Shoot It You Fucking Midget
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Shoot It You Fucking Midget
NBA / Stories / Video / Vintage
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Michael Jordan is one of the most intimidating competitors the game has ever seen. Besides his killer mentality and skills to show for it, Jordan also has a reputation for his trash-talking and reckless personality. His attitude has always been well-documented — Jordan speaks his mind no matter who is in front of him.
This was exactly the case when Jordan was matched up against the shortest player to ever play in the NBA, Muggsy Bogues. Just like everybody else, the 5-foot-3 point guard wasn’t spared from Jordan’s intimidating verbal jabs.
The story goes back to Game 5 of the first round series between the Charlotte Hornets and the Chicago Bulls in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. The Bulls and Charlotte were tied, and the Hornets had a chance to swing the series. However, in a huge and game-deciding possession, Bogues bricked an uncontested shot in front of Jordan, who gave him the space and told him to shoot it.
The Bulls eventually won the game and closed the series. Former Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach, who told the story, also said that the Charlotte point guard came up to him and said that it was that single play that ruined his career.
Johnny said physically Jordan and Pippen were about the same as defenders. But when you add in MJ’s ruthlessness and trash talk, that put him ahead of Scottie. When Johnny was coaching with the Hornets in 1995 they had a good team. Glen Rice, Mourning, Johnson. Series was tied at 2 and Hornets had a chance to win game 5 in Chicago. On the biggest possession of the game, Mugsy had the ball with the Hornets down 1. Jordan backed off of him and told him: “shoot it you f*cking midget.” Mugsy shot it, didn’t come close. A year later Mugsy actually told Johnny Bach that he believes that single play ruined his career. His shot never recovered.
However, this rumor was eventually downplayed by Bogues himself who said that trash-talking is just a part of the game and those type of things have no effect at all.
There’s no telling if Bach was exaggerating or Bogues was capping. But as the numbers suggest, Bogues really got worse after that year. He only averaged 5.9 points per game on 45.1% FG for the rest of his career after averaging double-digit scoring numbers with 10.6 points per game on 46.7% FG in three seasons prior to the incident.
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This week, a day after former Chicago Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach died at 91 , we got an email. A friend of a friend had sent the tipster a summary of a 2011 dinner with Bach. It was filled with all sorts of fun anecdotes about Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Jerry Krause, and more characters on from that era of the Bulls. The stories were pretty good on their own, but we wanted context, and facts. We asked the tipster if he stayed in touch with the person who sent it to him. Did he know the person who went to dinner with Johnny Bach?
The tipster said no, and no. In the course of our research, though, we discovered that we had received this same summary of Bach stories in 2012, from a different tipster who said he received it from a friend of a friend. There was an email address attached to the friend of a friend. We emailed, and asked if he went to the dinner. He said no; someone sent it to him. We asked who sent it to him . He didn’t respond. The same email also shows up in a year-old archived Reddit post, so this compilation has clearly made the rounds.
The longwinded point being made here is that we have no clue who the fuck supposedly went to dinner with Johnny Bach. (If you do know, email tips@deadspin.com .) Nonetheless, in the spirit of Derek Jeter’s butt habits and every Rickey Henderson anecdote , we’re filing this under unverified stories we desperately want to believe. Here are the best excerpts.
On Bach’s relationship with former Bulls GM Jerry Krause:
After the Bulls lost to the Knicks in 94, the Hue Hollins game as Johnny referred to it. There was a meeting 10 days after the season. All the coaches and management were in the room. Krause wanted to trade Scottie Pippen. He said he quit on the team and they didn’t want him around anymore. Johnny was the supreme voice against trading Scottie. He said he made a mistake, we all make mistakes. Krause wanted to put it to a vote - trading Pippen. Johnny called out everyone in the room saying, “if this needs to be put to a vote you’re all idiots.” They decided against it. A few weeks went by and Johnny and Krause sat down to talk new contract. Krause told him there wouldn’t be a new contract. He didn’t want Johnny around anymore. Johnny is as old school as they come. He told Krause, “you gave me your word.” (Which in Johnny’s day, your word is everything). Krause told him, “Show me that in writing.” Needless to say, Johnny despises Jerry Krause and didn’t hold his feelings back. Krause has tried to apologize to him over the years, but Johnny has always said to him, “don’t say a f’ing word to me.” So when I asked Johnny, “So all this stuff we’ve heard about Jordan, Phil, Pip hating Krause...” Johnny replied, “It’s all true.” Of all the people Johnny talked about, he definitely spoke with the most disdain about Krause.
