Muggsy Bogues facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Muggsy Bogues

Bogues in 2023
Personal information
Born	(1965-01-09) January 9, 1965 (age 60) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
High school	Paul Laurence Dunbar (Baltimore, Maryland)
Listed height	5 ft 3 in (1.60 m)
Listed weight	136 lb (62 kg)
Career information
College	Wake Forest (1983–1987)
NBA Draft	1987 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Selected by the Washington Bullets
Pro career	1987–2001
Coaching career	2005–2014
Career history
As player:
1987	Rhode Island Gulls
1987–1988	Washington Bullets
1988–1997	Charlotte Hornets
1997–1999	Golden State Warriors
1999–2001	Toronto Raptors
As coach:
2005–2006	Charlotte Sting
2011–2014	United Faith Christian Academy
Career highlights and awards
USBL Rookie of the Year (1987) Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award (1987) First-team All-ACC (1987) No. 14 retired by Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Career statistics
Points	6,858 (7.7 ppg)
Assists	6,726 (7.6 apg)
Steals	1,369 (1.5 spg)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  United States FIBA World Championship Gold 1986 Spain National team

Tyrone Curtis "Muggsy" Bogues (born January 9, 1965) is an American former basketball player. He is famous for being the shortest player ever in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Muggsy Bogues is 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m) tall. He played as a point guard for four different teams during his 14 years in the NBA. He is best known for playing ten seasons with the Charlotte Hornets. He also played for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors.

Bogues was excellent at passing the ball. He ranked among the top seven players in assists for six seasons in a row (1989–1995). He was also in the top ten for steals in three of those seasons. He achieved 146 career NBA double-doubles, which means he had double-digit numbers in two different stats in a single game. After his NBA career, he coached the Charlotte Sting in the WNBA. Bogues was also a surprisingly good defender. He blocked 39 shots during his NBA career, including one against the 7-foot-tall Patrick Ewing.

Growing Up and High School Years

Bogues was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up in the Lafayette Court housing projects. His mother was 4 ft 11 in (1.50 m) and his father was 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m). He had three older brothers and sisters.

When Bogues was a child playing basketball, people nicknamed him "Muggsy." This was after a small character from a movie series called The Bowery Boys. Besides basketball, he was also a good wrestler and baseball player.

Bogues first went to Southern High School in Baltimore. He wanted to become a dental technician. So, he moved to Dunbar High School in Baltimore. This school offered healthcare classes. At Dunbar, his coach was Bob Wade. Bogues played with future NBA players David Wingate, Reggie Williams, and Reggie Lewis. The Dunbar Poets team had an amazing record. They finished the 1981–82 season with 29 wins and 0 losses. In his senior year (1982–83), they finished with 31 wins and 0 losses. USA Today ranked them as the best high school team in the nation.

Bogues received many scholarship offers to play college basketball. Some schools that offered him scholarships were Virginia, Penn State, and Seton Hall.

College Basketball Career

Bogues making a layup for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Bogues went to Wake Forest University. He played college basketball for the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for four years. In his junior year, he averaged 11.3 points, 8.4 assists, and 3.1 steals per game. In his senior year, he averaged 14.8 points, 9.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game.

During the 1986–87 season, he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals and assists. He also won the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. As a senior, he received the Arnold Palmer Award. This award is given to Wake Forest's most valuable athlete. When he finished college, he was the ACC's all-time leader in both steals and assists.

Wake Forest decided to retire his number 14 jersey soon after he left. In 2001, he was added to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. As of 2021, he still holds the record for most steals and assists at Wake Forest.

Bogues also played for the USA national team. He helped them win the gold medal at the 1986 FIBA World Championship. He played in all ten games and led the team in assists and steals.

Professional Basketball Journey

Starting with the Rhode Island Gulls (1987)

In 1987, the Rhode Island Gulls picked Bogues second overall in the United States Basketball League draft. Fans loved Bogues, and the Gulls had the most people attending their games. In his only season there, he averaged 22.2 points and 8.4 assists per game. He played the most minutes per game in the league before an ankle injury ended his season.

Playing for the Washington Bullets (1987–1988)

The Washington Bullets drafted Bogues twelfth overall in the 1987 NBA draft. This draft class was full of talented players like David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, and Kevin Johnson. Bogues played his first NBA game on November 6, 1987. He started the game and led his team in assists. When he started, he was 16.5 inches (42 cm) shorter than the average NBA player.

In his first year, Bogues played with Manute Bol. Bol was 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) tall. They were the tallest and shortest players in NBA history at that time, with a 28 inches (71 cm) difference between them. Bol and Bogues even appeared on three magazine covers together. Bogues's playing time went down when the coach was changed. But he still led the Bullets in both steals and assists in his rookie year.

Becoming a Star with the Charlotte Hornets (1988–1997)

The next season, the Washington Bullets left Bogues available in the 1988 NBA expansion draft. The Charlotte Hornets chose him. Bogues was happy to start fresh in Charlotte.

Bogues became a key player for the Hornets. He played for almost ten seasons with the team. He was usually a starter and became one of the most recognizable faces of the Hornets, along with Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson.

During his time in Charlotte, the Hornets became a very good team. Bogues helped lead the team to the playoffs three times. He was very popular with basketball fans. From 1989 to 1995, he was in the top ten in the league for assists every season. In the 1992–93 season, Bogues had the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the NBA. One of his best seasons was in 1993–94. He averaged a double-double and was second in assists per game. In the 1994–95 season, he scored a career-high 10.8 points per game.

