When you think about basketball players, you probably think of a taller-than-average man who is strong, fast, and able to make a slam dunk with no problem. However, this isn’t always so. Even though the average height in basketball is about 6’7, there have been players and the past, and even in today’s world, that are much shorter than 6’7. Many of these players have been recognized not only for being short, but doing moves and plays that tall players can’t do. Most of these players are able run faster, quicker, and jump even higher than those who are tall. Below is a list of the 10 shortest basketball players to ever play the game. To put it easily, short men can jump!
10. Terrell Brandon – 5’11”
After attending the University of Oregon, Terrell Brandon was picked 11th total in the 1991 NBA Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted him onto their team and he played for six years as a point guard. He was picked to play in the NBA All-Star Game in both 1996 and 1997 and was called “The Best Point Guard in the NBA” in Sports Illustrated in 1997. The same year Brandon was given the NBA Sportsmanship Award. After playing on the Cavaliers, he decided to leave and play for the Milwaukee Bucks and was then traded to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Sadly, Brandon became highly susceptible to injuries and in 2002 he was placed on the injured list and never returned to playing on the court.
9. Damon “Mighty Mouse” Stoudamire – 5’10”
Damon Stoudamire was first brought into the NBA scene by the Toronto Raptors. After being picked 7th overall in the 1995 NBA Draft, he was able to set his feet on the court and start his career. In 1995 and 1996, he was awarded the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, scoring an average 19 points per game, and has since allowed his career to flourish. In February 1998, he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and his stats didn’t stay as high as they were with the Grizzlies, and he was sadly usually benched during the 2001-2002 season. However, he was able to play a lot in the playoffs. Eventually his career took off again and he scored a franchise record of 54 points against the Hornets. After being traded again he went back to play for the Grizzlies in 2005 but tore his patellar tendon and had to miss the season. He was again traded off and settled a deal with the San Antonio Spurs in 2008. Today, Stoudamire is part of the coaching team for the Memphis Grizzlies.
8. Avery “Little General” Johnson – 5’10”
Johnson, after graduating in 1988, wasn’t picked to go into the NBA Draft. After playing for the USBL Palm Beach Stingrays, Johnson was signed by the Seattle SuperSonics and played a total of 16 years within the NBA. He also played for teams including the Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors, and the Dallas Mavericks. He is most popularly known for his seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. He is best known for his help in winning the 1999 NBA Championship against the New York Knicks after scoring a last shot in Game 5. The Spurs eventually retired Johnson’s number in 2007 and was most recently inducted into the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame on February 20, 2009. Besides being an NBA player, Johnson also coached the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals and now is basketball analyst for ESPN.
7. Michael Adams – 5’10”
Michael Adams started his basketball career at Boston College and after a successful college career was drafted by the Sacramento Kings in the 3rd round of the 1985 NBA Draft. As a rookie he only scored about 2.2 a game but once he became part of the Denver Nuggets team his career became more successful. In 1990-1991, he averaged 26.5 points and 10.5 assists per game. After this season he went back to play for the Bullets and played his first NBA All-Star Game in 1992. He then became known for his “push shot” and played a few more seasons. In 1996, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, he retired, ending a career with 9,621 points and 4,209 assists total.
6. Calvin Murphy – 5’9”
Calvin Murphy was a guard for the Houston Rockets during 1970-1983. At 5’9”, he has been able to accomplish plenty, despite his height. In totally he played 1,022 games and scored 17,949 points throughout his entire career. In 1971 he was part of the NBA All-Rookie Team, and in 1979 he was on the NBA All-Star Team. Through 1980-1981, he held the record for the second highest free throw percentage in a season. In 1980 he was also known for having the most NBA consecutive free throws made. In 1993 he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Today, Murphy is actively involved with the Houston Rockets team.
5. Nate Robinson – 5’9″
Nate Robinson plays for the New York Knicks. After having a very successful college career by leading the Washington Huskies to two NCAA basketball tournament appearances, he was the 21st pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. The Phoenix Suns picked him up but he was soon after traded to the New York Knicks. During the 2006 All-Star Weekend, Robinson won the Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Contest. His best dunk was when he jumped over Spud Webb and got the perfect score of 50. Nate topped that performance at the 2009 Dunk Contest by leaping over the 2008 Dunk Contest winner, Dwight Howard (6’11”).
4. Wataru “Kilo Wat” Misaka – 5’7”
Wataru Misaka is one of the very few well known Asian NBA players. Though he is now retired, he is well known as the first Asian player as well as the first non-Caucasian player to be part of the NBA, which was at the time known as the Basketball Association of America. He was born in Utah and played basketball at the University of Utah where he was able to help take his team to the 1944 NCAA and the 1947 NIT championships. Even at just 5’7”, he was a valuable player and was the first round pick by the New York Knicks. Wataru had a very short career (1947-1948), and he was able to play only three games before being cut from the team. In 1999 he was inducted into the Utah Sports Hall of Fame.
