Charlotte Bobcats General Manager Rod Higgins today announced that the team has signed veteran point guard Earl Boykins for the remainder of the 2007-08 season. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. Boykins will wear jersey #11 and join the Bobcats on Friday, Feb. 1, when they face Golden State.

“Earl Boykins is a proven talent in this league and a player we feel very fortunate to add to our roster without having to disturb the chemistry and core of this team,” said Higgins. “His production over the past few seasons was evidence enough that he could make an immediate impact, while adding experience and depth to our backcourt.”

A nine-year NBA veteran, Boykins has appeared in 484 career games for New Jersey, Cleveland, Orlando, the Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State, Denver and Milwaukee with career averages of 9.8 points, 3.4 assists and 1.5 rebounds. At 5-5, he is the second-shortest player in NBA history behind Bobcats radio analyst and former NBA standout Muggsy Bogues, who stands at 5-3. He is also the shortest player in league history to score over 30 points in a game – a number he has reached several times, including two 36-point games while playing in Milwaukee last season.

“I am very happy to welcome Earl to our team. He adds experience and scoring ability to our guard rotation,” Bobcats Head Coach Sam Vincent said. “We’ve had key injuries this season which have left us short-handed at point guard, and his addition will hopefully alleviate that problem moving forward.”

Boykins had his best statistical season in 2006-07, when he averaged a career-high 14.6 points, 4.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds in 66 games split between Denver and Milwaukee. A career .881 free-throw shooter, Boykins has finished among the NBA’s top ten in free-throw percentage in each of the last four seasons, including the 2004-05 season, when he finished second after shooting a career-high .921 (279-303). He has also finished in the top five in voting for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award three times, coming in fifth in 2003-04, third in 2004-05 and fifth in 2005-06.

The Bobcats are in the midst of a five-game, nine-day West Coast road trip that began on Monday, Jan. 28, when the Bobcats defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 107-100. The second game of the trip saw the Bobcats fall 105-91 on Jan. 30 at Sacramento. Charlotte returns to action on Friday, Feb. 1, at Golden State with a tipoff time of 10:30 p.m. (ET). The game can be seen on News 14 Carolina and heard on WNMX – Mix 106.1 FM. The trip concludes with stops in Denver on Feb. 2 and Phoenix on Feb. 4.

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