Earl Boykins
The second-shortest player in NBA history, a lightning-quick guard who defied physical expectations and carved out a 13-year career through sheer skill and tenacity.
Born 1976 (age 50)·American basketball player·Birthday: June 2·Generation X
Biography
At five-foot-five, Earl Boykins played 652 NBA games across 13 seasons, a total that defied every scouting report. Undrafted out of Eastern Michigan, he signed with the New Jersey Nets in 1998 but was waived within weeks. He toiled in the CBA and for four different NBA teams before landing with the Denver Nuggets in 2003. As a reserve guard, he averaged 12.6 points and 4.3 assists over four seasons in Denver, using explosive speed and a quick release to score in bursts. He scored a career-high 32 points against the Detroit Pistons in 2005. Boykins never played as a novelty; he attacked the rim and hit perimeter shots with the confidence of a starter. He retired in 2012, having proven that skill and determination can outweigh conventional size. His career remains a reference point for undersized players entering professional basketball.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Earl was born in 1976, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Earl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1976
#1 Movie
Rocky
Best Picture
Rocky
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Earl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1976Born
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1981Started school
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1989Became a teenager
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1992Could drive
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
1994Could vote
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
1997Turned 21
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2006Turned 30
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 40
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 50
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Played 13 seasons in the NBA despite being the league's second-shortest player ever at 5 feet 5 inches.
- Scored a career-high 36 points for the Denver Nuggets in a December 2004 game against the Detroit Pistons.
- Averaged a career-best 15.2 points and 4.5 assists per game during the 2006-07 season with the Milwaukee Bucks and Denver Nuggets.
- Once recorded 22 points and 8 assists in a single quarter, tying an NBA record for points in a quarter by a reserve.
Did You Know?
He wore size 14 sneakers, which are unusually large for his height, helping with his stability.
He once scored 32 points in a game for the Golden State Warriors while weighing only 135 pounds.
He is an accomplished pianist and began playing at the age of three.
After retiring, he became a high school basketball coach before moving into college coaching as an assistant at the University of Southern California.
“I've been proving people wrong my whole life. It's nothing new to me.”
