Earl Boykins (born June 2, 1976 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a player who served as a point guard at 1.65 meters, the second shortest player in NBA history after Tini Boggs (1.6 meters, see another article).
As a basketball star who makes Cleveland proud, Boy's road to the basket is not smooth! Growing up, everyone around him thought he wouldn't be very tall, and when he begged to go to the court with others, those people couldn't understand how this kid could be so interested in basketball?! During his freshman year, his coach even changed his height privately, on the grounds that it would be shameful to have such a small defender on the team. This was undoubtedly unfair, so in Earl's college days he vowed to let these mockers "punch themselves in the face"!
From freshman year to senior year, he started in 122 games in 4 years, averaging 12.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists to 25.7 points and 5.5 assists per game! From being named to the All-America Team, the First Team in the Central Division, to becoming the NCAA's number two scorer, his ability and confidence on the basketball court have made many of his peers who "regard themselves as physically superior" ashamed! In 1997, Boykins was called by the National Basketball Association to become a member of the national team under the age of 22 and participated in the University Games in Italy, while leading the team to gold medal with an average of 15.7 points per game and was nominated as the best basketball player in the United States that year.
Before participating in the NBA draft, everything was moving on the good side! It was only this 1998 draft that made him "fall out of favor" in front of professional basketball - he became a loser!
In the 1998-1999 season that followed, hometown team Cleveland Cavaliers gave frustrated Boykins two short 10-day contracts, and for the rest of the season he was signed by the Magic, played a game, scored 6 points, 1 board and 3 assists in poor playing time, and was cut again a month later. Then came the Clippers, spending the next few years back and forth between the first team and the development league! It wasn't until the 2002-2003 season that Boykins decided to end his wandering career by either finding a team to play well or leaving basketball! At this time, the Golden State Warriors, who lacked a substitute guard, saw his lightning speed and super scoring ability, so they signed him for the entire season, which was undoubtedly a turning point in Earle's athletic career. He averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 assists per game throughout the season! The Denver Nuggets, who were rebuilding in the 2003-2004 season, hit Earl, who was gradually improving, and signed a four-year, 13 million contract under the operation of the agent, which is undoubtedly a fat contract for Earl!
After gaining the trust of the new team, Earl began to show his basketball power, and as the third main point of attack for the team after star strikers Cameron Anthony and Ken Jan Martin, Boy Jr. gradually became the league's number one substitute scorer, and ranked 3rd in the best sixth man selection, and won the starting position in the series with the Spurs in the playoffs. At the same time, he scored 15 points in overtime against the Supersonics on January 18, 2005, setting a record for overtime scoring in NBA history.
At this point, after Boggs and Weber, people remember that there is now a small man who is also rising in the NBA.
Three years with the Nuggets were Boykins' happiest days, as he gradually became a star and began to make a name for himself among various teams! Many opposing head coaches make him one of the key considerations when assigning tactics. He enriched the Nuggets' tactical play and did a good job of what a substitute should do! He also set a career high of 32 points in a single game in the regular season, becoming the shortest player to exceed 30 points in this statistic. At the same time, in the playoffs, the "Dwarf God" played all the games and scored in double figures in the first two seasons of the Nuggets. In addition to the league game, in the 2004 All-Star Weekend Skills Competition, he only lost to Steve Nash to finish second.
In 2007, Boykins switched to the Bucks, Bobcats, Wizards and other teams, especially in the Washington team, and he became Anarus's assistant. In a mid-season game against the Nets, Boykins had previously scored 13 points, and the two sides were 79-79 in the first 13 seconds of the final game. After the pause, the Wizards gave him the task of the final blow. Erbo dribbled the ball near the three-point line and Jamison did a block, and then used the fake action to trick the opponent directly on the right free throw line to pull out the jump shot 81:79, and the final time was also finished, the game Wasbo played 31 minutes, 13 shots 7, 15 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist, and tasted the taste of Mr. Key.
Boykins played in 652 games throughout his NBA career, averaging 8.9 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per game. Today's Erbo has long since retired, and the reputation of the "dwarf god" of the stadium has faded! I have often heard fans or big "V" discuss several small players in many basketball forums, and Boykins is always the one with the most praise! In the minds of the fans of the Ancient Country of the East, he is the one who is "brave, self-motivated, unyielding and legendary"!
In April 2014, Ehbo was officially named head coach of the Douglas County High School boys' basketball team. The board of directors is satisfied with his excellent work attitude and hopes that he will pass on the spirit of unremitting efforts in the NBA to the younger generations.