IT doesn’t sound possible that the shortest NBA player ever could have a better rebounding rate than near 7-footer Kevin Durant – but he does.
Muggsy Bogues, 58, was only 5-foot-3 but has a better offensive rebounding rate than the soon-to-be Hall of Famer Durant.
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Muggsy Bogues was just 5-foot-3Credit: Getty
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He played nine seasons with the HornetsCredit: Getty
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Bogues averaged over a steal and a half per game over the course of his careerCredit: Getty
A user on Reddit found that Bogues did, in fact, have a slightly higher adjusted offensive rebounding percentage than KD and was shocked by the statistic.
They posted: “I was surprised to find that Bogues had a couple seasons averaging an offensive rebound a game. It’s already extremely impressive to make the NBA at that size but I definitely wouldn’t have expected him to be a solid offensive rebounder.
“This made me think of Durant, who despite being an amazing offensive player, has always been a mediocre offensive rebounder for his size.”
The user concluded: “Bogues has a career ORB% of 2.3 percent compared to 2.2 percent for Durant.”
It’s a narrow margin, but a victory the smallest player in NBA history will take nonetheless.
Bogues is a fan-favorite who was picked No. 12 overall in the 1987 NBA Draft.
Despite his small stature, the guard lasted a lengthy 14 seasons.
Thanks to his incredible steal rate, Bogues still impacted the defensive end, despite giving up several inches to opposing guards.
When talking about his lack of height in the NBA, he said: “People looked at my size as a disadvantage, but I looked at it as an advantage. Whatever I had in my arsenal, I had to use.”
Bogues averaged just over seven points, two rebounds, and seven assists on 45.8 percent shooting from the floor during his career.
Although his stats aren’t the most impressive, Bogues is undoubtedly one of the most famous Hornets players in NBA history.
He’s the career leader for the Hornets in minutes played (19,768), assists (5,557), steals (1,067), turnovers (1,118), and assists per 48 minutes (13.5).
Durant still has a chance to overtake Bogues, considering he’s still an active player, but the chances are slim.
Bogues is just one example showing no task is too tall for anyone.