The Shortest NBA Players Who Made an Impact

The shortest NBA players in history aren't a novelty wing of the league's record book. They're proof that height is one variable among many — and that quickness, vision, handle, and nerve can carry a career past every scouting report that said it wouldn't work. The names below all played in a league where the average height hovers near 6'7", and most of them played against centers a foot and a half taller. Some are Hall of Famers. One won a Slam Dunk Contest. Another finished fifth in MVP voting while averaging nearly 29 points a night. Their careers, ranked below, are a quiet rebuke to the idea that basketball is only played above the rim.

What Counts as "Short" in the NBA?

The honest answer is anyone listed under 6 feet. The NBA's average height has hovered between 6'6" and 6'7" for the last 30 years, which means a 5'9" point guard is roughly ten inches below the league mean. Every player on the list below played below that bar — a few of them played a full foot below it. That they survived is one story. That some of them thrived is the better one.

Muggsy Bogues — 5'3", 14 Seasons

Tyrone "Muggsy" Bogues is the shortest player in NBA history, full stop. Listed at 5'3" out of Wake Forest, he was drafted 12th overall by the Washington Bullets in 1987 — the same first round that produced David Robinson, Reggie Miller, Scottie Pippen, and Kevin Johnson — and went on to play 14 NBA seasons across four teams: the Bullets, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, and Toronto Raptors. He's best remembered for his decade with Charlotte. His career line — 7.7 points, 7.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds across 889 regular-season games — would be respectable for a 6'2" guard. For a player ten inches shorter than that, the durability alone is staggering.

Bogues also blocked 39 shots in his NBA career, the most famous of which came against 7-foot Patrick Ewing on April 14, 1993, when he stripped Ewing as he pulled the ball back to shoot and was credited with the block. The visual — the smallest player in NBA history denying one of its most decorated centers — is the single most circulated short-player highlight in league history. Bogues didn't just survive in the NBA. He was a primary creator on legitimate playoff teams.

Earl Boykins — 5'5", 13 Seasons

The second-shortest player in NBA history played a different role than Bogues — Boykins was a microwave scorer off the bench, not a pure setup man. Undrafted out of Eastern Michigan in 1998, he signed short-term deals with five different teams before Denver gave him stability with a five-year, $13.7 million contract before the 2003–04 season. Boykins played 13 NBA seasons across 652 games with career averages of 8.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

The signature moment came on November 11, 2004, when Boykins scored 32 points in a 117–109 Nuggets home win over the Detroit Pistons — making him the shortest player in NBA history to score 30 or more in a single game. The "shortest 30-point scorer" mark is a milestone that may never be broken; no current NBA player is even close to his height.

Spud Webb — 5'7", 12 Seasons

Anthony "Spud" Webb is listed at 5'7", and his place on this list is sealed by one of the most surprising results in NBA All-Star Weekend history. On February 8, 1986, in Dallas, Webb won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, beating his Atlanta Hawks teammate and reigning champion Dominique Wilkins with back-to-back perfect 50s in the final round. His repertoire that night included an elevator two-handed double-pump, a 360-degree helicopter slam, a reverse double-pump, and the closing reverse two-handed jam off a lob bounce. He remains the shortest player ever to win the contest.

Webb's career wasn't a one-night sideshow. Across 12 NBA seasons and 814 games — primarily with the Hawks and Sacramento Kings — he averaged 9.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game, scoring 8,072 career points. He was a legitimate NBA point guard whose dunking ability was a bonus, not the headline.

Mel Hirsch — 5'6", 1946–47 Boston Celtics

The oldest entry on the list. Mel Hirsch played 13 games for the Boston Celtics in the 1946–47 Basketball Association of America season — the league that would merge into the NBA — and at 5'6" he was the shortest player in NBA/BAA history for nearly four decades, until Bogues arrived in 1987. Undrafted, Hirsch averaged 1.5 points and 0.8 assists per game on 20.0% shooting. By the modern era's strict measurements, Hirsch is the third-shortest player in NBA history behind Bogues and Boykins.

