Muggsy Bogues has $3.6 million thank yous for Mark Cuban

Fans are divided on Mark Cuban, same with national pundits. Some consider him brash and rebellious, but those same people would kill to have them own their favorite team.

Players? They love him.

Which brings us to Muggsy Bogues, your favorite 5’3” guard. You remember him, he played for 14 NBA seasons, most in Charlotte. He left the NBA in 2001 after being traded to Dallas with three years left on his NBA deal… and that is where Cuban enters the story.

Bogues spoke with SLAM and recounted what happened.

“I’ve never met Mr. Mark Cuban, but I tell people that I thank him more than life itself,” Bogues, 46, said recently over the phone from his home in Charlotte. “I had three years left on my contract when my mom passed away, and I decided it was time to move on [from basketball]. I walked away from the game with three years left on my contract. He (Cuban) could have easily just have bought me out of my contract, but he went on and honored it and paid the three years out and never looked back.”

That would be $3.6 million.

“I was never able to thank Cuban in person for that, but I do thank him,” said Bogues. “And I’m happy the Dallas Mavericks won the Championship. That’s a great organization.”

That is why Dallas is going to be good no matter what the economic system that comes in after the lockout — players want to go there because they feel treated well. They want to play for Cuban. There are only a handful or organizations around the league that players speak of in these terms (no, not the Clippers) and they will always get the key free agents. Hard cap or not.