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On Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan’s rivalry:
Nothing but respect for Pippen. Great teammate. Great player. He was a thug when he came into the league, but really came around and they talk regularly now. Pippen and Jordan together defensively was as devastating a duo as there will ever be. Scottie and Michael used to compete on everything. Jordan used always claim his hands were bigger, but they weren’t. Scottie was very blessed down below. And that killed Michael. Johnny said, “you should have seen the girls pippen had waiting for him everywhere we went. Madonna used to pick him up in a limo with a hot tub every time we went to L.A. Michael used to tell Madonna he could satisfy her better, to which Madonna would tell him “not a chance.”” The youngest of 17 children, Pippen has had a tough battle with money. When you combine the fact that pippen signed a stupid long term deal in 1991, family members riding him, and a crooked investment where he had $20 million stolen from him, Pip was basically flat broke when he came back to the Bulls in 2003. [Jerry] Reinsdorf gave him a big deal and even paid him for the two years he didn’t play, which he didn’t have to do. Reinsorf is a loyal guy and Johnny nothing bad to say about him, but Reinsdorf obviously took Krause’s position back in 1995 so it’s not all rainbows, but he likes Reinsdorf. Pippen also married Larsa who comes from big time money. So he’s doing fine now.
On B.J. Armstrong and his relationship with John Paxson:
Very talented player, but unbelievably sensitive. Jordan used to tear him apart every minute. If BJ missed two shots in a row on passes from MJ, Michael would walk by the bench and say, “get his ass out.” BJ a very vain individual. He always made it a bigger competition with [John] Paxson than it should have been. BJ would go insanely hard during warmup dribbling drills to try to make look bad. Which one day prompted Phil [Jackson] to say, “BJ you’re one selfish cocksucker.” And as you guys know, the competition between BJ and Pax continued into the Bulls front office. When Paxson was given the GM job, BJ quit. Still pissed. That’s the reason he didn’t show for the 1991 reunion last month. Johnny did say, however, that BJ is behind the scenes with D rose, and he’s doing a great job of handling him and how he acts. So that’s pretty cool.
Johnny said physically Jordan and Pippen were about the same as defenders. But when you add in MJ’s ruthlessness and trash talk, that put him ahead of Scottie. When Johnny was coaching with the Hornets in 1995 they had a good team. Glen Rice, Mourning, Johnson. Series was tied at 2 and Hornets had a chance to win game 5 in Chicago. On the biggest possession of the game, Mugsy had the ball with the Hornets down 1. Jordan backed off of him and told him: “shoot it you fucking midget.” Mugsy shot it, didn’t come close. A year later Mugsy actually told Johnny Bach that he believes that single play ruined his career. His shot never recovered.
Jordan invited Johnny Bach (Johnny later told me they talk once a month, good friends) to MJ’s Hall of fame dinner. It was $1,000 per plate, plus airfaire, hotel, etc. Johnny straight up told Michael that he didn’t have the money. The next morning, a limo showed up, airfaire and hotel and dinner was paid for, along with other money to spend for the week.
MJ used to tell Johnny that “Tiger Woods is an idiot. I tried to help him, but the kid’s gonna get caught.” (we all know how that turned out). In order for a girl to get to MJ, she needed to go through 4 undercover former narcotics detectives just to speak to Michael. She had to be approved by all 4 to make sure she wasn’t gonna say a damn word about MJ to anyone. So there’s MJ, not the greatest character guy, but he sure was pretty smart.
Contact the author at samer@deadspin.com .
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Down by one to the Chicago Bulls, the Charlotte Hornets needed to make one more huge basket to avoid getting bounced in the 1995 NBA Playoffs. Muggsy Bogues took the ball in this important possession with Michael Jordan guarding him. Eventually, Jordan stepped back and gave Bogues the space to shoot the rock. “Shoot it you fucking midget," MJ barked. The 5-foot-3 guard obliged and didn't come close. The Bulls won the game, 85-84, and moved onto the semifinals to play the Orlando Magic.
According to Johnny Bach, who was a coach on that 1995 Hornets team, Bogues told him that moment ruined his career. He was never the same, averaging just 5.9 points per game for the remainder of his career after three straight years of putting up double-digit points. Cold.
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[OC] Michael Jordan Never Called Muggsey Bogues a F***ING Midget
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Ok, so I made a post a while ago about dispelling the Muggsy Bogues and MJ rumor, but with "The Last Dance" documentary premiering recently, people are starting to talk about MJ a lot more and inevitably there is some reference made about how ruthless he was and the conversation will somehow return to how he called Muggsy Bogues a F***ING Midget. It didn't happen. Yes, I know MJ is the GOAT and was a ruthless competitor, but he did not call Muggsy Bogues a F***ING Midget and he did not ruin Muggsy’s career. Muggsy Bogues is 23rd all time in assists ahead of guys like Kevin Johnson, Steph Marbury, Kobe, Jerry West, and Scottie Pippen so put some respect on the man's name.
