Latest / Motivational Podcast / Shortest in the NBA – Muggsy Bogues’ Incredible Journey to Greatness

Transcript

Shortest in the NBA – Muggsy Bogues’ Incredible Journey to Greatness · Motivational Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Growing up in the city of Baltimore was challenging, you know,
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: as a kid. You know, it was a lot of
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: drug infested areas in our neighborhood, a lot of shooting,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: a lot of violence. Unfortunately for me at the age
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: of five, you know, I got shot, you know, being outside,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: being at the wrong place at the wrong time. You know,
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: things can happen once you go outside your door. And
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: for me, you know, I was in the wrong place
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: at the wrong time. A fight broke out, they bust
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the old man Chester's window. He decided to come outside
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: and rehappy. He went in this shed and grabbed his
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: double barreled shotgun and just start firing into the crowd
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: amongst all these kids. And it's, like I said, unfortunately
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: I was one of the kids that got hit. No
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: one felt like that. No one thought they have a
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: life expectancy. He's past twenty, you know, and which was
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: very strange, you know, knowing that that was the case.
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: But that was the mindset back then, because I had
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: a lot of guys at a young age nine, mainly
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: because you know, they wanted that fast money. They wanted
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: to get into that world a lot sooner, and they
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: wanted to you know possible to take care of that
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: family as well as want something good to try to
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: provide for their you know, for their household. So you know,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: people did all sorts of things in terms of try
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: to make ens neats. But uh, you know that was
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: a again that was the neighborhood in the atmosphere that
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: we grew up in. Well, luckily that we had a
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: game called basketball and sports. You know, sports was really
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: uh a mechanism that kept us really at a safe
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: kept us where it gave us a safe having place
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: to really feel comfortable with uh football, baseball, Uh, basketball,
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: ran track, I was a wrestling you know. We had
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: a lot of sports take place in the neighborhood. So
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: we had different neighborhoods uh you know competing against one another,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: and we had all sorts of sports. So that was
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: a way of keeping us you know, off the streets,
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: keeping our mind you know, active in other areas as
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: opposed to thinking about, you know, hey it's time to
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: try to you know, go over and get a fee
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: of those quick dollars. But uh, sports was uh, you know,
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: it was a place where it really kept a lot
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: of kids safe. You know, at that time, I had
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: no ink clean or no idea that you know, I
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: wanted to pursue us as a career. You know, it
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: was just a hobby. It was just something that I
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: wanted to do. Many days, many nights going home just
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: crying to my mom and just telling her how crude
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: the kids are out there, and you know, how mean
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: they were, you know, And but she was always, you know,
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: always just quick to say that it had no idea
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: what basketball was about. But she was quick to say
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: they no tie was tired for her at the time,
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: you know, tired they ain't. Don't let them, you know,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: take your joy. If you like playing basketball, you go
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: out there and play. You know, no longer been explored
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: your life. They don't know how big your hard or
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: know what your capabilities are. If you want to play,
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: you just go out there play. And at the time
• 2:44
  Speaker 1: I didn't know what that. Man. I'm like, yeah, okay, mom,
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: But you know those things didn't register at the time,
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: you know, I just focused more or less on the
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: kids being so mean and cruel towards me. And because
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: I was trying to pursue a game that they thought
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: was meant for taller players, ain't small A lot of
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: criticism from it, you know, a lot of backlash, a
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: lot of name calling, you know, which could affect which confidence?
