Be a star NBA with alone 1.60 tall It is a feat that few can achieve. In fact, it has only been within the reach of good old Tyrone Curtis Muggsy Bogues (Baltimore, 1965), who more than for his height, became known for an incredible story of personal improvement in the land of giants.
In the most populated city in Maryland, an American boy was born on January 9, 1965, willing to change his context and customs to succeed in the world of basketball. A child At five years old he would see his life pass before him. In a dark and dangerous neighborhood that highlighted violence and drugs above all else, Bogues’ story was going to change in Thousandths of a second that remembered night of 1970.
After hearing the glass of a window explode, the five-year-old boy, as curious as he was scared, headed to the street to observe what had happened. A business near his house had just been robbed and the owner assembled the shotgun to arrest the criminal. However, the shot ended up targeting the hands that that young boy who had nothing to do with it was resting on his legs.
“That accident changed my life.”. And my head… Although I was very young, I understood that I had to get out of there, no matter what,” Bogues explained years later. “That night I knew that life could end in an instant and that I had to fight for a different one. It could have been a tragedy, but it wasn’t and “It helped me be who I am today,” commented.
Muggsy Bogues listens to the US anthem among his teammates
NBAE
Bogues, nicknamed Muggsy, had to get rid of his previous life and overcome the unfavorable social context in which he lived to achieve success. And boy did he do it. He was the smallest of the four brothers and he always stated that his desire was to play basketball, despite his height of 1.45 meters. Richard, his father, was arrested for armed robbery when the young man was 12 years old. He received no more and no less than 20 years in prison. His older brother was also in jail, Chuckie Bogues, for drug consumption. “All those things made me mature suddenly. “Many of us grew up without a father.”explained.
Street duels would end in the NBA
From a young age, the parties that brought together David Wingate, Reggie Williams y Reggie Lewis with Bogues, they created a lot of expectation in the institute and on the street. He stood out at the Dunbar Institute in Baltimore in the point guard position – obviously. After that, he obtained a scholarship at the University of Wake Forest, where he spent four years being the leader in assists and recoveries in his entire conference. All this, with 1.60 tall.
Before taking the final step to the NBA, Bogues was selected by the United States to play and win the 1986 World Cup. Los Washington Bullets They bet on him in the number 12 in the draft and signed a four-year, million-dollar contract. She used this financial amount to get her family out of poverty: she bought her mother a house and hired a lawyer to get her father out of jail.
Became the shortest player in NBA history. And it still is. His stay in Washington will always be remembered, in part, for the legendary photograph between him and Manute Bol (2.31), the then highest player in history before he appeared Gheorghe Muresan. Both shared a locker room in the Bullets.
Still, the first year didn’t go all that well. Bogues did not have the expected minutes in Washington. “I feel like they chose me more for marketing. “When the press started saying that I was very short, they started to doubt,” said the American. In 1988, his life took another turn and this time he ended up in the Charlotte Hornetswhere he was going to stay for up to ten consecutive seasons and was going to become an icon in the city.
In Charlotte he triumphed, but…
In this franchise he chained performances that caught the attention of all NBA fans. Muggsy had high-level seasons, totaling more than 10 points and 10 assists in many of his games. In 93/94, he averaged 10.8 points, 10.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds, despite his short stature. An average rating of 19 credits made him one of the best point guards in the competition.
In 1993 a new setback came again. One of his best friends, Reggie Lewiswho was a player for the Boston Celtics, died on July 27 from a heart attack. Eight days later, his father, Richard, after leaving prison a couple of years ago, also died in August due to pneumonia. They were very difficult times for Bogues.
Likewise, their marriage went downhill as time went by. He was in love with Kim Bogues, but she was the one who had to leave home because she was tired of feeling alone. She took her children, Brittney y Ty, and moved to Huntersville. Although he never liked to discuss it in the locker room with his teammates, the American lived, at times, hell.
After that, the Charlotte player only had in mind saving his brother’s life and keeping him away from drugs. “I don’t know what to do with Chuckie anymore,” he admitted. She took his older brother to live in her house to take care of him. He explained in interviews that many days, when he opened the door at home, he would find him shivering under his robe. Other days, screaming next to his own vomit. “Saving him was my job.”. That’s what family is for, that’s how my mother and father raised us,” he commented.
Athletically, the tenacity and strength with which he played despite his height led him to steal an enormous number of balls. He was a fast point guard and a great passer, with a special talent for delivering spectacular assists almost every game. He hardly made any offensive mistakes. Only in 93/94 did he lose more than two balls per game, coincidentally the season in which he played the most minutes. He made a place for himself among the best in the competition thanks to the motivation he had from “break the barriers of the image one has of a point guard.”
He achieved numerous records that have not yet been surpassed. In Charlotte it is still the player with the most assists in franchise history (5,557)with an average of 8.8 per game, and the one who has recovered the most balls (1,067). Chris Paul, in 2007, surpassed his all-time record of 19 assists in a single game. Almost nothing.
Bogues also became known for being one of those chosen to film the film Space Jamalong with the best players of all time, such as Michael Jordan or Patrick Ewing. A year later, Bogues would sign for the Golden State Warriors after a complicated injury to his left knee, before landing in the Toronto Raptors, where he would retire in 2001.
After leaving basketball, Muggsy was named coach of the Charlote Sting of the WNBA in 2005. After the team dissolved in 2007 and after years gaining experience as a coach, in 2014 he was named ambassador of the Charlotte Hornets.
Fate continued to harm Bogues. After marrying Sharon Smith and being together for more than five years, his wife died of breast cancer. His son Ty decided to continue his path with his ex-wife Kim Bogues and, later, his sister Sherronknown as Helen, would also die from throat cancer.
Muggsy Bogues left an indelible career in the NBA marked by a difficult history of overcoming. He is not only remembered for being the shortest player to play in the American League, but also for having managed to overcome a very complicated social context, from being shot at the age of five to getting his brother off drugs. his father from prison. Bogues was much more than the shortest player in NBA history.
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2024-03-29 14:00:00
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