Not a lot of people believed in Steph back in high school.
Muggsy Bogues knows what it’s like to be doubted at every step of his career. A 5-foot-3 guard from Baltimore, Maryland, Bogues’ arrival in the NBA in 1987 raised many eyebrows. After all, how could a diminutive guard compete in a league filled with giants? But Bogues proved all the doubters wrong, playing 14 seasons in the NBA and becoming a beloved figure on and off the court.
So when Bogues saw Steph Curry facing similar doubts about his size and ability to make it in the NBA, he couldn’t help but empathize. In an interview on the “Come and Talk 2 Me” podcast, Muggs shared his thoughts on Curry’s journey to becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history.
Muggsy beams with pride
Muggs knows the Curry family well, as he was a teammate of Steph and Seth’s father, Dell, on the Charlotte Hornets and, later on, the Toronto Raptors. He saw the two players grow from little boys who regularly frequented the locker room to young men who could hold their own on the basketball court. At the same time, he saw the path Steph had to take to make it to the big league.
“You know, in all of our wildest dreams, we never thought that a player like him—or a player like me—would make it to the NBA. Steph was even being considered small, considered a guy like myself, because he’s 6'1", 6'2", you know, but he had a small frame, and nobody really gave him a chance or thought he’d be the player that he is,” the feisty court general said.
Muggsy added that few people believed Chef had what it took to become a solid NBA player, much less a superstar. However, through sheer determination and hard work, Steph proved everyone wrong and became one of the greatest in the NBA's history.
“Virginia Tech and all the other schools turned their back on him. And the way he just stayed focused and went to Davidson and put them on the map—now he’s considered one of the best shooters to ever lace it up in the game,” Bogues stated. “That, to me, is truly mind-blowing.”
Credits Mark Jackson for helping Steph flourish
Coaches play a crucial role in a player’s development. That said, Bogues gave the podcast’s co-host, Mark Jackson, plenty of credit for giving Curry the necessary confidence boost to reach his full potential.
“When he got to Golden State, there were still a lot of questions being asked about Steph, especially because Monta Ellis was still there, and it was kind of confusing. But it takes someone who understands the game, who understands what it takes, to see the level of a player and the potential of where they can be. And it’s all just a matter of putting in that time and giving them the space to become that player,” Muggsy explained.
Although Muggsy and Steph are years apart, the former can’t help but feel a kinship toward the latter. Both have faced criticism for their size and doubters who questioned their abilities. However, both have also proven their doubters wrong, with Bogues carving out a memorable career and Curry becoming one of this era’s defining players.