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Five to three was it? You know, I knew that
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: I wasn't gonna grow much tall up. I never wish
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: that I was Hall ten eleven. You know, I started
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: learning the game. I started understanding the game. I was
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: being taught by a gentleman, by Leon Howard, who was
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: to direct at Directoration Center. He took myself and Reggie Williams,
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: who was blessed to go on and play in the NBA,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: would as well. One of the four guys come out
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: out of high school was pushing up to play playing
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: the NBA, but he and I, as a kid, was
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: just sponges. The game really changed and slowed down in
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: my mind, and I start really believing that, you know,
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: I could play this game one day, you know, possibly
• 3:46
  Speaker 1: go to college. And wasn't thinking about NBA at the time,
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: but it was thinking about possibly going to high school
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: and getting a college education from it. And it means
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: to turn the narrative of my families. I just wanted
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: to play basketball, you know, whichever way is. If it
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: had been a due I've probably have been satisfied, but
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: knowing the type of kid that I was and who
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: I was and the competitive type of person, I wanted
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: it all. You know. It wasn't just gonna satisfy, satisfy
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: with what someone else had planned for me. You know,
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: I wanted to create my own destiny. And I start
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: to understand that I was in a position to do that.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: And you know, when I became twelve and thirteen years old,
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: you know, words never matter. You know, it came to
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: one day out the other. You know, I was on
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: the journey. I was on my path trying to become
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: this basketball player that no one felt like he had
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: any uh, you know, any opportunity to do so because
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: at the time, coaching was still in the mindset of
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: big guart trying to break down those barriers, you know,
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: trying to break the mindsets of these coaches on let
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: him know that you know, I can be just as impactful,
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: you know, as at this size and run your program
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: and just being be just as effective as a taller player,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: your short you know, you need to be sitting on
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: the curb with your feet swinging off. Uh. You know,
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: we could put you in the drawer when we're traveling,
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: you know, growing up as a kid when they say
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: sticks and stones may hurt your bones, but word with
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: words would never hurt you. It's not true. Words will
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: hurt you now they killing folks. So words are very powerful,
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: very powerful. So the thing is about getting within yourself
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: and understanding who you are to kind of you know,
• 5:29
  Speaker 1: ward off those negative comments that's coming toward you. Cause
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: your heart, you know, and measure it. It pretty much
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: doesn't have a height to it, you know, pretty much
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: set the tone of who you are and which you're
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: able to accomplish. You know, and the height factor was
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: the game of basketball. So you know, my heart was
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: bigger than my height. So I didn't have no no
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: second or no no hang ups on or believing that
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: I belong with you know, the best of the best,
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: you know, because my heart was just as you know,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: just as big as theirs. That twelfth pick, in hearing
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: the Washington Bullets selected Tyrone Muzzy Bowls, you know, basically
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: is a place in my backyard where I grew up
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: being from Baltimore. You know, the way that the world
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: was lifted off the shoulders that day, you know, you
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: felt like, hey, you know this is what you've been
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: striving for for so long, and well it changed out
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: complete narrative of my bullets. He is now the shortest
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: player in the NBA. You know, we no longer was,
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: you know, in the low income bracket. You know, I
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: was fortunate enough to get my mama, you know, a house,
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: you know, get out the projects, and my dad and
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: my sisters and my brothers, and we was able to
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: you know, live a better life, you know, and where
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: it wasn't as challenging as it was when you know,
• 6:55
  Speaker 1: when they was growing up. So so that was something
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: that I was pretty much I was truly proud of
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: that I was able to do that for half having
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: and and they've been very supportive, you know, all every
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: step of the way. So I was so thankful that
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: I was in a position there to do that. If
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: you're five foot three, you're one out of seven billion.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: There never been a guy your size who did it
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: like that. You know, as a kid, you know, you're
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: not as strong, you know, as you are as an adult.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: So when I was a kid, you know, those things
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: was very hurtful. And then you know, that was very
• 7:27
  Speaker 1: deterrent at the time, but it didn't distract me. I
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: think I was born this way, you know, with the
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: idea to take on those type of challenges, to face
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: those type of things that happened to me in my
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: life allowed me to reflect, allow me to you know,
• 7:45
  Speaker 1: to resonate who I am, you know, especially when I
• 7:48
  Speaker 1: got shot. You know, those things became so clear in
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: terms of, hey, I almost wasn't here, you know, so
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: while I have to worry about what someone else said
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: that could hurt me and deteriorate me from becoming who
• 8:02
  Speaker 1: I wanna be. So you know, that changed my mindset.
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: You know, I remember early on when I used to
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: go down on the court with my basketball and haying
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: all the words and hanging all the you know, the
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: criticism about me being short. But after I got shot,
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: I remember going back down there and hearing those same
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: criticism about myself. But it didn't have the same impact.
