All his life, Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues has been told to come back to play when he grows up. At five-feet-three inches, he has always been the shortest player on whichever basketball team he joined. He has also been one of the best. When people make fun of his height, Bogues makes them regret it. The shortest player ever in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Bogues lifted himself to new heights as the starting point guard of the Charlotte Hornets. He currently continues to defy the odds against him as a vital contributor with the Golden State Warriors.

Tyrone Curtis Bogues was born January 9, 1965, in East Baltimore, Maryland. His mother, Elaine, wanted a daughter when she was pregnant with Bogues because she already had two sons and one daughter. "I wasn't disappointed," she told the Complete Handbook of Pro Basketball about her youngest child. "He was...