On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics became the latest team to book their place in round 2 by defeating Trae Young and Co. in game 6 of the series. However, the Atlanta Hawks’ dismal display in the final few moments of the game has grabbed the attention of many, including Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq took the opportunity to troll Atlanta’s favorite, Trae Young for his height, by falsely claiming him to be 5’1. Although Young probably won’t mind Shaq going overboard with his trolling, one former NBA star might take offense to Shaq insinuating short-heighted players as a disadvantage to their team.

The ’80s and ’90s in the NBA were undoubtedly the most eventful times of the league. The game was extremely dynamic, and fans were never devoid of surprises on the court. Back in 1987, one such surprise walked onto the court donning the jersey of the Washington Bullets to play against the Atlanta Hawks, Muggsy Bogues. 

Muggsy Bogues was the shortest player ever to play in the NBA, standing at 5’3. The average height of players in the NBA is 6’7, and Bogues walked onto the court quite some inches below the league’s average. Needless to say, unlike Shaq, the Atlanta Hawks were aware of the capabilities of a short-heighted player since 1987.

Muggsy Bogues’ fearless journey to the NBA

Bogues used to live in Baltimore, in a neighborhood that didn’t have the best track record with gun violence. At the age of 5, young Bogues got caught up in an armed robbery gone wrong and was hit with shotgun pellets in his arms and legs. 

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The man from Baltimore was used to facing hardships from an early stage in his life. Fortunately, he didn’t know how to give up and understood early on that he’d have to work twice as hard as everybody to play basketball. As a result, Bogues ended up being a part of an all-time great high school basketball team, the Dunbar Poets. 

The Poets were arguably the greatest high school basketball team, with 60 consecutive wins in the early ‘80s. The team was winning games by an average of 30 points with Bogues at the helm of it. Following his stellar high school career, Bogues went on to spend four years at Wake Forest University where he averaged 8.3 PPG, 6.6 APG, and 2.4 RPG. He ended his college career as the best passer in Wake Forest’s history, due to which his jersey no. 14 was retired by the school. Naturally, he was an undeniable 1st round pick in the 1987 NBA draft.

Although he was selected to play in the NBA, many considered his size to be a limiting factor in the league. However, the 5’3 star proved everyone wrong. In the 1988 expansion draft, with the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Hornets coming into the picture, Bogues was selected to be a part of the Hornets, despite being selected by the Bullets a year earlier. However, the decision paid off, as the Charlotte fans loved Muggsy, and enjoyed every moment of his appearance on the court. A team that is currently owned by Michael Jordan, was going gaga over Muggsy Bogues three decades ago.

In 1993-94, when the league was ruled by numerous legends, Bogues had the best season of his life. In that season, he averaged 10.8 PPG, 10.1 APG, and 4.1 RPG. It also marked his sixth consecutive season leading the Hornets in steals and assists. 

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Bogues went on to play 889 games in 14 seasons in the NBA. It is a staggering number considering a man of his size. Naturally, he was respected by many throughout the league.

NBA stars on Muggsy Bogues and his abilities on the court

Almost everyone in the league was a foot taller than him, hence many were surprised at Muggsy’s abilities as a 5’3 man. From Glen Rice, Steve Martin, and Rex Chapman to Patrick Ewing, everyone respected the abilities of the little powerhouse that Muggsy Bogues was. His teammates and friends have interesting stories about him, one of which described him denying help to deal with bigger guards in a game. 

Michael Jordan who famously trash-talked Bogues in a playoff game, once said how he felt Muggsy Bogues was the definition of “determination”. If playing 14 seasons in the NBA wasn’t enough to prove his quality to some, such words of praise from one of the greatest to play in the game surely are.

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In a world where the next big prospect in the NBA is the 7’3 Victor Wembanyama, Muggsy Bogues was surely an enigma who lived the dream of many kids who never played in the NBA due to their size.