NBA legend Muggsy Bogues. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—Playing in the NBA is the pinnacle for any basketball hopeful.
Reaching that goal, however, isn’t the easiest dream since it requires optimum physical prowess and unabashed determination.
But there’s no better example of someone defying the odds than Muggsy Bogues, who stands at 5-foot-3 but enjoyed 14 seasons in the NBA.
Despite his height, which is even shorter than the average Filipino stature of 5-foot-4, Bogues was considered as one of the better defenders of the 1990s and racked up a total of 1,369 steals in his career.
Meanwhile, there are others who were gifted with the height but still have experienced hiccups in the world’s premier basketball league like Denver Nuggets guard Monté Morris.
The 6-foot-3 Morris was 51st overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft but had to prove his worth with the Nuggets playing both in the NBA and the G-League with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
Morris and Bogues have a full foot of height difference between them, but they had one glaring similarity—unwavering determination.
“Believe. Carry that dream in your head. Get out there and work,” said Bogues during the media availability for the NBA 3X Philippines Wednesday at Conrad Manila. “Learn the fundamentals of this game and your natural ability will take over.”
“Anything’s possible, you got to be ready for the opportunity,” said Morris. “You never know who’s going to see you play. Just go out there be a very good teammate and that guys go a long way.”
Bogues entered the NBA in 1987 as the 12th overall pick just a year after helping the United States to the gold medal of the 1986 Fiba Basketball World Cup.
Morris, meanwhile, was the 51st overall pick in the 2017 Draft but was given a two-way contract to play for the Nuggets and the Vipers in the G-League.
The Iowa State product played just three NBA games in his rookie year but turned things around in the 2018-19 season playing all 82 games and averaging 10.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 0.9 steals.
Mogues added that for someone to give himself a chance at the NBA, he or she should put in the work in every aspect of the game.
“You got to work. You got to put in the time and you got to believe more than anything, and you got to continue to work on your skill set,” said Bogues. “You have to understand both sides of the ball because you got to be effective on both ends.”