Bogues talks Raptors' championship run, team's future and new book

Retired point guard Muggsy Bogues was one of a handful of former Raptors to be honoured at centre court during a break in the action of Game 1 of the NBA Finals last spring in Toronto.

Bogues, who played 86 games for the Raptors over two seasons before retiring, says it’s always an honour to return to the place he briefly called home.

“Any time you get invited back, I mean the hospitality is overwhelming. It’s always like that when you come back,” Bogues told TSN.ca while promoting his new children’s book, A Raptor Tale, powered by GoDaddy on Tuesday. “Seeing what the team has done, what [team president] Masai [Ujiri] has done and how the city has grasped their arms around that team, I mean it was special to see that. Then to top it off, winning it all really made it special.”

Bogues’ time in Toronto was short, but it was definitely memorable. The Wake Forest product signed with the Raptors as a free agent prior to the 1999-00 season and instantly became a fan favourite on an emerging team led by superstar Vince Carter.

Toronto put up 45 wins that year – their best season by far in the franchise’s brief five-year history – which was good enough to make the playoffs for the first time as a sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Raptors were ousted quickly in the first round by the New York Knicks, but the playoff appearance whetted the appetite for playoff success in Toronto, says Bogues.

“They were just getting a little taste of what playoff basketball is all about because it was relatively new. They were only in [the NBA] for five years and they made the playoffs. Getting that taste and wanting more of it, it propelled them to acquire the best talent they can and try to win a championship,” explained Bogues. “You didn’t know a championship would exist, but you could see the supporting cast, you could see it in terms of what this team meant for the city and how they were going to be with them regardless of circumstances.”

Bogues played just three games with the Raps in the following season before he was dealt to the Knicks in February. He never played in another NBA game and soon retired.

A championship run has seemed like a fantasy for the majority of the Raptors’ life in the NBA because it’s always been an impossible task to get the best players to come to Canada during their prime. After plenty of turmoil and heartbreak, the Raptors are champions and are respected by the basketball world more than ever following their historic run last season.

Bogues attributes a lot of that success to Ujiri and a change in how championship teams are built.

“Talent comes in different forms now. You get so many overseas guys, you get guys in free agency which has never been a big sticker for Toronto, but winning a championship can now change a lot of things,” the 52-year-old said. “The people love the city of Toronto. A lot of players and a lot of fans love the city of Toronto.”

The positive outlook of the Raptors took a major blow in July when NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who was dealt to Toronto the previous summer, bolted after just one season in Toronto to play for his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.

So, the Raptors still couldn’t keep a top-tier talent even after winning a title. Has anything really changed when it comes to free agency in Toronto?

Given that Leonard always wanted to go back home, Bogues says he doesn’t put him in that “not-wanting –to-play-in-Toronto boat” and thinks they might have a real shot at landing Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo if the Milwaukee Bucks power forward becomes a free agent in a couple years.

“Looking at his situation, I wouldn’t put him [Kawhi Leonard] in the same category where a free agent wouldn’t want to come here, so in that regard I still think that Masai has his pulse out there, and who knows? You might end up with Giannis here in two years,” said Bogues.

Bogues admits it’s going to be difficult to reach the same levels of success without Kawhi in the fold this season, but says they “are going to give all they got.”

“They’ve won games without him [Leonard],” said Bogues. “In the East anything is possible. It depends on the matchups, who they get and as long as they say healthy.”

As for a return to professional basketball, Bogues says he could see himself in a NBA front office one day.

“At one point I was thinking about coaching, but at this stage I don’t think coaching would be the right thing,” said Bogues. “In the front office would be something maybe. I love putting the team together, seeing that it will come to fruition. …Who knows? I’m always involved in the game.”  

Bogues has teamed up with GoDaddy to help promote his new children book A Raptor Tale, which tells the story of the “Toronto Raptors journey from NBA outsiders to world champions,” through the eyes of the team’s mascot. 

That underdog mentality is something the Baltimore native can relate to as the shortest player in NBA history at just 5-foot-3. 

“The journey is real. I just wanted to capitalize on not only what they’ve done, but the things I’ve done,” said Bogues.

Bogues says a good website is the cornerstone of any successful business.

“I’m excited to be partnering with GoDaddy. I encourage anyone who is an entrepreneur or a small business owner to go create a website because I didn’t realize how important a website is for your business. Your website is the first impression of a potential customer and that’s usually the first place they go to check your business.”

You can purchase the book HERE.