Big honor: Hornets to retire Muggsy Bogues' No. 1 jersey

The Charlotte Hornets are retiring Muggsy Bogues' No. 1 jersey, the team announced Tuesday. The ceremony will take place on Feb. 11, honoring the shortest player in NBA history, who stood 5-foot-3 and became one of the franchise's defining figures.

Bogues spent 10 of his 14 NBA seasons in Charlotte, from 1988 to 1998, and remains the franchise's all-time leader in assists, steals and minutes played. He joined the club in the 1988 expansion draft and, at 61, has now spent more than 20 years with the Hornets as a player and ambassador.

For Bogues, the honor carries a special irony. "How ironic is that?" he 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."

He said Charlotte has meant more to him than anywhere else. "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." The decision came from owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, who wanted the club to stay connected to its history and its legends.

Bogues will become just the third player to have his number retired by the Hornets, joining Bobby Phills (No. 13) and Dell Curry (No. 30). "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.'"