Hornets will retire Muggsy Bogues’ No. 1 jersey on Feb. 11, and he says ‘me and the Hornets put each other on the map’

The Charlotte Hornets will retire Muggsy Bogues’ No. 1 jersey on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2027, in a halftime ceremony at Spectrum Center during their game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The team announced the decision on Tuesday. Bogues will be the third player in franchise history to have his number retired, after Bobby Phills (No. 13) and Dell Curry (No. 30).

Bogues is 5-foot-3, the shortest player in NBA history. He was an original Hornet and played 10 seasons in Charlotte, from 1988-89 to 1997-98. He has spent more than 20 years with the organization as a player and ambassador. The game tips at 7 p.m. ET, which is 2 a.m. Friday, Feb. 12, in Cairo.

“Me and the Hornets put each other on the map,” said Bogues, now 61. “When I first came, it was like it was a match made in heaven, being one of the original players. I played nine-plus years here and it’s special to have some success and be embraced by the fans from day one.”

“We had some success, not the success that we wanted to have and win the championship, but we had a lot of success in the city of Charlotte,” he said. “Being recognized as one that they want to hang my jersey in the rafters, it means the world to me and my family.”

on february 11th, we will honor the one & only muggsy bogues. 🐝

press release: https://t.co/gq6cYbwKM9 | @MuggsyBogues pic.twitter.com/jJ8zkefsWq

— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) October 27, 2026

A reveal video and ‘only one Muggsy Bogues’

The Hornets announced the news with a video of Bogues reading his own invitation: “Join my family and me on February 11, 2027, as we watch my No. 1 Charlotte Hornets jersey get raised to the rafters of the Spectrum Center.” The clip was played for his family and for a room of Hornets staff, and it ends with hugs and congratulations.

“There’s only one Muggsy Bogues,” one member of the group tells him in the video. “That number one will be going up to the rafters, so no one else in Hornets history will be wearing that again.”

Co-chairmen Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin said in a statement that honoring the players who built the franchise is part of the team’s “commitment to Hornets history.” “Muggsy was here from the beginning and played with a heart, toughness and competitive spirit that made him a fan favorite,” they said. “At 5-foot-3, he overcame obstacles throughout his career and proved he belonged among the best players in the world. He became a role model for generations, showing young people that their size doesn’t have to limit what they can achieve.”

The franchise leader in assists and steals

Washington drafted Bogues 12th overall in 1987. The Bullets left him unprotected in the 1988 expansion draft, and Charlotte took him. He played 632 games for the Hornets and averaged 8.8 points, 8.8 assists and 1.7 steals. He retired as the team’s all-time leader in assists (5,557), steals (1,067) and minutes (19,768). His 10.7 assists per game in 1989-90 are still the best single-season mark in team history. He is the only Hornet to average at least 10 assists in a season, and he did it twice, in 1989-90 and 1993-94.

His best season was 1993-94, when he averaged 10.8 points, 10.1 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Only Utah’s John Stockton averaged more assists that year. Bogues helped Charlotte to four playoff trips, three 50-win seasons and the franchise’s first playoff series win in 1993, and he was part of the 54-28 team in 1996-97 that still holds the franchise record for wins. When he retired after 14 NBA seasons, he ranked 12th all-time with 6,726 assists. His career 4.69 assist-to-turnover ratio is still the best among the top 100 assist leaders in NBA history.

“I probably walked around thinking I was 6-foot-5,” Bogues said. “That’s how I looked at myself and carried myself. I felt I belonged. I felt I was skilled enough. I had the IQ to run a team.” He added: “I realized you play against the best and you have success against the best, then you must be included with the best.”

Dunbar, Wake Forest and Charlotte

Born Tyrone Curtis Bogues in Baltimore, he played at Dunbar High School with future NBA players David Wingate, Reggie Williams and Reggie Lewis. The Poets went 50-0 across his junior and senior seasons. At Wake Forest, he is still the program’s all-time leader in assists (781) and steals (275), and the school retired his No. 14 in 1987. Off the court, he played in the 1996 film Space Jam, and the Hornets’ teal and purple era with Curry, Larry Johnson and Alonzo Mourning made the team popular around the world.

Bogues still lives in the Charlotte area. He coached the WNBA’s Charlotte Sting in 2005 and 2006, and his family foundation gives food help and scholarships for skilled trades. “Charlotte has been home to me and my family for so many years, and the support I’ve received from Hornets fans has meant everything to me,” he said. “To have my number retired alongside Bobby and Dell is an incredible honor.”

The Hornets play at Detroit on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. ET, which is 2 a.m. Thursday in Cairo.