Little man in the big league.

When you think of players in the NBA, you would assume that everyone would be taller than my 12-year old daughter. That's not the case.

Last night the Chicago Bulls played the Washington Wizards. What should have been a complete blow out due to the Wizards best player being on the verge of going to jail for gun possession, the game went into double overtime. A bonus for me as I had plenty of media cards to capture photos and the Bulls did win!

One of the players on the Wizard's team is Earl Boykins, a shooting guard. Why isn't he a center or forward? Because Boykins is only 5'5" tall. He would have towered over the shortest player ever to play in the NBA---that was Tyrone "Mugsy" Bogues, who was only 5'3" and retired in 2001. If you think Bogues was ineffective, he scored nearly 7000 points during the 13 years he played in the NBA.

Being tall in the NBA is expected, being of normal height is not; it's when you see these shorter players that you realize how good they must be to beat out players who are on average more than a foot taller than they are. In the case of Boykins, he may not be the shortest to play, but he is the lightest at 133 pounds; he does play hard and avoids getting hit by the bigger players, a smart move if you ask me. To watch him shoot, dribble, and charge the basket it's obvious he has overcome a huge hurdle---height.

At last night's game I was fortunate to have a really good seat. Not the closest I have sat in the United Center, but for sure a direct view of the court. At the angle I was sitting, I was able to focus on the near court and down the floor---capturing any player from a number of different view points. That's how I noticed Boykin's size---when he walked next to the other players it was very obvious how much taller the other players were---but to watch him move toward the basket you would think he was 7 feet tall.

I saw Boykins play when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks a number of years ago and frankly had forgotten about him as you don't hear much about players who are not deemed superstars. In the 10 years he has been playing in the NBA, he has stood tall and lasted longer than most other players--- the number of playing years in the NBA is about half of what Boykins has played so far. In anyone's eyes he would be a superstar for battling as hard as he has and to stay at the top of his game.

The photo above is Boykins driving toward the basket. The person in back of him is Brad Miller who stands 7 feet tall and plays center for the Bulls. Both players are good enough to be in the NBA and play every night. It's when you realize how talented you have to be to play the game, and have what would be considered a real disadvantage, that you know you are seeing something very special when you see Earl Boykins play. For me, it was a very special night.

Thanks for stopping by.