Are you thinking that football players are huge? You haven't seen anything until you see the official heights for NBA players.
The average NBA player was 6'7" tall as of 10 years ago, when teams still measured players in their shoes.
Can shorter players still be good at basketball? Who is the shortest NBA player?
The net is high up in the air. It is easier to score, block, and grab rebounds the closer you are to it. It's not difficult to see the point.
There have been many short-statured players who have taken the league by storm. They zigged when everyone else was zagging and got low, weaving around their lumbering rivals to score points, steals, and assists.
LIST OF THE QUICKEST NBA PLAYERS OF ALL TIMES
1. MUGGSY BOGUES 5'3'’, 136 POUNDS
An empty list of the most diminutive basketball players without Muggsy Bogues would be incomplete. Bogues' presence, even though he is only one foot shorter than the other players on court, is still remarkable. Bogues' natural stature has made him a great ball stealer as well as a passer.
Bogues averaged 7.6 assists per match over 14 seasons in the NBA. Bogues also had 38 blocks. One of those was made before Patrick Ewing, New York Knicks.
2. EARL BOYKINS 5'5'’, 135 POUNDS
Boykins would have "towed" Muggsy by 2 inches. However, he might be the best NBA player ever. He weighed in at 133 pounds during his playing days.
Boykins, despite his small frame making him look a bit out of place in such an intense game, is the NBA's shortest player to score more than 30 points per game.
3. MEL HIRSCH
Height: 5'6"
Hirsch was the longest-tenured pro basketball player for decades, until Muggsy Bogues took the title. He only played for one season in the Basketball Association of America.
4. GREG GRANT - 5’7’’, 140 POUNDS
Greg Grant, a Division III player at the College of New Jersey was a standout. He was then drafted by the Phoenix Suns. Greg Grant faced opponents almost twice his size during his nine-year NBA career. He played on six NBA teams. This is a great career for one of the most diminutive players in the NBA.
5. RED KLOTZ – 150 POUNDS
Height: 5'7"
Red played in the NBA for only one year -- a remarkable feat for a guy of 5'7", but it's his work after his primetime days that makes him notable.
Do you know those jobber teams that play against the Harlem Globetrotters (and often lose to them)? They were, and are still, the Washington Generals. Klotz, a founding member, played in the games up to he was 68 years of age -- winning at least once!
6. WATARU MISAKA, 5'7'’, 150 POUNDS
Wataru Misaka was born in poverty but did not give up on his dreams. The Japanese point guard was the first to break the color barrier in professional basketball. He was the first Asian player to join the NBA.
7. MONTE TOWE
Height: 5'7"
Jennings was doubted by coaches and league officials. He was therefore not drafted and had to become a free agent in the NBA.
8. MONTE TOWE - 5’7’’, 150 POUNDS
Monte Towe is the inventor of the alley-oop. He began his career in 1974 as a point guard for the North Carolina state championship teams. Towe was also an outstanding baseball player, leading Wolfpack's baseball team into the ACC Championship in that same year.
He was a participant in the NBA Draft and ABA Draft. Towe was a part of two seasons for the Denver Nuggets, under Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown.
9. ANTHONY JEROME 'SPUD' WEBB
Height: 5'7"
Lebron James did another highlight reel dunk! That's pretty cool.
Spud Webb won all of the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, and he's just 5'7".
Only two players below six feet have ever won (we will get to the second one soon), so it was quite a shock to the NBA when Spud made some incredible moves to win by a wide margin.
Dominique Wilkins was 6'8" and the guy he beat was monstrous.
10. DINO MARTIN – 5'8'’, 160 POUNDS
After a successful career at Georgetown, Dino Martin now plays for the BAA's Providence Steamrollers. The 5'8-inch keeper became the first professional player ever to score 40 points in one game on January 9, 1947.
11. NATE ROBINSON
Nate Robinson Height: 5'9"
Robinson was a first-round pick in the league and lived up the billing for more than a decade.
Robinson's long NBA career is remarkable enough, given that he is nearly one foot shorter than most of his opponents. But what's more is that he sought personal slam-dunk training from Spud Webb (5'7")
Robinson was the first player below six feet to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2006. He is now a three-time winner.
12. CALVIN MURPHY – 5’9’’, 165 POUNDS
Calvin Murphy is a great NBA player. He's especially good at defense when he faces more well-known players. His record-setting free throw rate was a feat. Murphy averaged 18 points per match over more than a decade playing basketball.
Murphy was the shortest NBA player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
Who is the SHORTEST NBA PLAYER RIGHT TIME?
Isaiah Thomas, the NBA's shortest player in 2021, is the most well-known name because of his height.
Isaiah Thomas, 5'10'', had a great time playing with the Boston Celtics between 2015 and 2017. He became the NBA's shortest player when the Houston Rockets released Chris Clemons, 5'9'' in January 2001.
His average performance is 5.5 point per game, 2.9 assists and a steal per match. His average game time of 19 minutes.
CONCLUSION THOUGHTS
Basketball is a game for tall men.
However, shorter players can have interesting advantages if they are quick, aggressive, and willing to play larger than their size.
It's amazing that a guy of 5'7' can win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Are there any great NBA players who are less than six feet tall? Please share your thoughts below!
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