CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Hornets announced Tuesday that they will retire Muggsy Bogues' No. 1 jersey, honoring the shortest player in NBA history by reportedly placing his jersey at the highest point physically permitted by the arena's structural engineering.
Bogues, who stood 5-foot-3 throughout his 14-year NBA career, will have his number retired during halftime of Charlotte's February 11 game against Milwaukee.
According to fictional team sources, the organization immediately began searching for a location approximately 200 feet above where Bogues could reasonably reach.
"After a lifetime of looking up at everybody, we wanted to give Muggsy one more thing to look up at," one imaginary Hornets executive explained.
The team reportedly rejected several proposed locations for the jersey, including the standard championship rafters, the upper scoreboard, and a section of ceiling maintenance workers described as "already pretty high."
Engineers eventually recommended suspending it from the arena's highest supporting beam, where it would remain visible to fans, television cameras, and potentially passing aircraft.
The decision celebrates a remarkable career in which Bogues spent 10 seasons with Charlotte, becoming the franchise's all-time leader in assists, steals, and minutes played despite regularly sharing the court with people nearly two feet taller than him.
His No. 1 will join those of Bobby Phills and Dell Curry as the only retired player numbers in Hornets history.
For the ceremony, Charlotte is reportedly considering a special hydraulic lift so Bogues can participate in raising his jersey without having to watch the entire process from several hundred feet below.
The organization insists the extreme height is a symbol of respect, not an elaborate continuation of basketball's longest-running short joke.
**After spending 14 NBA seasons proving that height doesn't determine greatness, Muggsy Bogues will receive the ultimate honor: having his entire legacy celebrated through a joke about his height.**
