Dream Big – February 16, 2003
Professional basketball is a game of giants. It’s a game where seven-foot-tall players are the rule rather than the exception. Professional basketball is also the setting for a most unlikely success story.
In 1987, the Washington Bullets drafted an outstanding player named Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues. He was a first-team, all-conference star at Wake Forest University, and appeared to have all the necessary skills to succeed in the NBA¾with one exception. He was only five-feet, 3-inches tall.
As they had done all his life, critics claimed Bogues was destined for failure. “He’s just too short,” they said.
But Bogues had always dreamed about playing professional basketball and liked his chances. “I go out and give 110 percent and hope things work out for me,” he said on the day he was drafted.1
While Bogues may not have been paying attention to his size, his opponents and fans certainly were. They shook their heads in amazement as they watched this small man run the court with giants. He was named the Charlotte Hornet’s player of the year during the 1989 season.2 And when he retired after a successful fourteen-year career, the shortest player in NBA history took with him the respect and admiration of players and fans everywhere.
It’s easy to feel dwarfed by life’s obstacles. To get frustrated when you come up short. You might be a great artist who has never painted. Or a singer who has never raised your voice. Fear can easily hold you back. But if the story of Muggsy Bogues teaches us anything, it’s that nearly anything is possible.
Dare to dream. But most important, dare to turn your dreams into reality. By giving 110 percent in everything you do¾just as Muggsy Bogues did¾we can all make a big
difference in the lives of those around us.
Program #3835