“Shoot it, you f***ing midget” – When Michael Jordan dared 5’3” Muggsy Bogues to shoot and he missed, something he reportedly never recovered from

Michael Jordan earned a reputation as one of the most ruthless competitors to ever play basketball. With his indomitable spirit and fierce competitiveness combined with his physical abilities, Jordan was an absolute nightmare matchup for defenders.

In the time since his retirement, the stories about him have continued to surface.

Whether Jordan was trash-talking opponents in the locker room, on the court, or on the bench, he never shied away from confrontation. In fact, according to the documentary 'The Last Dance', Jordan often used trash talk as a way to force himself to elevate his game.

During the 1995 NBA Playoffs, Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were pursuing another championship when they matched up against the Charlotte Hornets. With the Hornets down one in the fourth quarter, Bogues got the ball for a pretty clean look at the hoop. As he pulled up for an uncontested midrange jumper, Michael Jordan yelled at him to get into his mind.

He dared Bogues to take the shot, saying "shoot it you f**king midget," which was met with a bad miss from the five-foot-three guard. Although it was just a bad miss, former Chicago Bulls assistant coach Johnny Bach revealed that Bogues felt the play single-handedly ruined his career.

Despite that, Bogues himself has shot down the notion that the play ruined his career, as many have claimed. He spoke during a podcast appearance several years ago:

“MJ supposedly called me a midget, ‘Shoot the ball, midget!’ and I shot the ball. And I supposedly had missed and that supposedly had an effect on my entire career? That’s one of the craziest, most asinine stories that you can hear.”

He continued, pointing out that even if Jordan had made the remark, it wasn't really original:

“I think about all the stuff that I’ve been hearing all my life. And here it is, I’m what – I’m 10 years into my career already? And somebody says something and it’s gonna affect my career? It don’t make no sense.”

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Did Michael Jordan really call Muggsy Bogues a midget?

2022 NBA All-Star Game

Although Bogues has refuted the claims that Jordan called him a midget and ruined his career, MJ has never commented on the play. When analyzing footage from the game, it doesn't seem like there's any audio of Jordan making the statement, either.

Bogues has shared other stories about himself & Michael Jordan. In one particular story, Bogues revealed that when he would see Jordan, the Hall of Famer would put his hand up high in an attempt to make him jump. In return, Bogues would put his hand down low for a classy retort to the GOAT.

See highlights from Bogues' career: