Muggsy Bogues gets his No. 1 jersey retired by the Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets will retire Muggsy Bogues' No. 1 jersey on Feb. 11, making him the third player in franchise history to get that honor.
Why it's trending
Muggsy Bogues is trending because the Charlotte Hornets announced Tuesday they will retire his No. 1 jersey on Feb. 11, at halftime of the game against Milwaukee. Bogues, at 5-foot-3 still the shortest player in NBA history, spent 10 of his 14 NBA seasons in Charlotte from 1988 to 1998. He joined the franchise in the 1988 expansion draft and has stayed close to it for more than 20 years as a player and ambassador.
The decision came from Hornets owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, who wanted to keep the organization connected to its history and its legends. Bogues will become the third player in franchise history with a retired number, joining Bobby Phills (No. 13) and Dell Curry (No. 30).
The resume behind the honor
Bogues is the Hornets' franchise leader in assists, steals and minutes. In the 1993-94 season he averaged a double-double in points and assists while playing alongside Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Dell Curry and Hersey Hawkins. He delivered 19 assists in a game three times, grabbed 10 rebounds in another, and scored a career-high 24 points on three occasions.
Before the NBA, Bogues starred at Baltimore's Dunbar High School, a roster that produced four future NBA players, and then at Wake Forest. In 1986 he won a gold medal with the U.S. at the FIBA World Championship, leading that team in assists and steals, including a win over a USSR squad led by Arvydas Sabonis in the final.
An original Hornet
Bogues was one of the Hornets' original players, taken in the 1988 expansion draft, and he played nine-plus seasons in Charlotte. Team officials have pointed to his size, 5-foot-3 in a league built for much taller men, as proof that toughness and competitive spirit can carry a player further than his measurements suggest.
Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said honoring the players who built the franchise is part of its commitment to its own history, and called Bogues a fan favorite who overcame obstacles to prove he belonged among the best players in the world.
What Bogues said, and what happens next
Bogues, now 61, called the Hornets a match made in heaven. "Me and the Hornets put each other on the map," he said. He pointed to the fan support he felt from day one and to the teammates he went to war with over more than nine seasons in Charlotte.
He said the city never got the championship it was chasing, but being recognized with a jersey in the rafters still means the world to him and his family.
The ceremony is set for halftime of the Hornets-Bucks game on Feb. 11. Bogues' No. 1 will go up alongside Phills' No. 13 and Curry's No. 30, the only three numbers the franchise has retired. No other details about the night have been announced yet.