• Muggsy Bogues was shot at the age of five in his hometown of Baltimore
• Bogues suffered injuries to his arms, chest, and head
• He ended up becoming the shortest player in NBA history at the height of 5’3″
Muggy Bogues scaled the mountain of the NBA despite standing just 5’3″. The guard was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and overcame a very tough upbringing to make his dreams come true. The Hornets’ legend once revealed that he survived getting shot in the head at the age of five.
“Got shot at the age of just five years old. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time. I didn’t think I was gonna be part of the world anymore when that happened. Even though it was a buckshot, the bullet smashed my head but the buckshot hit all over my arms and my chest. That was enormously for us.”
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Bogues would also reveal that people in his neighborhood didn’t even expect to live past 20 years old due to the violence and danger around him. He also overcame being laughed at by people he played against, even crying to his mother about his lack of size.
The Inspiring Career Of Muggsy Bogues
Muggsy Bogues had an incredible journey to the NBA. Despite his size, Bogues was a dominant point guard in high school and had plenty of Division One offers waiting for him. He chose to attend Wake Forest and spent four seasons there, getting his No. 14 retired by the college.
He was drafted 12th in the 1987 Draft and got his NBA career off to a hot start. He led the Washington Bullets in assists (5.1 per game) and steals (1.6 per game) despite starting just 14 games.
He was let go in the 1988 Expansion Draft and found the Charlotte Hornets, playing nine seasons for the franchise and becoming a legend. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 1,7 steals with the Hornets, becoming the all-time leader in assists (5,557) and steals (1,067) for the franchise.
He would retire in 2001 after a two-season stint with the Golden State Warriors and then two seasons with the Toronto Raptors.
His career is a testament to what hard work and talent can get you. He’s the shortest player in NBA history and earned every single second of playing time on pure merit.
His childhood was incredibly challenging, so it’s amazing to see how Bogues emerged out of the dangerous streets of Baltimore to become one of the league’s most memorable success stories.
He never made any All-Star or All-NBA appearances, but his career average of 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.5 steals over 14 seasons proved he left a mark on the league. He had a dog in him, and he never cheated the game on effort, often having to play bigger than his size purely to be competitive.
That has led to him building friendships with the likes of Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry and notching incredible achievements like having a better offensive-rebounding percentage than the 6’10” Kevin Durant.
Mogues made his mark by breaking all physical norms the sport had established, and without him, a generation of smaller players would never have gotten the chance at the NBA level. We hadn’t seen someone of his size, but his story proves that we could one day see someone of his size make it into the NBA.
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