3. Anthony “Spud” Webb – 5’7″
Anthony Webb stands as the third shortest player to be part of the NBA. After attending Midland College and North Carolina State University, he was the 4th round draft pick by the Detroit Pistons in the 1985 Draft. In 1986, Webb entered the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and despite being the shortest, had the highest jump of 42 inches and went on to win the contest.
He spent most of his time with the Atlanta Hawks, playing six seasons with the team. Statistically, Webb had his best seasons with the Sacramento Kings where he was a starter from 1992-1995. In 1998, Webb retired from basketball after playing just one season with the Orlando Magic. He played 814 games total and scored 8072 points throughout his entire career.
2. Earl Boykins– 5’5”
Standing only 5’5”, Earl Boykins is the second smallest player to ever be in the NBA. Though second smallest, he stands as the lightest player ever, weighing in at only 133lbs. Even though he was never officially drafted by a team, he often signed short-term contracts with teams to play as the point guard. He spent most of his career with the Denver Nuggets. He is well known for his scoring techniques after he was able to score 32 points in a game on November 11, 2004. He also played for the L.A. Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, and many others. Today, Boykins plays for the Washington Wizards.
1. Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues – 5’3”
Born and raised in Baltimore, MD, Tyrone Bogues is the shortest man to ever play in the NBA. Despite being only 5’3”, he used his height to his advantage by becoming known as a player who was a great passer, ball-stealer, and definitely one of the fastest on the court. His career was set in stone on June 22, 1988 when he was signed to play for the Charlotte Hornets during an expansion draft as a point guard. After settling in, he was able to play for the Hornets for 10 years and became one of the team’s most popular players. He was definitely seen as a play-off contender.
37 Comments
Monty Towe, 5’4”, Point guard for the NCAA Championships NC State with David Thompson. Short career but should be here at 5’4”.
yo heat willl win again cause we are just buying paull from clippers and second choice is rondo or deron williams.erik spoelstra has made an excellent decision.spurs cant win as tony parker is leavin for fiba euro championship.the competittive team against heat is oklahoma city thunder .because of westbrook,durant and ibaka.we will win now no doubt.
Also, Ty Lawson, point guard for the Denver Nuggets is 5’11. You kinda left him out.
ty lawson sucks
i fall in love with basket ball during my primary school days but no court around me and there was no people to play the game with;i only saw two people playing it all through my high school days and it was one’s i met them in the court,after then i see them no more.now my problem is height because i have heard about basket ball player and their height but i am just 5″8″ft.i started basket ball this year,somebody tell me how can i meet up to play in any basket ball association i wish to,am 27 years?how can i improve faster?am trying my best compare with people i started with.
I had a twin brother that had his head chin level over the basket. His head was about 13 inches over the rim. He did this while playing against our dad in a basketball gym about 12 years ago. My brother grabbed the rebound and went straight back up. His head went 13 inches over the basket. He layed the ball in the hoop instead because his head was past the basket. It was the most amazing thing I ever saw because I SAW IT WITH MY OWN EYES. This was a standing vertical because he did this without running first. This this when my twin brother was 16 years old at the time. Me and our our dad was amazed by it so we told him running vertical and he basically jumped 8 inches higher. His head was about 21 inches above the basket. Our dad measured his vertical afterward. At that time, my twin brother was 5’3 and had a standing reach of 6’10. HE COULD TOUCH 12’7 ON THE BACKboard while just standing first and he could touch 13’3 on the backboard while doing a running vertical. My twin brother standing vertical was 69 inches and his running vertical was 77 inches. I would had video taped it back when he did thi amazing thing, but our mom and dad did not own a video camera at that time. It sucks though because I want all of you people to see this amazing thing for yourself you people would be amazed by it as well. My twin brother is now 28 years old and is 5’8 now. It is very much possible to jump that high because my twin brother did it a while back while witnessing it and it was amazing to see. We never videotaped him doing it his name is not on the very top of this chart plus we never told Guininess Book of World Records about it. I just had to tell yah that it is possible jump that high.
My twin brothers Measurements as a 16 year old 12 years ago
Standing vertical 69 inches
Running vertical 77 inches
Height With Shoes 5’3
Standing Reach 6’10
Max vertical Reach Whilw Standing 12’7
Max Vertical Reach While Running 13’3
My Twin brother is now 5’8. His name is Terrance Harvey. He was very athletic and still is. He is a great basketball player. Always has been, but he is currently doing something else right now. He is very talented at so many things so it is very hard for him to choose. He could easily get INTO THE NBA easily and dominate when he decides to try to get into the pros. He just had surgery 2 years ago. My brother never played high school basketball or college basketball because he had a very bad injury but never went into surgery for it because he decided not to at the time. Alot of people resemble him to Michael Jordan back then while playing in the gym and still do He is a person that can easily be better than Mj if he decides to play basketball again. No disrespect to Michael Jordan! Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson was my twin brothers favorite basketball players growing up and still is. Thats all I have to say about my twin brother.
