Before Denying Michael Jordan’s Nasty Name-Calling, 5ft 3 Ex-Rival Reveals Origins of Unusual Identity

Before he was the ‘shortest player in the NBA,’ he was Tyrone Curtis Bogues. We know him as Muggsy, although a few other unsavory nicknames followed Muggsy Bogues through most of his career. And he carried himself higher than his 5’3″ stature with panache. There was a moment when Michael Jordan apparently trash-talked him too far, and Bogues responded on the court. Muggsy recalls that story very differently, but he doesn’t deny that the origin of his name is exactly what we think.

When we hear Muggsy, we remember Muggs McGinnis, Leo Gorcey’s character in The Bowery Boys. The show ended almost three decades before Bogues was born, but he reminded adults around him about the Bowery Boys leader when he played basketball with the other kids in the Baltimore housing projects. Even as a child, before he’d reach 5’3″, Bogues was taunted for being shorter than his peers with nicknames. As he revealed on The Knuckleheads Podcast, the other kids would skip him when playing pickup ball.

Now, Bogues had survived a near-fatal incident and kept at athletics. This isn’t going to discourage him. He fashioned his own hoops out of milk crates and kept playing by himself. But when one of the kids in the neighborhood moved away, the others called upon Tyrone. “One of the kids you know say, ‘hey, you little shrimp, you want to play?’ so I’m like, yeah.” And in future NBA star fashion, he outdribbled the kids who snubbed him. Despite the unusual way he got into the neighborhood hoopsters, they formed a cool crew with Bogues at the lead.

He’s mentioned before that his teachers or others in the neighborhood likened him to The Bowery Boys and its leader, who was short too (Gorcey was 5’6″). “So they tied his name with me stealing the ball and I’ve been Mugsy ever since I was seven years old,” he noted. Among all the names he’s been called, this one had more style and application. Muggsy Bogues has since owned his persona but recently, he cleared the air on another story about a mean nickname.

Michael Jordan didn’t offend Muggsy Bogues

Bogues didn’t accumulate many titles in his NBA career but he had several memorable moments. However, there was a stark decline in his statline, which many observers tied to an incident. Jordan apparently called him a “midget” and dared him to make a three. Bogues missed and his shot seemingly never recovered. But back in 1995, he had posterized MJ himself.

Muggsy denied that myth, asserting that Jordan never called him that derogatory name. He attributed it to a natural decline in athleticism. In fact, he refers to Jordan as a friend and mentor. He’s dealt with trash talk way before the NBA and he has been thick-skinned to such takes, thanks to some life-changing events and his mother’s encouragement.

So, it was evident that no one could undermine his growth from Tyrone to Muggsy with some smack talk. What’s your take on Bogues’ trajectory? Share your thoughts in the comments.