Greg Grant — 5'7", 6 Seasons

Greg Grant is a useful test case for what "making it" means in the NBA. He was drafted 52nd overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1989 out of Trenton State College — a Division III school where he had led the nation in scoring as a senior — and bounced through six franchises over six seasons. His most stable stretch came with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1991–92, averaging 4.1 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 38.9% from three. Career averages settled at 2.8 points and 2.7 assists across 274 games. He's one of three 5'7" guards in NBA history alongside Webb and Keith Jennings.

Keith Jennings — 5'7", 3 Seasons

Keith "Mister" Jennings spent three seasons with the Golden State Warriors from 1992 to 1995, playing 164 games and averaging 6.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.5 rebounds. He arrived from East Tennessee State as a consensus second-team All-American and the 1991 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award winner, given to the top collegiate senior six feet or under. He's the only 5'7" guard on this list whose entire NBA career was confined to a single franchise.

Calvin Murphy — 5'9", Hall of Fame

The most decorated short player in NBA history. Calvin Murphy is the only player on this list with a bust in Springfield, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 after a 13-year career spent entirely with the San Diego and Houston Rockets from 1970 to 1983. His career line — 17.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds across 1,002 games — included multiple seasons over 20 points a night and 17,949 career points, all from a 5'9" frame.

Murphy was also one of the best free-throw shooters in NBA history. He shot 89.2% from the line for his career, set the league record at the time for most consecutive free throws made at 78, and led the league in free-throw percentage twice — 95.8% in 1980–81 and 92.0% in 1982–83. The 95.8% mark stood as the NBA single-season record for years. His Hall of Fame plaque is the closing argument on whether short guards can play at the highest level.

Editorial illustration: The Shortest NBA Players Who Made an Impact

Charlie Criss — 5'8", 8 Seasons

Charlie Criss is one of the league's most overlooked underdogs. Undrafted out of New Mexico State, he didn't make his NBA debut until age 30, joining the Atlanta Hawks for the 1977–78 season after years in the Eastern Basketball League. He played eight NBA seasons across three teams and averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game. When Criss entered the NBA he was the league's shortest active player, and he kept that title through the late 1970s before Spud Webb arrived.

Avery Johnson — 5'10", NBA Champion

"The Little General." Avery Johnson played 16 NBA seasons across five franchises, making his name with the San Antonio Spurs from 1994 to 2001. His career line — 8.4 points and 5.5 assists per game — is modest, but the context isn't. Johnson averaged more than 5.0 assists per game in 10 of his 16 seasons, ranking third in the NBA at 9.6 per game in 1995–96 behind only John Stockton and Jason Kidd.

The signature moment is the 1999 NBA Finals. Johnson was the Spurs' starting point guard during their first championship run, and he hit the series-clinching jumper with 47 seconds remaining in Game 5 against the New York Knicks to close out the Finals 4–1. Seven years later, in April 2006, Johnson was named NBA Coach of the Year after leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA Finals as a head coach.

Damon Stoudamire — 5'10", Rookie of the Year

"Mighty Mouse" earned his nickname for obvious reasons. Damon Stoudamire was drafted 7th overall by the expansion Toronto Raptors in 1995 and won the NBA Rookie of the Year award for the 1995–96 season, averaging 19.0 points and 9.3 assists per game as the face of the new franchise. He was a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. Toronto's first true cornerstone was a 5'10" point guard — built around him before they ever drafted Vince Carter. Stoudamire would later play for the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, and Spurs across 13 NBA seasons.

Isaiah Thomas — 5'9", Fifth in MVP Voting

The modern-era headliner. Isaiah Thomas was the last pick of the entire 2011 NBA Draft — 60th overall, by the Sacramento Kings — and was traded twice before landing in Boston in February 2015. The 2016–17 season is the one the highlight reels keep returning to: Thomas averaged 28.9 points and 5.9 assists per game on 46.3% shooting, led Boston to the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference, and finished fifth in MVP voting behind Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and LeBron James.

