cover image In the Land of Giants: My Life in Basketball

In the Land of Giants: My Life in Basketball

Tyrone Bogues. Little Brown and Company, $19.45 (233pp) ISBN 978-0-316-10173-8

At 5'3"", Bogues is the shortest player ever to play for an NBA team. Born in 1965 and raised in public housing projects in Baltimore, he distinguished himself on the court at Dunbar High School, where, during his junior and senior years, the team won 59 consecutive games. At Wake Forest University, Bogues encountered not racism but prejudice against students on athletic scholarships as dumb jocks. He was picked by the Washington Bullets of the NBA, with whom he had a disappointing rookie season, then went to the Charlotte Hornets and led them into the 1992-93 season playoffs. A dynamo and a sparkplug on the court, this starting point guard has been called ``a damn pest'' and ``your worst nightmare'' by opponents. Readers will find his autobiography, written with Levine (Life on the Rim), as exciting as a fast break. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)