Earl Boykins facts for kids
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Boykins with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2011
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| USC Trojans | ||||||||||||||
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| Assistant coach | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | June 2, 1976 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
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| High school | Cleveland Central Catholic (Cleveland, Ohio) |
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| Listed height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 133 lb (60 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Eastern Michigan (1994–1998) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 1998 / Undrafted | |||||||||||||
| Pro career | 1998–2012 | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career | 2013–present | |||||||||||||
| League | Big Ten Conference | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| As player: | ||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Rockford Lightning | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | New Jersey Nets | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||
| 1999 | Orlando Magic | |||||||||||||
| 2000 | Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Los Angeles Clippers | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2003 | Golden State Warriors | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Denver Nuggets | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||
| 2008 | Charlotte Bobcats | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Virtus Bologna | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2010 | Washington Wizards | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | Milwaukee Bucks | |||||||||||||
| 2012 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| As coach: | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Douglas County HS | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2025 | UTEP (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 2025–present | USC (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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| Career NBA statistics | ||||||||||||||
| Points | 5,791 (8.9 ppg) | |||||||||||||
| Rebounds | 877 (1.3 rpg) | |||||||||||||
| Assists | 2,092 (3.2 apg) | |||||||||||||
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Medals
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Earl Antoine Boykins (born June 2, 1976) is an American basketball coach and former professional player. He is currently an assistant coach for the USC Trojans men's team. Earl played for thirteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for teams like the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Standing at 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 meters) tall, Boykins is known as the second-shortest player in NBA history. Only Muggsy Bogues was shorter. He also played in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in Italy.
Earl Boykins started his coaching career as a high school coach. He led the Douglas County High School boys' basketball team from 2013 to 2019. He then became an assistant coach for the UTEP Miners from 2021 to 2025. In 2025, Boykins joined the USC Trojans coaching staff.
Contents
Earl Boykins' Early Life and Basketball Start
Earl Boykins was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1976. When he was a child, his father, Willie Williams, would sometimes sneak him into a gym in a gym bag. This allowed Earl to play basketball with his father and other grown-ups.
Boykins played high school basketball at Cleveland Central Catholic High School. In his senior year, he averaged 24.6 points per game. He helped his school achieve an impressive 23–2 record. In 2015, a local newspaper, The Plain Dealer, named him the best high school basketball player from the Cleveland area in the 1990s. Only two top college basketball programs, Eastern Michigan and Iowa, offered him a scholarship. Iowa later took back their offer.
College Basketball Journey
Earl Boykins played college basketball at Eastern Michigan University from 1994 to 1998. During his time there, Eastern Michigan won the MAC tournament twice, in 1996 and 1998.
He was named to the All-Mid-American Conference first-team in both his junior and senior years. In his senior season, Boykins was the second-highest scorer in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. He averaged 26.8 points per game. He still holds the record for the most assists (624) at Eastern Michigan University. On February 27, 2011, Eastern Michigan University honored him by retiring his No. 11 jersey. It was raised to the rafters in a special ceremony.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting in the NBA
Earl Boykins was not chosen by any team in the NBA draft. However, he signed short-term contracts with five different NBA teams. Before the 2003–2004 season, he signed a five-year contract worth $13.7 million with the Denver Nuggets.
On November 11, 2004, Boykins scored 32 points in a game where the Nuggets beat the Detroit Pistons. This made him the shortest player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in a single game. After playing for the Nuggets for over three seasons, he was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in January 2007. After that season, he signed with the Charlotte Bobcats for part of the 2007–2008 season.
Playing in Italy
After the 2007–08 NBA season, Boykins decided to play basketball in Europe. He signed a one-year contract with Virtus Bologna in the Italian A League. This deal made Boykins the highest-paid basketball player in the Italian League at the time.
In December 2008, there was a misunderstanding, and it was announced that Boykins was leaving the team. However, he stayed with the club. On April 26, 2009, his team won the EuroChallenge Cup. He was released by Virtus in June 2009.
Coming Back to the NBA
Boykins returned to the NBA in November 2009, signing with the Washington Wizards. He was a valuable addition to the team.
On August 19, 2010, the Milwaukee Bucks signed him again for one year. Boykins later signed a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets on March 26, 2012. That was his last time playing in the NBA.
The Basketball Tournament (TBT)
In the summer of 2017, Boykins played in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), which is shown on ESPN. He played for a team called Paul Champions. Boykins helped his team win two games in the TBT Jamboree. This secured their spot as one of the 64 teams in the main tournament.
During the Jamboree, Boykins averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game. In their first game of the tournament, Boykins scored 25 points. This helped his team win against the Talladega Knights. His team eventually lost in the second round.
Coaching Career Highlights
In 2014, Earl Boykins became the head coach for the boys' varsity basketball team at Douglas County High School in Castle Rock, Colorado. He coached there until 2019.
From 2019 to 2021, he worked as the director of student-athlete development for the Arkansas Razorbacks. In 2021, Boykins was hired as an assistant coach for the UTEP Miners. On May 30, 2025, Boykins joined the USC Trojans as an assistant coach.
Images for kids
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Earl Boykins shooting
See also
In Spanish: Earl Boykins para niños
