Muggsy Bogues is one of the NBA’s most iconic players, as the 5’3″ point guard enjoyed a healthy 14-year career in the league in a sport dominated by giants. He averaged 7.7 points, 2.6 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game over his career for teams like the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors. He played alongside some of the greatest players the league has ever seen in an era that many still remember as the peak of the NBA.
Bogues is now working with Heartflow, a California-based medtech company known for its AI-powered cardiac imaging technologies, is working to protect the heart health of former NBA and NHL players through the expansion of its GAMEFILM Registry.
He spoke to Fadeaway World in an individual sit-down to promote the same, revealing what his all-time starting five would look like and who he would pick as the sixth man on this squad.
Unsurprisingly, Michael Jordan featured in the list in a backcourt alongside Stephen Curry, the only name from the modern era. Bogues named former teammates Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning to the frontcourt, while Moses Malone rounded the team off at center. Dell Curry joins his son Steph on this squad as the sixth man.
“I am always gonna pick the guys I played with. I would say, I don’t wanna pick myself. I got Steph at the point guard, I got MJ at the two just because he’s MJ. Larry Bird, I’m sorry, Larry Johnson at the three. At the four, I would go with Alonzo Mourning. At my center position, I’ll go with the late, may he rest in peace, Moses Malone. As my 6th man, I’ll go with Sixth Man of the Year, Dell Curry, and have some father-son action going on.”
Jordan averaged 31.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in 29 games against Bogues over their careers. There’s no all-time starting five that wouldn’t include Jordan, given the magnitude of his achievements in the sport. Bogues averaged 6.2 points, 8.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in games against Jordan, having some impressive moments against the greatest of all time.
Bogues played 206 games alongside Mourning, 292 games alongside Johnson, and 618 games alongside Curry, naming all three long-term teammates to the squad. Johnson averaged 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists with Bogues, while Mourning averaged 21.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks. Curry averaged 13.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists and won Sixth Man of the Year in 1994 while backing up Bogues.
Bogues didn’t play against the best version of Moses Malone, but Malone averaged 16.0 points and 8.7 rebounds in 21 games against Bogues. Bogues averaged 9.0 points, 9.6 assists, and 1.8 steals in those contests.
Given the list shows clear personal bias to multiple former teammates, it’s not surprising that names like LeBron James were left out. The only modern name to get a mention was Steph, but that was likely because of the personal relationship Bogues has with the Curry family.
