*Legendary NBA Point Guard, Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues, represents more than the American Dream. He represents a universal truth and a promise to each of us that our dreams are only as far off as we allow them to be, and that the power of belief supersedes any ideas society may hold for what is possible in our lives.
Raised in the Lafayette Court Housing Projects in Baltimore, Muggsy witness poverty and violence during much of his early childhood, culminating with a gunshot wound he suffered at the age of five when he was hit with a stray buckshot. His father was incarcerated for much of his younger life as his mother struggled to make ends meet for he and his siblings.
The following quotes are excerpts from the latest episode of the Allison Interviews podcast with host and entertainment journalist, Allison Kugel interviewing Bogues, who at just 5’3” led the Charlotte Hornets to the playoffs three times during his storied 14-year NBA career.
This interview delves into Muggsy’s relationships with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Stephen Curry; his marriage to wife Kim, overcoming the greatest of odds by making it into the NBA at 5’3”, who he would cast to play him in a biopic (Kevin Hart?) and more.
The full podcast episode is now available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify; and on YouTube, directly below.
On who was the most difficult player to guard on the court:
“More or less it was Magic [Johnson], because Magic liked to pass out of the post, and because of his size, of course, 6’9”. I had the ability to play a bigger guard and play him well, with his back toward the basketball. Normally they are not accustomed to playing that way. But Magic was totally different, because he had the ability to see guys in his peripheral [vision] from behind his head, and he caused me a lot of problems.”
On mentoring a young Stephen Curry and his brother Seth Curry:
“He looked up to me early on. He had seen that a guy who was 5’3” was out there having success, and that is something he always hung his hat on. He always said that I was one of his favorite players, so that always gave me little chills, knowing that. For a kid like that to be around me for that length of time and seeing me be able to navigate through all of the nonsense that was being said, it allowed him to see it firsthand. He always alluded to that. For him and Seth [Curry], both, to be able to not hear or believe that [negative] noise that they were hearing about themselves and staying on their path, I’m just loving what I’m witnessing to this day.”
“No one even knew they would turn out to be the type of players they are today; even in high school, they were so scrawny, skinny and small. They were compared to me. [At the time] they were just a little taller, but slender. No one even gave them the credit. To see them now and see how they transformed, not only on the court, but off the court, I’m so proud of the both of them.”
On Michael Jordan getting flustered during the 1995 Hornets vs. Bulls playoff game:
“Michael, as you listen to one of his interviews, he says he always had trouble playing against the smaller guys like myself, because when you are smaller the ball is closer to you. When the guy is dribbling the basketball, they have to dribble on the ground. Having that understanding, I understood how to play close to the ground; how to make them think about their dribbles because that is where it all starts. I used to time the guys’ dribbles, because once the ball goes down, they can’t stop [me]. That’s when I used to steal it quite a bit. That wears them down, and it’s like, ‘Man, he’s a pest’.”
On the difficulty of casting someone to play him in a biopic:
“I haven’t thought of any guys out there, because it’s hard to find someone as small as me that plays basketball. I always say Kevin Hart. Or maybe that little kid from the television show, The Underground Railroad (Amazon Prime), [Chase] Dillon. Maybe he could pull it off.”
On getting cast and then almost losing his part in the 1996’s movie, Space Jam:
“We all had the same agent; myself, Patrick Ewing, Michael Jordan, and Shawn Bradley. David Falk was our agent. I had surgery during the shooting of the movie and I didn’t think I was going to be in it. They had me come in and read my lines anyway, and I think they had Tim Hardaway in mind [as a replacement]. In the movie, you can see me kind of acting like I was walking, and they had me where my shoulders were just moving and they made it look like I was walking.”
Sharing a little known, fun fact about himself:
“I love eating Twizzlers. I’m a candy man. I only like the strawberry ones. Sometimes I have my cocktail, Jack Daniels and Ginger Ale mostly, or a nice glass of red wine, and I’ll take my Twizzler and use it as a straw.”
On marrying his wife Kim, twice:
“I’m smarter the second time around. We were young when we got married the first time. I was 24 and she was 22. We had our first kid, and then [my] oldest daughter moved in with us, and then we had our son. It was like three kids were thrust upon her within one year, and that was a challenge for us. I always loved her. It’s not normal that you get to do it the second time with the same person, but fortunately enough for me and her, we were able to do it again and do it the right way. This time is more special, and especially for the kids, that we found our way back to one another. It makes the family that much more whole. I’m grateful and thankful that I have a second opportunity with her because that’s how it should always be when you walk down the aisle and give that testimony to the man upstairs.”
On keeping an NBA marriage together:
“It’s a challenge on both parts. For the woman, because she is the one at home taking care of the kids and keeping the home. It comes back to a trust factor and understanding that even when we are apart, we are still together. Hopefully, temptations don’t lead you down the wrong path, and the flesh doesn’t get beyond where the mind should be, in knowing what’s at home. Even though you are separated, you still have to have that mindset that your partner is trusting you, and you are trusting them to maintain that connection you share with one another. It’s tough, especially when you are around it. As athletes, so many things are thrown upon you, and you have to be strong enough to know that it’s a waste of time, and it’s not that serious to be throwing away what is so important that you have at home.”
About Journalist and Podcast Host Allison Kugel
Allison Kugel is a veteran entertainment journalist and host of the Allison Interviews podcast. Watch and embed the entire interview video with Muggsy Bogues @YouTube. Listen to the audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify. Follow Allison Kugel on Instagram @theallisonkugel and at AllisonInterviews.com.
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