Earl Boykins is an American former basketball player who played for twelve teams in fourteen professional seasons.
Education
A 1994 graduate of, Boykins played college basketball at Eastern Michigan University from 1994 to 1998. Eastern Michigan won the MAC Tournament in 1996 and 1998. He earned All-Mid-American Conference first-team honors in his junior and senior year.
Also, during his senior season, Boykins was second in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men"s Division I Basketball Championship in scoring, with an average of 26.8 points per game.
He holds the career record for total assists (624) at Eastern Michigan University. In his last game he scored 18 points in a losing effort to Michigan State.
On February 27, 2011, Boykins" Number. 11 jersey was retired and raised to the rafters in a ceremony at the Eastern Michigan University Convocation Center.
Career
Standing at 5 feet, 5 inches in height, he is the second shortest player in National Basketball Association history behind Muggsy Bogues, who was 5 feet, 3 inches tall. Despite his size, he is reportedly able to bench press 315 pounds. He is currently the head coach for the Douglas County High School varsity basketball team
National Basketball Association Boykins was never drafted by an National Basketball Association team, but he was signed to short-term contracts by various National Basketball Association teams.
The organization he spent the most time with was the Denver Nuggets, as he played for them from the 2003-2004 season to about midway through the 2006-2007 season. Italy Following the 2007-2008 National Basketball Association season, Boykins was an unrestricted free agent.
Instead of signing with an National Basketball Association team, he decided to play basketball in Europe, as he signed a one-year, $3.5 million Netto income contract with Virtus Bologna of the Italian A League. The one-year deal made Boykins the highest-paid basketball player in the Italian League and included income from Bologna"s sponsorship and marketing arms, which is not an option for National Basketball Association players because of salary-cap restrictions.
However, a few days later it was announced that Boykins was staying with the club
In June 2009 he was released by Virtus. Return to National Basketball Association Boykins signed with the Washington Wizards in November 2009, making his return to the National Basketball Association. Boykins was a much needed addition to the Wizards, after guards Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton were suspended for the remainder of the current season after a misdemeanor gun possession charge stemming from a locker room incident.
In the December 2, 2009, game against the Milwaukee Buckinghamshire, Boykins sank two free throws to clinch the Wizards" victory.
On August 19, 2010, the Buckinghamshire signed him to a one-year deal. Boykins signed a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets on March 26, 2012.