Muggsy Bogues

“I tipped one in college and dunked in high school. I can still touch the rim. I've always been a guy who has been able to get off my feet. I've still got a little hop to my game.”

“I loved the game. I loved it from the start. I was always with a basketball. I'd even dribble a basketball when I'd throw out the trash - and I got so that I could do it without spilling the trash.”

“Speed was one of the criteria for me - one of my strengths. But I had to use them all... everything I had.”

“Absolutely, there's still a place for smaller guards. This is the time for it, really. You can't hand check, you can get your space wherever you want, plus you can create your own opportunities.”

“Wake Forest came knocking on the door, and I accepted that offer. It changed my life completely.”

“Growing up as a kid in inner city of Baltimore, Maryland, the way I played the game, I used to always steal the basketball.”

“Everybody has a way to get to college. You study in high school, you do your work. There are always grants or loans that can be available. I guarantee you - if you want it, you can get it. Don't close the door on yourself.”

“I've never met Mr. Mark Cuban, but I tell people that I thank him more than life itself.”

“Being able to compete against the best, having success against the best, and to be included with the best - that's something I really relished whenever I got on the court.”

“My very first NBA game was against the Los Angeles Lakers; it was a pre-season game against Magic Johnson.”

“As a small guard, you need to understand how you impact the game and make sure you impact it in the way that you can showcase your talent on the floor and having that understanding of the game. Tony Bennett was a smaller guard, too. We all have different strengths.”

“That's what you want to keep sharing with the players in today's world: knowing that you represent yourself and your family each time you step on the court and to be the best at it because you never know where it leads to after it's all said and done.”

“I know I've accomplished a great deal for a man of my height. It's been a blessing, and I thank God for the talent. I've always given 110%.”

“I was playing and having a lot of success, but I also felt a lot of criticism behind it. I didn't know why.”

“Give yourself a chance. Now, everyone can't play basketball. But find something you're interested in.”

“I was 'Little Ty,' 'Little Tyrone.' I always got this negative feedback from the game of basketball.”

“It's a whole new world once you get to the professional rankings, being able to continue to stay on top.”

“There was a TV show that came on every week called the 'Bowery Boys,' and there was a character named Muggsy. The way I played basketball and the nickname stuck with me. No one calls me Tyrone except one person: Mom!”

“I was stealing the ball from all the guys. Every time they dribbled the ball, I used to take it, and I'd go down the court, and I'd either lay it up myself, or I'd pass it to one of my teammates. I was getting a lot of excitement from that; I felt good about doing that.”

“I was just trying to play the game, having fun. It was a hobby for me at the time.”