Tyrone Muggsy Bogues (Baltimore, USA, 1965) is an NBA icon. A man who broke down barriers and dodged prejudices as if he were advancing through trenches. A point guard who made history despite not reaching 160 centimeters, ahead of his time in the nineties, carving his path among giants when basketball was still not for shorter players. With overflowing charisma, the former player for the Bullets, Hornets, Warriors, and Raptors speaks to EL MUNDO from Valencia, where he visited as an NBA ambassador.
39 years ago you played in the World Cup in Spain. What do you remember? What did it mean to you?
Answer. At that time, I was considered a bit of a black sheep. But it was an incredible experience, winning gold as a college player was still very special. None of us had any idea how that was going to change our lives. We were making history, we were the last college players to win a gold medal with the USA. They would later lose in the final in Seoul 1988 (and the 1990 World Cup) and then decided to send our Dream Team to Barcelona.
Your defense against Petrovic is very remembered, a guard almost 40 centimeters taller.
Yes! He was unstoppable. At that time, he, Sabonis, Oscar Schmidt, were considered the Michael Jordan of Europe. Petrovic has been one of the best scorers in history. Watching the game before facing him, he scored 40 points. I tried to study his tendencies, how he liked to shoot... The day we faced each other, the coach (Lute Olson) gave me that mission. And I was looking forward to it because I knew he was a guy who loved to shoot, dribble... I felt that if I could disrupt all of that, frustrate him a bit, we would have a greater chance of winning. And that's exactly what I did. I frustrated him, he had never seen a guy like me on defense. I'm sure that caused a change he had to make. We talked about all this when he was in New Jersey. May he rest in peace. It was a blessing to know him.
Basketball has changed, small players dominate. Would your career have been easier now?
I think it has more to do with the mentality I had. People like me or Spud Webb set a standard, showed that it was possible.
What drove you to succeed in a sport where size is so important?
You know? People told me I couldn't, shouldn't, that basketball was a sport for tall players. But I have always believed it's for everyone, for tall and short. Not letting anyone tell me what I couldn't do sparked a feeling in me of wanting to show people what I was capable of. I always had that mentality, playing against the best. If I could beat them, they should respect me, include me among them.
Growing up in Baltimore wasn't easy. Surrounded by crime, your father went to jail and you were even shot. How did you overcome all of that?
Growing up in Baltimore was a challenge. Every time I stepped out of my house, it was a challenge. Growing up in that environment, facing all of that, could have discouraged or distracted me. But there was something more powerful calling me, telling me I had to keep pursuing my dream. And I knew that if I stayed confident in the things I was doing, if I kept succeeding against the players I faced, at some point I would break down that door and they would start seeing me as a little god playing basketball. I was also lucky to have good coaches who valued the impact I was having on the court and believed in what I was capable of doing. That's how I was able to break through all those barriers.
Your image with Manute Bol (7 feet 7 inches) was iconic. How was that rookie season with the Bullets, with him as a teammate?
It was a blessing to play with Manute. Even though people saw us from two different perspectives, we really enjoyed playing together. I think we complemented each other. Because I could take risks with my perimeter defense, knowing I had a backup, a shot-blocker to protect the basket. Manute was also very funny, had a very playful spirit, laughed at himself. He always joked about the things he did when he was in Sudan, said he killed a lion with a spear. I always remembered that. I miss him a lot, every day. He was a great competitor, a great player, but most importantly, he was a great friend.
Who is your favorite player today?
That's easy! Steph Curry. He's like a little nephew to me, because of the relationship I had with his father over the years. I've seen him grow up alongside my kids, I've seen him flourish, him and his brother Seth. Steph has taken basketball to a new dimension. He's considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, amazing. I never thought that kid I used to give a little airplane ride to in the locker room would become that. It's been great to witness. I'm grateful for the opportunity to call him a friend.
Did anyone ever tell you that maybe basketball wasn't for someone as short as you?
Of course. It started when I was seven, but it stuck with me. I also practiced wrestling and my coach told me: "You should stop playing basketball." I should focus only on wrestling, because basketball is only for taller players. "You're very good at wrestling, you've been a state champion. Why would you want to go through that kind of drama?" Those criticisms about my size always bothered me. I respected him as a wrestling coach and maybe he was just trying to persuade me, but it irritated me a lot. He wasn't the only one, other people would say: "Why are you doing this? You shouldn't play basketball. You're too small." And I always told them no. People always tell you who you could be, who you should be, but you know who you want to be. I always stood firm. And I think that's why I've been able to have this career.
What do you expect from your Hornets for the upcoming season?
There have been many changes in the roster. And there could still be more, so we'll have to see what the final outcome is. We just signed several point guards, we've added Colin Sexton, Spencer Dinwiddie and we still have Lamelo Ball, so it's going to be interesting. We also need some big men to accompany them.