00:00 [Gun cocks]
00:02 [Siren wails]
00:06 Got shot at the age of five years old,
00:08 you know, being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
00:11 For one, I didn't think I was gonna be part of the world anymore,
00:15 you know, when that happened, even though it was the buckshots,
00:17 the bullets missed my head, but the buckshots hit all over my arms
00:20 and in my chest, so...
00:23 That was a normalcy for us.
00:28 Didn't even see life expectancy past 20
00:31 because of all the things that go on in your neighborhood,
00:35 losing friends at an early age.
00:37 That was just the neighborhood we lived in.
00:45 You know, every time you go outside your door,
00:47 you need to have your head on a swivel.
00:49 Before that trauma happened to me,
00:53 you know, trying to pursue the game of basketball,
00:56 going out on the court, being laughed upon because of your size,
00:59 you know, they used to affect me.
01:01 I'd go home crying to my mom,
01:03 letting her know how cruel the kids were to me out there on the court.
01:06 But after that dramatic experience happened to me, being shot,
01:11 when I went back out there,
01:13 those words didn't have the same impact.
01:15 And I do believe that it had to do with me thinking
01:19 that I almost lost my life.
01:21 You felt like you'd been through the worst of it.
01:23 You know, words, as they say, stick to stone.
01:25 They hurt you, but words never hurt you.
01:27 And that's true.
01:29 You know, the words can't hurt you unless you allow it to.
01:32 And I got to that point where those words didn't mean anything.
01:36 And it just is a sad, it came in one ear, went out the other.
01:39 Pops got put in prison when I was 12.
01:43 So my mom had to take on that role
01:46 to be the mother and the father of the household,
01:48 only having 11th grade education.
01:50 So she had to go back and get her diploma
01:53 in order for her to provide to get a job for her family.
01:56 It gave me an understanding that I need to do more, I need to focus.
02:00 From that moment on, I didn't even think about my height.
02:08 I knew I wasn't getting out of that 5-foot range,
02:10 and I embraced that early on.
02:12 People always tell you who you should be, who you could be,
02:16 but you're the only person to know who you want to be.
02:20 Basketball was always that barrier that I had to break down
02:25 because of all the coaches, all the people felt like
02:28 the game should be played by your height.
02:31 You need to be big and tall in order to pursue this game.
02:34 I had to change their mindsets in terms of letting them know
02:38 that this game was meant for whoever had the ability
02:40 to play the game of basketball.
02:42 He is now the shortest player in the NBA.
02:48 Tyrone Bogues from Wake Forest, 5'3", 140 pounds, 22 years old.
02:54 He was projected to be the shortest player in the NBA.
02:57 That was the day the weight of the world was lifted off my shoulders.
03:00 There was a surreal moment hearing your name called,
03:04 your dreams finally come true after all this, you know,
03:08 all this hardship, the journey that you've been on.
03:11 You're about to change the whole narrative of your entire family.
03:14 (announcer)
03:17 To be small in this industry, to be the smallest,
03:25 I mean, of course I am honored and grateful,
03:28 but at the same time, I'm wishing and dreaming
03:31 that it could be someone even smaller
03:33 in terms of that next generation.
03:37 (music)
03:40 Having a kid around the world just dreaming,
03:56 believing that they can be this individual,
03:59 regardless of his stature, just giving them hope and faith
04:03 that they have that outlook in life
04:05 that they could be part of something
04:07 that no one thinks they are capable of.
04:10 So having that, an atmosphere that where a kid can dream and believe
04:15 and say, "Oh, someone my size had done that,
04:18 and it's possible for me to do it," it gives me chills.
04:22 You never really hear anything bad about him,
04:29 his whole career in the NBA,
04:32 because he's just, like, such a good guy.
04:34 Like, he does so much for his community,
04:37 and he's just, like, so family-oriented.
04:40 Like, he wants to make sure that his kids do what's right,
04:45 and he's been such a great role model for all of our kids.
04:49 I love working with my dad. It's made us closer.
04:53 He's my best friend, so, yeah,
04:55 some of his requests are off the wall,
04:58 but, I mean, I love him as my dad.
05:01 I am so proud of Brittany,
05:04 and for them to be able to oversee all my projects
05:07 and the things that I'm doing,
05:09 I am so grateful to be in their hands.
05:12 I followed all around, ever since when I was a kid.
05:23 I mean, seeing her play the game--
05:26 football, baseball, basketball--
05:28 as a girl, a small girl,
05:30 that just gave me so much inspiration
05:32 that I wanted to go out there and play.
05:35 When I lost her, I mean, it took a toll,
05:39 but, again, I continue to keep her legacy alive
05:42 because of the things that she committed to our city in Baltimore.
05:48 She ran all the youth programs for the Park and Rec centers back home--
05:52 football, basketball.
05:54 I mean, she missed so many family functions
05:57 because of her commitment to those kids,
06:00 and that let me know that her heart was in the right place.
06:03 So for me to be here in this position,
06:06 to continue her legacy,
06:09 to make sure that those individuals that she touched
06:15 know how important that it is to continue
06:18 to put that effort into the youth
06:22 because they are our future,
06:25 and she had a big heart in that regards.
06:28 Never let any negative moment keep you in that place.
06:40 You go through that process, and you move on from it.
06:44 I want to always try to make sure that folks believe in them
06:50 and not to give that credit to anyone
06:54 or give that power to anyone who don't believe in you
06:57 because people could be cruel.
06:59 People could be very devastating towards your dreams,
07:02 and if you allow them to come into your space,
07:05 they could take that away from you.
07:07 So always tell folks to surround yourself with those who are going to uplift you.
07:11 And for me to continue to be out here spreading that message,
07:15 being able to go out and talk to the youth,
07:17 talk to anyone that has an open ear and that wants to grow,
07:21 I'm all for it.
07:24 My charity work that I do now with the Mugs of Boa Family Foundation
07:27 is also close to my heart
07:30 where we're trying to empower the underserved
07:34 and make sure they have a quality, better life just like anyone else.
07:38 That's what God has placed me here for
07:41 at this juncture in my life, I believe.
07:44 I am honored to be able to play in three decades,
07:48 the '80s, the '90s, and the 2000s
07:51 with some of the unbelievable players that I played with.
07:55 It's not about the media.
07:57 It's about the people that you compete against,
07:59 all the competition, and that's where all the failure as well as success
08:03 is instantly right then and there.
08:06 In the NBA, you're playing against the best in the world,
08:09 so having guys that give you that type of respect,
08:12 that's what you play the game for.
08:15 [music]
08:19 [music]
08:23 [music]
08:27 [music]
08:30 [music]
08:37 [music]
08:40 (upbeat music)
08:42 (upbeat music)
Comments