Muggsy Bogues

Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues was born on January 9, 1965, in Baltimore, Maryland. He grew up with his 3 siblings in the Lafayette Public housing projects of the city’s east side. During Bogues' junior and senior years at Dunbar High School, his team won 59 consecutive games and was ranked as the top team in the United States.

After a stellar high school career, Bogues was courted by several top colleges and enrolled at Wake Forest University in 1983. He came into his own as a point guard, ranking in the top ten nationally in assists and averaging nearly 12 points per game. The school retired his jersey number after he graduated with his BA degree. He remains Wake Forest’s all-time leader in both steals and assists.

Bogues was selected 12th in the first round of the 1988 NBA draft by the Washington Bullets. He gained attention with his astounding 44-inch vertical leap and his unique ball handling skills, which allowed him to maintain a legal dribble so close to the ground that his knuckles dragged on the floor.

In the 1988-1989 season, Bogues found himself with the Charlotte Hornets after the expansion draft. In Charlotte, Bogues raised his points-per-game average to ten in the 1992-93 season and in 1995 helped lead the Hornets to their first ever appearance in the NBA playoffs. From there Bogues played two seasons with the Warriors, then signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, taking them to their first playoff series. He retired in 2001 as the 16th All-Time record holder in NBA history for assists. For seven years he led the league in assist to turnover ratio and still holds the record as the shortest player to ever play in the NBA at 5’3”.

Since retiring, Bogues works with his nonprofit the Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation based in Charlotte, NC where he resides with his family. Bogues is a public speaker, Hornets Community Ambassador and an Ambassador for the NBA traveling the world educating youth.

In 2022, Bogues released his autobiography, "Muggsy: My Life from a Kid in the Projects to the Godfather of Small Ball." He delves deep into his life and career, reflecting on legendary battles with Michael Jordan, John Stockton, and other generational stars of ’80s and ’90s hoops. He shares far-ranging anecdotes from playoff runs in Charlotte, filming Space Jam, and even watching a young Steph Curry grow up.