A Sprout Among the Redwoods

A Conversation With Height-Challenged Clippers Guard Earl Boykins

Earl Boykins, a 5-foot, 6-inch veteran of the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets, now plays for the L.A. Clippers. We wanted to find out how a 24-year-old guy built so close to the ground survives among the giant redwoods of the NBA.

Q: Does size matter?

A: No. It’s about ability and heart.

Q: How do you defend against the bigger guards like Kobe Bryant of the Lakers?

A: I use my speed to try and disrupt them. Anticipating. It’s harder for guys to screen me, and that helps.

Q: Favorite small man?

A: Isiah Thomas. He was the one.

Q: Role model?

A: My dad [a Cleveland policeman]. He didn’t play in college or pro, but he still plays around Cleveland. I wanted to be a better basketball player than my dad.

Q: You played in the Continental Basketball Assn., which is sort of the NBA’s farm league. What was the weirdest thing about the CBA?

A: Getting up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the first cheap flight out of town.

Q: Weirdest thing about the NBA?

A: How fast the time goes.

Q: How can you help the Clippers improve?

A: By winning. If you win, everybody improves.

Q: How would you go one-on-one against Shaquille O’Neal?

A: Use my speed.

Q: How can a small guard survive in the NBA?

A: You have to bring something to the table that no one else brings. There’s definitely a place for small guys on the team.

Q: Do you think shorter players have a better perspective?

A: You’re forced to. I think a lot of guys are in the NBA on talent alone. When you’re my size, you have to think the game of basketball.

Q: Best thing about being your height?

A: I blend in.

Q: What worries you most about society today?

A: Young people are becoming parents too early. [Boykins’ girlfriend, Keyan Mathews, gave birth to a son last month in Detroit.]

Q: Advice for small kids?

A: Have self-confidence, that’s the most important thing.

Q: How can you get that confidence?

A: By your work ethic. At some point you realize that you can outwork guys.

Q: Philosophy you live by?

A: Always think before you react. My father always told me that.

Q: Advice for tall guys?

A: Don’t waste your height.

The Earl Boykins Tale of the Tape

* Height in Clippers program: 5 feet, 5 inches

* Actual height: 5 feet, 6 inches

* Weight: 136 pounds

* Shoe size: 9

* Dad’s height: 5 feet, 8 inches

* Mom’s height: 4 feet, 11 inches

* Tattoos: “I don’t believe in writing on my body. Draw me a picture, I’ll save it.”