Haha…compared to MJ……that part cracked me up
5 excuse me.
You failed to mention Charlie Criss. He was only 5-8 and played eight seasons with Hawks, Clippers, and Bucks.
Criss would actually be number 4 in your top ten list.
Isiah Thomas hasn’t been listed here, but should be. His height is 5 ft 9 inches (175 cm). Here’s the source:
I just coming here to know about the small players of NBA!
Idont know if better be a big tall or small player.
the dunk contest with spud webb back in the 80’s was one of the best contests all time
man those are some short dudes… where is john stockton…
here is a funny joke I saw about the Miami heat and the Lord of the Rings, http://ponderingstuff.com/2011/11/14/miami-heat-rings/
I really dislike what they did. I’m a big NBA fan (lockout is ridiculous) and I couldn’t have been happier when the heat loss. I just wish it had been in the 7th game on the last shot. That is everything that is wrong with the NBA, IMHO.
Negativity is your name. Heat are amazing.
where is j.j barea
How about Charlie Criss?
Louis Herman “Red” Klotz belongs on the list. He played for the Baltimore Bullets in the 1940s and is 5’7″. He is best known for being the owner/coach of the team known as the Washington Generals who have lost over 13,000 games to the Harlem Globetrotters.
The contest was made more interesting because Spud Webb was up against his Atlanta Hawks team mate Dominique Wilkins at the time. Wilkins was the winner of the previous year’s slam dunk contest so he was the man to beat. The air was full of excitement as Wilkins, also known as the Human Highlight Film, went up against the short Webb.
Remember, smaller ball players are always faster. This is because smaller players have to work harder to compete with the taller ones and you have to have more speed. However, speed is just not enough. You should also have more stamina to run off your tail.
Ken Y u seem so mad? & btw have u not watched nate play? He has a outside shot Dummy. Stop being such a Hater!
@unknown, c'mon, yao ming at 7' 6" (229 cm) would be in the list of the tallest!! and @kanneth, ya, the list is about the shortest men who has ever been accepted in the NBA, not among the best… still, good review though… btw, @elsewhere, it's easy… just change the feet-inches into inches only (1 foot = 12 inches), then multiply by 2.54 if u wanna get them in centimeters… just for your reference, 5'11" would mean 180 cm and the shortest 5'3" would be equivalent to 160 cm… anyway, interesting post!! cheers…
it would've been really useful if u had doubled in metric. as it is now i have no idea how tall, or short, these guys actually are.
People cannot still be this dumb can they?
Heard of google?
So easy to find out the metric equivalent if you take 5 seconds to search online…..
no need for name calling.
i read this site to unwind and learn fun facts. I can’t be hassled to google and transfer every player’s height in meters(which most of the world uses)
It would have taken like 1min at most.
Instead you would rather wait ages for someone to reply to your comment.
Dumb…..
This list is horrible, to put Nate Robinson ahead of any of these players is outright stupidity. He sucks!!! All he can do is jump and that is it, he barely plays for crappy Knicks team. At least Webb had skills beyond dunking, including three straight seasons of 18+ points per game as a King not to mention he was a starter. Avery Johnson shouldn't even be on the list, and to not have Calvin Murphy #1 is slap in the face to the only guy on the list who is or will ever be in the Hall of Fame. (Bogues has an outside shot, but I doubt it) The list idea is great, but the order is and some of the players included are senseless.
The list is in order from tallest to shortest. It is as simple as that.
@Kenneth Fink
How can you say Nate Robinson sucks? You obviously never watch a game he played. He has one of the biggest hearts on the court.
2008-2009 with the Knicks he average 17.2 ppg with many 30+ points and one including 41 points in a game. Also had a huge block on Yao Ming.
Nate is an explosive player to watch. He just needs to have the opportunity to play.
Nate may very well be the most unguardable player on here, given his superior (even to Spud Webb) athleticism and defensive ability. Or maybe Mighty Mouse…
Hey kenneth, the list is about the shortest players in the nba and not about the skills of the shortest nba players…before you make any comments, pls. read and make sure you understand what you are reading for you to make intelligent comments eh?
@Kenneth muggsey was great, plus he had a good jump shot. hornets rule. haha!
umm I think the order was from tallest to shortest not worst to best
You nimcompoop. Learn how to read.
where is yao ming???
YOU ARE A DUMB BUMBACLOOOOOT ! MING BE ONE OF DA TALLEST, YA MUDKIP