The 53rd annual Red Smith Sports Award Banquet will honor NBA legend Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues as the Featured Guest. He will speak at this year’s Banquet which will be held on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin.
Tyrone Bogues was born in Baltimore, Maryland, where he earned his nickname “Muggsy” from neighborhood playmates telling him that his physical style of play reminded him of a mugging. Bogues started his career as a 5’3’’ point guard at Wake Forest University where he graduated as ACC career leader in steals and assists. After that, Bogues played for the 1986 USA national team and won a gold medal in the FIBA World Championship.
The Washington Bullets selected Bogues with the 12th overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, and he gained plenty of attention in his initial seasons with his unique ball handling skills. Bogues was able to maintain a legal dribble so close to the ground that his knuckles dragged on the floor and had a 44-inch leap on the court. After only one season with the Bullets, Bogues was drafted away by the Charlotte Hornets when they entered the league in the 1988-89 season. With the Hornets, he averaged ten points-per game in the 1992-93 season and helped lead the team to their first ever appearance in the NBA playoffs. Bogues spent ten years with the Hornets which became a perennial playoff contender with teammates such as Alonzo Mourning and Larry Johnson. He is the Hornets’ career leader in minutes played (19,768), assists (5,557), steals (1,067), turnovers (1,118), and assists per 48 minutes (13.5).
From there, Muggsy played two seasons with the Golden State Warriors, then signed as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors, taking them to their first playoff series in 2000. He retired from the NBA ranking 16th among all time assist leaders. Since leaving the NBA, Muggsy works with his nonprofit Always Believe Inc based in Charlotte, NC where he resides with his family. Muggsy is also an Ambassador for the NBA traveling the world educating youth.
For information about the Banquet, individual ticket sales, group table availability and pricing, and sponsorship opportunities visit our website at www.redsmithbanquet.com, e-mail [email protected] or call Joe Ornstein at (920) 570-2536. Seats are available for the January 16, 2018 Banquet. Individual tickets are $65. You can get immediate updates on the Red Smith Banquet by following us on Facebook or Twitter @RedSmithBanquet.