The myth is that Michael Jordan ruined Muggsy Bogues' career by telling him to shoot the ball during a big moment in the 1995 playoffs while calling Muggsy a F***ING Midget. It is said that this comment ruined Muggsy's career and that Muggsey never recovered mentally.
First, let's take a look at some of the articles that reference the false myth.
Muggsy had the ball during the game's most important possession, during game 5 of the first round 1995 playoff series
MJ backed off of Muggsy, and then shouted to Muggsy to 'Shoot it, you f***ing midget.'
This moment started the downfall of Muggsy's career and his career was ruined as a result of what MJ said to him in that moment
Here is a link to the entire game (fast forward to the 1:41:45 mark to get to the play)
The shot that Muggsy took was not the game's most important nor was it taken in the closing seconds. When Muggsy took the shot, the game was tied 76-76 and there was more than 4 1/2 minutes left in the game. The Bulls ended up winning the game 85-84. Muggys was not even in the game for the final 4 minutes. There's no way that the shot in the myth was anywhere close to the games most important possession.
Jordan never backed up. It was a quick play where Muggys got the ball made one quick dribble and pulled up. It wasn't some kind of one on one battle. If you look at the video, everything happens so quickly MJ didn't even had time to say something, let alone have the time to back off and shout something to Muggsy.
This moment did not ruin Muggsy's career. During the 1995 playoff series against the Bulls, Muggys was 30 years old. During that season, he averaged 11.1 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 1.3 SPG. The next year in 1996, Muggsy suffered a terrible injury and only played 6 games. The year after that in 1997, when Muggsy is 32 years old, he played 65 games and averaged 8.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, and 1.3 SPG. That's not a significant drop off and is most likely due to age and injury than anything else. Muggsy also ended up playing until he was 36 years old meaning that he played 6 more season after that playoff series against the Bulls in 1995.
The story about MJ ruining Muggsy's career by calling him a F***ING Midget is a lie. The story does not match up with the video footage and the idea that this somehow ruined Muggsy's career is poppycock. Muggsy's decline was due to the fact that he was past the prime of his career and had a terrible knee injury that kept him out for the entire year after the 1995 playoff series. In 1997 at age 32 he had a good bounce back year, but shortly after that he started to play less minutes and father time got the better of him. His decline was due to his age and his injuries and not anything that MJ supposedly said.
The rumor that MJ ruined Muggsy's career was started by MJ himself because he's still bitter that Muggsy picked his pocket in a Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs even though MJ got bailed out with an illegal defense call. Video footage below.
EDIT: SPELLING & Reorganized the heading and the sections to line up and make it more organized
It never happened because the guy was 5'3 and he was probably called midgets thousands of times. I doubt MJ was somehow magically the one who broke him.
“no one knows I’m short” - Mugsy “Shoot it you fucking midget” - MJ “My life is a lie” - Mugsy
Seriously. I’m sure he has been called a midget a million times. That one broke him, even coming from MJ, is ridiculous.
So yeah, I'm sure he was used to it
he secretly idolized MJ like Chamillionaire
If he truly was broken, why is he selling Raptor books for kids?!
“Jordan was the GOAT at everything, even trash talk. He even destroyed another’s players career with sheer words”. People will believe anything about jorda n if it affirms their belief, same way an article about something stupid, say, lavar ball did(that doesn’t even have to be true) would also take off before before the skeptics can be wet blankets on our “ I want this to be true” party
I want MJ calling Bogues a fucking midget to be true, so I am going to believe it, no matter who posts some OC.
My favorite part is how you said put some respect on my dude's name, then spelled it wrong 8 times, including title. Unbelievable, OP. For shame.
My bad. I corrected the spelling in the places I misspelled it.
Bogues also filmed Space Jam after the playoffs ended. There was no ill will between Jordan and Bogues
Muggsy is also an ambassador for the Hornets (which Jordan currently owns). I doubt Muggsey would've accepted the role if there was animosity between them.
People act like a dude out there who was 5'3 and playing ball in a League where the average height is 6'7 never realized he was short.
Right? This was a dude who grew up in the Baltimore projects, played four years of ACC basketball, and had almost 10 years of NBA basketball under his belt by this point (1995) and we're supposed to assume that no one had made a biting remark regarding Muggsy Bogues' height? I'd put a fair bit of money on the fact that Bogues had probably already heard every possible short joke by then under just about every possible circumstance.
Muggsy was cocky as hell too. You have to be cocky to be that small and be a good player in the NBA.
I’m sure he probably felt he would have been better than MJ if he were 15 inches taller.
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