Point guard Earl Boykins, the shortest player in the NBA at 5-foot-5, patterned his game after one player.

It wasn't Muggsy Bogues or Spud Webb. It was his father, Earl Williams.

"My dad is who I patterned my game after," Boykins said. "I felt that if I could beat my dad in basketball, I could beat anyone. It was just that simple.

"He was my role model. I just wanted to be like he was. My main focus was to be a better basketball player than he was. No, I haven't beaten him yet."

Boykins has beaten the odds, though, and become a big-time NBA player during his five-year career. The free agent finalized a five-year, $13.7 million contract with the Denver Nuggets on Monday.