In August 1995, he had knee surgery. This caused him to miss many games in the 1995–96 season. He only played in six games that year. He returned the next season but still missed 17 games. In 1997, the Hornets traded Bogues to the Golden State Warriors. At that time, he was the Hornets' all-time leader in steals and assists.

Time with the Golden State Warriors (1997–1999)

Bogues led the Warriors in assists during the 1997–98 season. He played in 36 games in the next season, which was shorter due to a lockout. He missed some games because of injuries and chickenpox.

Finishing with the Toronto Raptors (1999–2001)

Before the 1999–2000 season, Bogues joined the Toronto Raptors. He reunited with his friend and former teammate, Dell Curry. In 1999–2000, he played 80 games, which was the first time since 1992–93. On March 3, 2000, at 35 years old, he scored a career-high 24 points in a win against the Boston Celtics.

Due to his ongoing knee injury, Bogues only played in three games in the 2000–01 season. This was his final season. His last game was on January 27, 2001. He was later traded to the New York Knicks but never played for them. When he finished his career, Bogues was twelfth all-time in assists and thirteenth all-time in assists per game in NBA history.

In August 2001, Bogues was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He told the team he wanted to stop playing basketball to care for his mother, who was battling cancer. The Mavericks released him, which meant he still received money from his contract.

Career Statistics

College Stats

NBA Stats

Regular Season Stats

Playoff Stats

Life After the NBA

Bogues in Delhi in 2012.

Muggsy Bogues wrote his autobiography, In the Land of Giants, in 1994. The book shares his journey from growing up in Baltimore to becoming an NBA success.

After his NBA career, Bogues worked in real estate. On August 3, 2005, he became the head coach of the Charlotte Sting in the Women's National Basketball Association. He was shorter than all his players; the shortest Sting player was 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) tall. Bogues coached the Sting to a 14–30 record before the team closed in January 2007.

In 2011, he became the head coach for the boys' high school basketball team at United Faith Christian Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. He had been an assistant coach there before. During his three seasons as head coach, the school had six all-state players. He left in 2014 to explore other opportunities.

On March 18, 2014, Bogues was named the Charlotte Hornets' Ambassador. In this role, he helps with the team's public image.

In 2018, Bogues invested in Ash & Erie, a clothing company for shorter men. He saw the company on the TV show Shark Tank. He then contacted Mark Cuban, who had also invested in the company.

In January 2020, it was announced that Bogues would be inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.

Bogues also started the Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation. This organization helps students with scholarships. It also creates community programs for families who need support. The foundation aims to help young people and families reach their full potential.

Personal Life

Bogues met his wife, Kim, in 1984. They had a daughter, Brittney, in 1987. They married in 1989 and had a son, Ty, in 1991. Bogues also has an older daughter named Tyisha. Bogues and Kim separated in 1995 and divorced in 1997. Kim had custody of their children.

Bogues met Sharon Smith in 2003. They dated for five years until Smith passed away from breast cancer in July 2008.

Bogues and his ex-wife, Kim, remarried in 2015.

On June 21, 1991, Bogues and his Hornets teammate Dell Curry played in a Minor League Baseball game. They played for the Gastonia Rangers. This was a special event arranged by the team owner. Bogues played second base but did not get any hits.

When Bogues left Wake Forest in 1987, he was close to finishing his degree. In 1996, he went back to Wake Forest to take summer classes. He finished his degree through correspondence courses. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications in May 1998.

Bogues's sister, Sherron, worked for the Baltimore Department of Recreation and Parks for 32 years. She passed away from cancer at age 55 in 2015. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake named June 27 "Sherron Bogues Day" in her honor.

Bogues's grandson, Samartine, is a young basketball player. He received media attention for his skills even in elementary school. He received his first college basketball scholarship offer in 2020 when he was a freshman in high school.

Appearances in Movies and TV

Bogues appeared in the movie Space Jam. He was one of five NBA players whose basketball skills were stolen by the movie's villains, the Monstars.

He had a small role in the movie Juwanna Mann.

Bogues also made a short appearance in the TV series Curb Your Enthusiasm.

In 1996, Bogues had a cameo at the end of the movie Eddie. In the film, Whoopi Goldberg's character flirts with him. He then supports her character in preventing a team move.

He made a short appearance on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

He also appeared in an episode of Hang Time, where he spoke against steroids.

Bogues appeared in "Rebound," an episode of Royal Pains. He attended a party in the episode.

Bogues was interviewed for Baltimore Boys. This was an ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the Dunbar Poets high school basketball team.

Advertisements

Bogues has appeared in several TV commercials. He avoided ads that focused on his height during his playing career. He appeared in commercials for Sprite, AT&T, First Union National Bank, Bojangles, and Hyundai. In 1995, he and his mother appeared in commercials for Reebok. In 2002, he was in IBM commercials. In 2014, he appeared as a Christmas elf in a commercial for NBA 2K15. In 2016, he was in an ad for Axe. In 2019, Bogues appeared in commercials for the web hosting company GoDaddy. In 2022, he appeared in a commercial for Caesars Entertainment.

See also

In Spanish: Muggsy Bogues para niños

• List of shortest players in National Basketball Association history
• List of National Basketball Association career assists leaders