Muggsy Bogues spent his entire NBA career looking up at all other players. They'll be looking up at him now.
His name and number, anyway.
The Charlotte Hornets announced on Tuesday that the No. 1 jersey worn by Bogues — the NBA's smallest-ever player at 5-foot-3 (160 centimetres)— will be retired during a half-time ceremony when the team plays host to Milwaukee on February 11.
"How ironic is that?" Bogues said.
"After all those times that you felt like you were looking up, looking up for so many years, at people, then here comes this particular moment. And when that jersey actually goes up, it'll be like I'm the one looking down at the entire world. It's going to be a surreal moment."
Muggsy Bogues played 14 seasons in the NBA. (AP: Chris O'Meara)
Bogues will be the third player whose Hornets jersey is retired, joining Bobby Phills (13) and Dell Curry (30). He began his career with Washington, then went to Charlotte in the 1988 expansion draft and essentially has called the Carolinas home ever since.
"Charlotte embraced me with open arms," Bogues said.
"This is a place I've called home more than I've called any other place home, even growing up in the city of Baltimore. So, having this type of recognition for my family, for the organisation to look at you in this type of light, I mean, it means the world."
Bogues played in the NBA for parts of 14 seasons, spending the bulk of that time with Charlotte and having stints with Golden State, Washington and Toronto. He was the 12th selection in the 1987 draft — one spot behind Indiana taking Reggie Miller — and wound up playing more games than all but eight other members of that draft class.
He averaged 7.7 points and 7.6 assists for his career. Bogues was part of Charlotte teams that reached the 50-win mark in three consecutive seasons, plus he was part of the franchise's first post-season series victory in 1993.
"Muggsy was here from the beginning and played with a heart, toughness and competitive spirit that made him a fan favourite," Hornets co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said in a statement on Tuesday.
"At 5-foot-3, he overcame obstacles throughout his career and proved he belonged among the best players in the world. He became a role model for generations, showing young people that their size doesn't have to limit what they can achieve."
The average NBA player during Bogues's playing career stood 6-foot-7 (200cm) and weighed 213 pounds (96kg). Bogues was 40cm shorter than that average and 35kg lighter in those years.
He has remained part of the Hornets in retirement, still often representing the team at community events and travelling the world as an NBA ambassador. And he knows he changed the game, debunking the thought that someone had to have a certain height to make the NBA.
"I was just like any kid that had a dream," Bogues said.
"I just kept believing and kept having success. And my mindset was, 'If you play against the best, and you have success against the best, you need to be included with the best.'"
AP