Welcome to LWOS Basketball department “NBA Time Traveler Series,” the column that imagines which retired player from an NBA franchise one would most want to travel back in time to see them play again in their prime. The LWOS Basketball department will review each of the 30 NBA franchises and which retired player would be their “NBA Time Traveler Player.”
Be sure to bookmark the site and follow us on Twitter. Last Word On Sports is your headquarters for everything hoops. For a Complete Listing of all our NBA Time Traveler Player Articles click here.
Time Travel to See Muggsy Bogues Play for the Charlotte Hornets Again
Unlike most of the other players covered in the NBA Time Traveler Series, Muggsy Bogues never made an All Star team, nor did he win a championship. In fact, there were only three seasons in which he averaged over ten points per game. At just 5 feet 3 inches tall, Muggsy Bogues is the shortest player in NBA history, and he doesn’t seem to be in danger of losing that title anytime soon. He was one of the most energetic and popular players to ever play the game of basketball, which has helped him carve his niche and legacy within the history of the National Basketball Association.
Muggsy Bogues was a key member of the original Charlotte Hornets expansion team, averaging over 30 minutes per game while with Charlotte. He wasn’t a great shooter or scorer, but Bogues was consistently among the league leaders in assists and steals per game. From 1989 to 1995, his first six seasons with the Hornets, Muggsy Bogues averaged over eight assists per game every year. There were also three seasons in which he averaged over two steals per game. By the time of his retirement, Bogues was and still is the Hornets’ all time leader in minutes played, assists, and steals.
Despite being vertically challenged, Bogues found many ways to produce on the basketball court, mainly due to his savvy passing skills and lightning quick speed. As the Charlotte Hornets gained popularity in the early 90’s, so did Muggsy Bogues, who has gone down as one of the most popular players in the history of the franchise. The NBA hasn’t seen a player under 5 feet 5 inches (which also happens to be the height of the author of this article) since Earl Boykins last played, which was in 2012 with the Houston Rockets.
Muggsy Bogues brings a contagious energy and sparkplug to the NBA, which is why I would go back in time to watch him work his magic on the basketball court one more time. Also, seeing him stand next to 7 foot monsters like Roy Hibbert and Rudy Gobert would be pretty entertaining, but that’s besides the point. Bring back Muggsy Bogues!
