Shaq on playing vs Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player ever to play in the NBA (5’3): “Muggsy Bogues scared me. Soon as I put the ball on the ground, he’s right there. One, I got to battle with Alonzo Mourning, now I got to worry about this little fast Superman-looking guy, coming to steal the ball.”

29 comments

  6. I’d give $1000 bucks to have the clip from Muggsy’s ACC days where some big guy had the ball under the goal and was going to go up for a wonderful slam dunk when Muggsy came motoring by and plucked the ball out of his hands. The guy went up empty handed while the Muggsy was circling around to start a fast break.

  7. I appreciate there was a clip of Muggsy stealing the ball from Larry Johnson, followed by a clip of him stealling the ball and knocking it to Larry Johnson.

    It feels like LJ + Muggsy + Alonzo was the last time the Hornets had a decent, or at least interesting, team.

  8. I imagine Shaq felt startled playing Muggy, like how an elephant gets scared when a mouse sneaks upon on it.

  10. Muggsy is a GOAT for forcing Shaq to use his low-post defense to guard a water bottle. That’s just wild.

  11. Considering they lie about the height of the players, did they do that with Muggsy too? Like was the dude 5’1 instead?

  14. Shaq has no problem giving other players their props as long as they are not power forwards or centers. lol

  17. I can only speak for myself, but I feel like every short king who was into basketball (i.e. 5’7″ and below), Muggsy and Spud were our GOATS lmao

  18. Would it be crazy to say pound for pound mugsy bogues is the greatest basketball player of all time?

  19. There’s an episode of [Open Court](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5994794) where Steve Kerr said, if you had the ball and Muggsy was on the court, you _did not_ dribble the ball. You just had to pass the ball up the court.

    In the same episode, Steve Smith said facing Muggsy Bogues [forced him to switch from point guard to shooting guard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts98BXlwNIA#t=3m44s) (because, otherwise, Muggsy was taking the ball away from him).

    Kenny said he thought there were two Muggsys on the court: if you turned your back to him and go left, Muggsy would be there. If you turned back around to go right, Muggsy would be there. The only possible conclusion is that there were two Muggsys.

    _**Edit:**_ Found it: [Open Court S02E02: The Backcourt](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-aXfeF8uA4&t=381s) (jump to the 5m30s mark):

    <Chris Webber>
    A lot of the guards would come to me and be like,
    “man, I got Mookie, I got Muggsy Bogues tonight.”
    And when Mugsy Bogues played, I would always have
    to come up and set picks. So, you know, 94 feet he
    would start checking them, so I would actually take
    the ball out and get it to the guard so I could stay
    at that free throw line and set picks, and they hated…

    <Kenny Smith>
    He’s the toughest. I take back [what I said earlier];
    Muggest Bogues is the toughest. He’s the toughest on-ball
    defender I’ve ever faced

    <Chris Webber>
    My guards always used to be like, “come up and set a pick
    on him so I can get open”

    <Kenny Smith>
    I thought it was two Muggsys on the court! ‘Cause you
    dribble on this side and turn back, and he’d be there.

    <Steve Kerr>
    When Muggsy was guarding you, and you got the ball
    full-court, you threw it to the other guy. “You take it,
    I’m running up!”

  20. I can’t comprehend how good he had to be as a basketball player to be in the nba at his height.

  23. I don’t care what prominent youtubers think, Muggsy was the best pound for pound player in the NBA.

  28. 5’3 but was never a defensive liability. He always gambles for the ball but is so much faster than who he is guarding that he’s back to being infront and pick locket his opponent.

  29. I’ve always said he should be in the HOF just cause. He wasn’t some charity case that made it to the league or some last guy on the roster that got in during garbage minutes. For his size and the ability to play at the highest level for multiple years (over 100 double doubles), that shit is hall of fame worthy to me.

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