The postseason produced one of the most emotionally heavy performances in recent league history. On what would have been his late sister Chyna's 23rd birthday — less than three weeks after she was killed in a car accident — Thomas scored 53 points in a Game 2 overtime win over the Washington Wizards, with 29 in the fourth quarter and overtime. No NBA player listed at 5'9" or shorter has ever finished a season closer to the MVP than Thomas did in 2017.

Allen Iverson — Officially 6'0", Practically Shorter

Allen Iverson is the asterisk case. He's listed at 6'0", which technically disqualifies him from a strict "shortest players" list. But credible measurements — including comments from his own coach Larry Brown — have placed his real height closer to 5'10" or 5'11". By any honest standard, Iverson belonged in the same physical class as Isaiah Thomas. What he did with that frame is the most aggressive answer to the question of what undersized players can accomplish: 2001 MVP, 11-time All-Star, four-time scoring champion, and the lead guard on a Finals team.

Nate Robinson — 5'9", Three-Time Dunk Champion

The dunking lineage from Webb to Robinson is the cleanest short-player tradition in the NBA. Nate Robinson, drafted 21st overall by the New York Knicks in 2005, became the NBA's only three-time Slam Dunk Contest winner — taking the title in 2006, 2009, and 2010. The 2006 victory came on a dunk where he jumped over Spud Webb himself, the 1986 champion, on his way to edging Andre Iguodala 141–140 in overtime. In 2009 he won wearing an all-green Knicks uniform as "Krypto-Nate," leaping over 6'11" Dwight Howard — costumed as Superman — to take the title.

T.J. Ford — 6'0", The Speed Specialist

T.J. Ford is listed at 6'0" but was widely regarded as one of the smaller — and unquestionably the fastest — point guards of his era. Drafted 8th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks in 2003, Ford was voted the fastest player in the NBA in a 2007 Sports Illustrated survey of 271 active players. He had his best season in 2006–07 as Toronto's starting point guard, averaging 14.0 points and 7.9 assists while leading the Raptors to the Atlantic Division title. Career averages: 11.2 points, 5.8 assists. Cervical spinal stenosis-related injuries cut his career short.

How Did Short Players Survive in the NBA?

Look at the careers above and a few recurring tools emerge. Elite handle comes up first — Bogues, Boykins, Thomas, and Iverson all had crossovers that made bigger defenders chase them sideways instead of containing them. Quickness is the second — Ford was clocked as the fastest player in the league by his peers; Thomas could turn the corner on the pick-and-roll before the screen even arrived. Vision is third — Bogues averaged 7.6 assists per game over 14 seasons, and Avery Johnson ran a championship offense without ever needing to be the leading scorer. Free-throw discipline is the fourth and most underrated — Calvin Murphy made his Hall of Fame case largely by being the most reliable foul shooter in the building.

What all these tools have in common is that they're skills, not measurements. Short players survived because they had to be more skilled, not less.

Position Implications and Modern Small-Ball

Almost every player on this list is a point guard. The two exceptions — Calvin Murphy and Earl Boykins — were scoring guards who functioned offensively like combo points. There's a reason for this clustering. Defensively, NBA wings and forwards are too big to be guarded by anyone under 5'10" without serious mismatches. Offensively, short players need the ball in their hands to control the matchup, which routes them naturally to lead guard. The shortest player on a court is usually the one initiating the offense — that's the only spot where a 5'9" frame is a tactical asset rather than a defensive liability.

The modern NBA has gotten taller in average height but more democratic in skill. The death of the back-to-the-basket center and the spread of the three-point arc have, paradoxically, made the league less hospitable to extreme outliers in both directions. Isaiah Thomas's 2017 season may be the last MVP-caliber campaign produced by a player under 5'10" for a long time. But the historical record above shows the ceiling is higher than the modern league assumes. A 5'3" point guard played 14 NBA seasons. A 5'5" guard scored 32 in a game. A 5'7" Hawks guard out-dunked Dominique Wilkins on a national stage. A 5'9" Hall of Famer scored almost 18,000 career points. The shortest NBA players in history are some of its most efficient skill-development case studies — and a reminder that "too small" has been wrong, repeatedly, for as long as the league has existed.

Closing illustration for The Shortest NBA Players Who Made an Impact