As Lord Varys told Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” “A very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
The adage applied in Westeros, and it has also wrung true in the NBA. Going up against some of the tallest people on the planet, short players have cemented a legacy in the league.
Calvin Murphy is the shortest player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame at 5-foot-9. Allen Iverson, who is 6-foot even, is the shortest player to be named league MVP. Isiah Thomas led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles at 6-foot-1, while the 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas took the league by storm in 2016-17 with the Boston Celtics, earning his “King in the Fourth” moniker and placing fifth in the MVP race.
A few small players have become some of the NBA’s most famous high-flyers. Nate Robinson won three NBA Dunk Contests -- and jumped over Dwight Howard -- at 5-foot-9. Spud Webb is remembered as one of the game’s shortest players and most electrifying dunkers. He took home the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest title at 5-foot-6 and played 12 NBA seasons. Only two players in NBA history have measured shorter than Webb.
Here’s a look at the shortest players in the league all-time and the present day.
Who is the shortest NBA player ever?
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There have been nine players in NBA history who stood at 5-foot-7 or shorter, led by the 5-foot-3 Muggsy Bogues.
NBA
1. Muggsy Bogues, 1987-2001: 5-foot-3
2. Earl Boykins, 1998-2012: 5-foot-5
T-3. Spud Webb, 1985-1996, 1997-1998: 5-foot-6
T-3: Mel Hirsh, 1946: 5-foot-6
T-5. Greg Grant, 1989-1996: 5-foot-7
T-5: Keith Jennings, 1992-1995: 5-foot-7
T-5: Herm “Red” Klotz, 1948: 5-foot-7
T-5: Wat Misaka, 1948: 5-foot-7
T-5: Monte Towe, 1975-77: 5-foot-7
Bogues’ height was put into a mind-blowing perspective in a famous photo with teammate Manute Bol, who shares the title of tallest player in league history with Gheorghe Muresan at 7-foot-7.
Hirsh played just 13 games for the Celtics early in the 1946-47 season and held the title of shortest NBA player ever for almost 40 years until Bogues was drafted by the Washington Bullets with the 12th overall pick in 1987.
Wisaka made history in 1948 by breaking basketball’s color barrier, becoming the first non-white player in the NBA (then known as the Basketball Association of America). He played three BAA games and scored seven career points.
Who is the shortest player in the NBA right now?
Jacob Gilyard holds the title of the shortest player in the NBA right now. The 5-foot-8 guard appeared in 41 games in 2023-24: 37 with the Memphis Grizzlies and four with the Brooklyn Nets.
Isaiah Thomas, who last played for the Phoenix Suns in 2023-24, is next on the list at 5-foot-9.
Shortest player on each NBA team
There are team leaders across the league who also stand the shortest on their squads. Trae Young, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry are among the marquee players with the smallest heights on their teams.
Here is a list of each team’s shortest player according to their listed heights on NBA.com:
- Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young – 6-foot-1
- Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard and JD Davison – 6-foot-1
- Brooklyn Nets: Jacob Gilyard – 5-foot-8
- Charlotte Hornets: KJ Simpson– 6-foot-0
- Chicago Bulls: Jevon Carter – 6-foot-1
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland and Craig Porter Jr. – 6-foot-1
- Dallas Mavericks: Brandon Williams – 6-foot-1
- Denver Nuggets: Collin Gillespie – 6-foot-1
- Detroit Pistons: Malachi Flynn – 6-foot-1
- Golden State Warriors: Chris Paul – 6-foot-0
- Houston Rockets: Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday – 6-foot-0
- Indiana Pacers: T.J. McConnell – 6-foot-1
- Los Angeles Clippers: Xavier Moon – 6-foot-0
- Los Angeles Lakers: Gabe Vincent – 6-foot-2
- Memphis Grizzlies: Scotty Pippen Jr. – 6-foot-1
- Miami Heat: Terry Rozier – 6-foot-1
- Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard and Patrick Beverley – 6-foot-2
- Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Conley and Jordan McLaughlin – 6-foot-0
- New Orleans Pelicans: Jose Alvarado – 6-foot-0
- New York Knicks: Miles McBride and Tyler Kolek – 6-foot-1
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Adam Flagler – 6-foot-3
- Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony – 6-foot-2
- Philadelphia 76ers: Kyle Lowry – 6-foot-0
- Phoenix Suns: Isaiah Thomas – 5-foot-9
- Portland Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons, Scoot Henderson and Ashton Hagans – 6-foot-3
- Sacramento Kings: Jordan Ford – 6-foot-1
- San Antonio Spurs: Tre Jones and Devonte’ Graham – 6-foot-1
- Toronto Raptors: Jamal Shead – 6-foot-0
- Utah Jazz: Kira Lewis Jr. – 6-foot-1
- Washington Wizards:: Tyus Jones – 6-foot-1
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was published in September 2022.
