IT'S a story that has been told and retold, but Muggsy Bogues will never get tired of telling everyone who cares to listen to keep reaching for their dreams.
And he has every right to.
Standing at just 5-foot-3, the Baltimore native wasn't supposed to make it to the NBA, let alone stay for 14 years in the world's premier basketball league.
But what he had was the undying motivation to prove that he belonged, something that was honed to him by the mentors who believed in him since the beginning.
"As a small player, you had to do certain things and overcompensate. Leon Howard was my guy and the information was the key and allowed me to take my game to the highest level which is the NBA," the Charlotte Hornets legend said on Wednesday in AXA's meet and mingle session at Prohibition Lounge in Makati.
"He kind of took myself and Reggie Williams on his wing and kind of introduced us to the game of basketball. I think with that information for me was huge because having that information allowed me to understand what basketball was, the fundamental game of basketball, and allowed me to go out there and learn the certain aspects of the game."
Bogues made the most of his opportunities and has became the living testament that anyone, even those who are small in stature, can make it big if they just believe in themselves.
It's a perfect embodiment of AXA's newest "Know You Can" campaign, empowering people to live better lives through developing self-belief - "that no matter what the hindrances are, if you put your mind and work towards your goal, you will achieve it."

The same could be said for Monte Morris, who hails from Flint, Michigan and was taken in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
Chances weren't given that often for players taken in those range, but Denver took a chance and gave him his break and this past season, averaged 10.4 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.4 rebounds as he played in all 82 games for the Nuggets.
The turning point for him was a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had 20 points and seven assists off the bench in only the fifth game of his sophomore season.
"You know, performing on the stage with not much experience shows a lot about you. You get to know your character and how to work, and in that moment, it kind of turned to for me and I said, 'You know I can really do this.'," he said.
With that doubt already in the rearview, Morris aims to perform better in his third year as he eyes to be of help for Denver this season, especially with how tougher the Western Conference has gotten in the offseason.
"We've been there before," said the 24-year-old guard of the Nuggets, who finished second in the West last season. "We had success this past season and the other teams still got to figure it out, so for us, we know what we're getting from everyone on our roster."
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