• 8:23
  Speaker 1: You know, it went in one air out out, as
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: I alluded to earlier. So I think that had something
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: to do with it. You know, it had a lot
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: to do with my mindset in terms of, you know,
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: what I thought and and what I believe. Oh I
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: advertually I always prepare you you know, you have to
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: go through those things in order to see that light
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: at the end of the tunnel. You know, I don't
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: think anything is gonna just be like this throughout your life.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: You know, you have to go through that difficult overcome obstacle,
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: you know, because it's it. It's a testament of your
• 8:54
  Speaker 1: character or who you are and how you able to
• 8:56
  Speaker 1: deal with certain things in order to get yourself back
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: on that Grateful that THO was able to take place,
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: and still striving to be the best I can be,
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: and you know, going forward, hopefully I can then carry
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: some kid to be the best they can be, you know,
• 9:13
  Speaker 1: as a kid, you know that's what I had to
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: go through. You know, that's what I did, but keeping
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: that positive message in my end, knowing that I can
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: and knowing that, you know, no matter what anybody else doing,
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: I believe. And that's what I want every kid to understand.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: How to feel good about themselves when you look at
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: that mirror and you look at that reflection back, not
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: like yourself, love yourself. I was small, I was different
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: from all the other players. You know. It felt like
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: I had to adjust to them, but really they had
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: to adjust to me because they never seen a guy
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: in my size playing against them once they got the
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: ball not at half court but at ninety four feet
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: as soon as they take it out, and make them
• 10:02
  Speaker 1: work to get across half court. So all those little
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: things that I had to do that I did, you know,
• 10:07
  Speaker 1: allow me to be you know, still impactful and change
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: the game in that regards to where now my height
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: is not being discussed so much. You look at whatever
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: your weakness is. You got to try to turn into
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: a stript and not look at let them know that
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: this is a weakness. And the way I had it
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: is and the way I looked did it was that
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: you know, gods see you small, they feel like they
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: could post you up. I knew that guards weren't comfortable
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: playing with that back towards the basket. Having that understanding,
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: having to high iQue the game allowed me also to
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: be at the it be very impactful, so where guys
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: couldn't feel like they was taking advantage of me. I
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: don't care how small, how big you are. If that
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: skill set don't match up with you leading and how
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: you leading, you know, everybody's going to be second guess you,
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: calling you out. I got I gained the respect that
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: the guys because they knew and they felt like our
• 11:01
  Speaker 1: a true leader and know I was leading us in
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: the right direction. I was extension of the code. Keep playing,
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: keep playing. But while you playing, learn all the niances,
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: all the information that comes with the game of basketball.
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: Don't settle for what someone thinks that you should be doing.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Understand what that position is. Because if you're undersized to guard,
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: all right, and you're undersized point guard or your small guard,
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: then you still have the ability to play the game.
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: It's just no matter how can I be impactful on
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: that team? What I need to do to be impactful
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: and not stand out as a liability and I continue
• 11:42
  Speaker 1: to be an asset. I mean life. We can't escape
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: anything that goes on with life. You know, we all
• 11:49
  Speaker 1: not immune to problems, drama or trauma, a tragedy. You know,
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: we all here as human beings. So you know, when
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: you're going through some sort of difficulties, you know, first
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: finding out whatever that difficulty may be. You know, for me,
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: I like to pray. I like to give it to
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: the man upstairs and it gets strength from him within
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: your power in terms of how to start slowly, you know,
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: get yourself out of that situation. But for one. You know,
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: you give it to the man. You know you do
• 12:26
  Speaker 1: all within your power, and and you believe you be
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: optimistic about it. You know, being negative about a situation,
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: staying in that place, it never helps. You know, it's
• 12:39
  Speaker 1: nothing wrong with understanding that place, feeling bad about it,
• 12:44
  Speaker 1: looking at it for what it is, and don't stay there.
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: Got to get back on that other side and start
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: looking at the resolve, the resolution of it, or how
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: can I get back to feel it good and feeling
• 12:58
  Speaker 1: prosperous again to where I'm not dealing with this obstacle.
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: You know, anything is possible. Positive thinking is also translated
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: to that, you know, we always, no matter what the
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: situation with the situation is, we're gonna try to look
• 13:19
  Speaker 1: for the outcome, the better of that situation. We can't
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: find a resolution to get out of it, you know,
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: we're gonna keep on searching the continue to try to
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: find a resolution to get out of because that's what
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: you do. You know, that's how you get to the
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: bottom of That's how you get to the facts and
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: the asset. Don't give them that platform, don't give them
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: the ammunition. That's their opinion. Don't mean that it's true
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: about who you are. So that's one of the reasons
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: that's why I want to start this Reach One Teach
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: one because I want to make sure that every kid
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: believes in themselves going forward throughout life. We all human beings,
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: you know. So that's one of the main message I
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: would love to get out to any everybody that's out there.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: Everything happened for a reason, no regrets. All the negative
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: things that happen. I'm thankful for it because I learned.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: Hopefully I learned from those situations.