Steph Curry Regrets Losing His But Muggsy Bogues Still Has His Prized Hornets Starter Jacket

Shandel Richardson | Jun 30, 2024

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

Former Charlotte Hornets guard Muggsy Bogues almost felt offended by the question.

Earlier this week, I asked him if he remembered the old Hornets Starter jackets from the early 1990s. You would've thought I made a "short joke" about the 5-foot-3 Bogues.

"Do I remember them," Bogues asked. "I still got mine!!"

The Hornets and their iconic clothing entered the NBA during the 1988-89 season. They were so popular that All-Star Steph Curry still regrets losing his jacket as a kid. Curry's dad, Dell, played for the Hornets, so he had all the gear.

“Whether you were a Hornet fan or not, that was something you wanted to have,” Curry told The Athletic in 2019 when Charlotte hosted the All-Star Game. “Legendary colors, teal and purple, it just takes you back to a certain place when you see it. Even if you hear the name ‘Starter jacket’ or whatever, you get goosebumps, but, I don’t have mine anymore.”

The uniforms were designed by Alexander Julian, which led to a cult following during that era. Bogues said he only wears his jacket on special occasions, mostly team reunions.

"Those were the bomb jackets," Bogues said. "When I went over to Tokyo, I saw a guy with a Starter jacket on. It was about 10 years ago. I saw it and I was like, `Man, you just don't know.' That's how special it was."'

Like Curry, Bogues said the biggest appeal was the color. It broke the traditional mold in sports.

"It was the color by far," Bogues said. "We represented but the colors by far. That teal popped. Alexander Julian was a master. We had the first pinstripes. The teal and purple just resonated with so many people because everybody was used to the red, the blue, the white, those traditional colors ... That teal along with the purple just brightened everybody's eyes."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day NBA. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com.