Shortest NBA Players to Ever Play Professional Basketball

While most NBA players tend to average 6-foot-6 in height, there are, of course, outliers who defy the odds. These are the 10 shortest NBA players of all time.

Basketball is a sport where height matters. It’s pretty tough to make vertical leaps and fly like Michael Jordan without it. While most NBA players tend to average 6-foot-6 in height, there are, of course, outliers who defy the odds. They’re such skilled basketball players that they can compete in the big leagues, even if they’re a foot — and, in some cases, 2 feet — shorter than their opponents.

Only 25 basketball players in NBA history have been 5-foot-9 or shorter, and they all play or have played the position of point guard. But there are a few who were even shorter than the average height of an American male. These are the 10 shortest NBA players of all time.

4. Markquis Nowell (Tie)

Adam Hunger / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 160 pounds

Teams: Toronto Raptors (2023–present)

Bottom line: The first of six NBA players tied in the fourth spot, Markquis Nowell is new to the NBA, but his time in college with the Kansas State Wildcats was quite impressive. In fact, he holds the Division I NCAA Tournament record for single-game assists, with 19.

He went undrafted in 2023 but signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, so only time will tell if he proves himself in the pros.

4. Keith Jennings (Tie)

James A. Finley / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 160 pounds

Teams: Golden State Warriors (1992–1995)

Bottom line: After not being selected in the 1991 NBA Draft, Keith Jennings started his NBA career as a free agent. He played 164 games over three seasons with the Golden State Warriors. The Toronto Raptors selected him in the 1995 expansion draft, but he opted out of playing for them and instead played professional basketball in Europe.

He’s now a high school basketball coach at his alma mater, Culpeper County High School, in Virginia.

4. Greg Grant (Tie)

The College of New Jersey Athletics

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 140 pounds

Teams: Phoenix Suns (1989–1990); New York Knicks (1990–1991); Charlotte Hornets (1991–1992); Philadelphia 76ers (1991–1992, 1992–1993, 1995–1996); Washington Bullets (1995–1996); Denver Nuggets (1994–1995, 1995–1996)

Bottom line: Greg Grant is the definition of a journeyman, having played for six different NBA teams throughout his six-year career. Still, his story is that of the American dream, having literally been discovered at his local playground, enrolling at Trenton State College (now The College of New Jersey) and later being drafted as the 52nd overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.

He was the head basketball coach at Trenton Central High School for five years and now runs a sports academy in New Jersey.

4. Monte Towe (Tie)

1974 North Carolina State University “Agromeck” Yearbook / Wikimedia Commons

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 150 pounds

Teams: Denver Nuggets (1976–1977)

Bottom line: Monte Towe played point guard for North Carolina State when the team won the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship in 1974. He was drafted the following year in the American Basketball Association (ABA) Draft’s third round by the Denver Nuggets, the last year that the ABA existed.

After playing for only one season, Towe retired and became an assistant coach at his alma mater, which launched his rather successful coaching career.

4. Red Klotz (Tie)

Chris Polk / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 150 pounds

Teams: Baltimore Bullets (1947–1948)

Bottom line: Red Klotz is better known for forming the Washington Generals and the New York Nationals — the teams that tour with and play against the Harlem Globetrotters.

But he did play in the NBA, and he’s actually the shortest player to ever play on a championship team when the Baltimore Bullets won in 1948.

4. Wat Misaka (Tie)

1948 University of Utah “Utonian” Yearbook / Wikimedia commons

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 150 pounds

Teams: New York Knicks (1947–1948)

Bottom line: Wataru “Wat” Misaka was of Japanese descent, and he most notably became the first non-white player and the first player of Asian descent to play in the NBA (known as the Basketball Association of America at the time) in 1947 — the same year that Jackie Robinson broke baseball’s color line. Unlike Robinson, though, Misaka only played three games and was cut mid-season, which is why you maybe haven’t heard of him.

He went on to live a perfectly normal life as an electrical engineer in Salt Lake City, Utah, and died at age 95 in November 2019. Fun fact: He was an avid bowler, scoring an almost-perfect 299 game at 80 years old.

3. Spud Webb (Tie)

JHJR / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-6 (although some reports say he’s 5-foot-7)

Weight: 133 pounds

Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1985–1991, 1995–1996); Sacramento Kings (1991–1995); Minnesota Timberwolves (1996); Orlando Magic (1998)

Bottom line: Spud Webb has one of the more impressive basketball careers on this list, having played in the NBA for 13 seasons.

But perhaps what he’s most known for is having won the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest — the shortest person ever to do so, beating out 6-foot-8 Dominique Wilkins.

3. Mel Hirsch (Tie)

Pro Basketball Encyclopedia

Height: 5-foot-6

Weight: 165 pounds

Teams: Boston Celtics (1946–1947)

Bottom line: Mel Hirsch was the shortest NBA player ever for about 40 years until the next two players came along in the 1980s and ’90s. A notable player at Brooklyn College, Hirsch graduated in 1943 and then went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps before making his professional basketball debut.

His time with the Celtics, however, was shortlived, having only played 13 games.

2. Earl Boykins

Eric Gay / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-5

Weight: 135 pounds

Teams: New Jersey Nets (1999); Cleveland Cavaliers (1999, 2000); Orlando Magic (1999); Los Angeles Clippers (2001–2002); Golden State Warriors (2002–2003); Denver Nuggets (2003–2007); Milwaukee Bucks (2007, 2011); Charlotte Bobcats (2008); Washington Wizards (2009–2010); Houston Rockets (2012)

Bottom line: Another journeyman on the list, Earl Boykins played for 10 teams throughout his NBA career. While he was never drafted by an NBA team, he signed five short-term contracts with different teams before signing on with the Denver Nuggets for five years — where he became the shortest NBA player in history to score 30 or more points during a game against the Detroit Pistons in November 2004.

He also spent a year playing in Europe in the 2008-09 season and became the highest-paid basketball player in the Italian League, having signed a one-year, $3.5 million net income contract with Virtus Bologna.

1. Muggsy Bogues

Chris O’Meara / AP Photo

Height: 5-foot-3

Weight: 136 pounds

Teams: Washington Bullets (1987–1988); Charlotte Hornets (1988–1997); Golden State Warriors (1997–1999); Toronto Raptors (1999–2001)

Bottom line: That brings us to the shortest NBA player of all time — Muggsy Bogues — who also happened to have a very impressive career during his 14 seasons. He was best known for his time with the Charlotte Hornets when he finished in the top seven in assists for six consecutive years (1989-1995) as well as the top 10 in steals for three of those seasons.

Plus, he was surprisingly good at defense, blocking 39 shots throughout his career.

For some of basketball’s tallest athletes, check out “25 Tallest NBA Players of All Time.”