Earl Boykins
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| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 133 lb (60 kg) |
| Team | Charlotte Bobcats |
| Jersey | #11 |
| Born | June 2, 1976 Cleveland, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| College | Eastern Michigan |
| Draft | Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1999–present |
| Former teams | Rockford Lightning (1998–1999) New Jersey Nets (1999) Cleveland Cavaliers (1999, 2000) Orlando Magic (1999) Los Angeles Clippers (2001–2002) Golden State Warriors (2002–2003) Denver Nuggets (2003–2007) Milwaukee Bucks (2007) |
| Awards | 1998 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award[1] |
Earl Antoine Boykins (born June 2, 1976 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Charlotte Bobcats in the National Basketball Association. At 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), Boykins is the shortest active NBA player and the second shortest player in NBA history behind Muggsy Bogues, who was 5'3" (1.60 m).
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[edit] College career
He played collegiately at Eastern Michigan University from 1994 to 1998. He earned All-Mid-American Conference first team honors in his junior and senior year. During his senior year, Boykins was second in the NCAA with 26.8 ppg. He holds the career record for assists at his alma mater.
[edit] NBA career
Boykins has played in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, and the Charlotte Bobcats. He also spent two years in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA), where he played for the Rockford Lightning. Boykins is the shortest player in the history of the NBA to score over 30 points in a game — a number he has reached several times, with his career high being 36.
After bouncing around with various teams around the league in a limited reserve role for his first five years in the NBA, Boykins finally earned a guaranteed contract with the Denver Nuggets in 2003, signing a 5-year $13.7 million dollar deal, with the fifth year being a player option. Boykins's typical role was to come off the bench to inject energy into his team's offense, as he is one of the quickest guards in the league, pairing this with a very fast shooting motion, which allows him to get shots off against much taller defenders. His ability to score off the bench along with his height gained him the moniker "the double-digit midget".
Boykins' teams had feared playing him during his early years, because opponents could exploit his size by posting him up. But, with the gradual increase in the use of modified zone defenses over his career, fewer isolation situations occurred, allied to the fact that few point guards in the league have polished post-up moves.
Boykins competed twice in NBA All-Star Weekend; he finished third in 2003-04 and second in 2004-05 Skills Challenge. On January 18, 2005, Boykins set a then-NBA record for scoring in overtime when he tallied 15 points against the Seattle SuperSonics[2] (Boykins's record was surpassed by Gilbert Arenas's 16 points in overtime on December 17, 2006[3]).
On January 11, 2007, Boykins was traded (along with Julius Hodge) to the Milwaukee Bucks for Steve Blake.[4] Following a successful campaign with the Bucks, where he averaged 14 points and 4.5 assists per game, Boykins decided to opt out of his contract and a guaranteed $3 million and become a free agent, hoping to secure a long term deal with another team.[5] As the season started, Boykins had yet to find a team willing to match his price.[6]
On January 31, 2008, the Charlotte Bobcats signed Boykins to a deal for the remainder of the season. He appeared in 36 games and averaged 5 points and 2.7 assists per game.
[edit] Personal
Earl Boykins weighs only 133 pounds (60 kg) but, according to various sources, he can bench press 315 pounds.[7]
[edit] Notes
- ^ 1998 Frances Pomeroy Naismith
- ^ NBA.com: Earl Boykins Bio
- ^ Washington Times - Sports
- ^ ESPN - Nuggets deal Boykins, Hodge to Bucks for Blake - NBA
- ^ ESPN - Boykins opting out, will test free agent market - NBA
- ^ "Job hunting: Boykins looking for work after leaving $3M on table"; Burns, Marty
- ^ NBA.com: Earl Boykins Bio
[edit] External links
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