern High School before transferring to Dunbar High School for healthcare classes. At Dunbar, he was coached by Bob Wade and played alongside future NBA players David Wingate, Reggie Williams, and Reggie Lewis. The team went 29–0 in his junior year and 31–0 in his senior year, ranked first nationally by USA Today. He received scholarship offers from Virginia, Penn State, and Seton Hall, but attended Wake Forest University. He led the ACC in steals and assists in 1986–87, won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, and received the Arnold Palmer Award as Wake Forest's most valuable athlete. He remains Wake Forest's all-time leader in steals and assists. He played for the USA national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship, winning gold. He was drafted 12th overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets. In his rookie year, he was teammates with Manute Bol, the tallest and shortest players in NBA history at the time. He was left unprotected in the 1988 expansion draft and selected by the Charlotte Hornets. He played 10 seasons with the Hornets, leading the team to the playoffs three times. He finished in the top ten in assists in six consecutive seasons (1989–1995) and had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in 1992–93. In 1993–94 he averaged a double-double. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August 1995 and missed significant time in the 1995–96 season. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors on November 7, 1997. He later signed with the Toronto Raptors for the veterans' minimum, reuniting with Dell Curry. His last game was on January 27, 2001. He was traded to the New York Knicks on February 22, 2001, but never reported. After his NBA career, he served as head coach of the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA.

In Their Own Story

The air in the Charlotte Coliseum was thick with anticipation as Muggsy Bogues dribbled up the court, his jersey fluttering against the hardwood. Opposing defenders loomed like skyscrapers, but Bogues didn't flinch. With a sudden burst of speed that seemed to defy physics, he slipped past a towering center, drew two defenders toward him, and fired a no-look pass to an open teammate for a layup. The crowd erupted, not just for the score, but for the sheer audacity of the play—a reminder that heart outweighs height.

Reader's Guide

Muggsy Bogues is the shortest player in NBA history. He played point guard for 14 seasons. He is best known for his 10 seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He finished in the top seven in assists for six consecutive seasons (1989–1995). He had 146 career NBA double-doubles. He blocked 39 shots, including one from 7-foot Patrick Ewing. He led the Warriors in assists in 1997–98 despite starting fewer than half the games. He tied a career high with 24 points on March 3, 2000, for the Raptors.

Did You Know?

• Muggsy Bogues was drafted 12th overall in the 1987 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets.
• He was the shortest player ever to play in the NBA.
• He blocked a shot from 7-foot Patrick Ewing.
• He was a standout wrestler and baseball player in his youth.
• He played for the USA national team in the 1986 FIBA World Championship and won gold.