11. Muggsy Bogues
If you were born short, played short and were hovering around five feet tall the first 18 years of your life, you’d probably say that your chances of making it to the NBA were close to zero. Even for the best playground and high school players, it’s a one in a million shot to play in the world’s biggest and best basketball league. Now let’s say you make it all the way up to 5-foot-3?
How many times do you think Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues was told he’d never make it to the NBA?
He was like a water bug on the basketball court for the Dunbar Poets and head coach Bob Wade and when big colleges started calling, his dream of playing in the NBA came closer to reality on a pathway through Wake Forest. In 1987, he was the 12th overall pick of the draft by the hometown Washington Bullets and Muggsy spent 14 seasons in the NBA, playing with the heart of a man twice his size. He was an incredible passer, dribbler, ball theft and was always one of the fastest players in the league. His diminutive size wasn’t a hindrance but instead a weapon. He appeared in movies and became a head coach in the WNBA with the Charlotte Sting in 2005.
Bogues allowed all the “little guys” to dream their dream of playing in the NBA.
See next page for No. 10
