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How tall was the shortest basketball player
Top 10 shortest players in NBA history
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Arvydas Sabonis of the Portland Trailblazers defends Earl Boykins of the Golden State Warriors. (Photo by Tom Hauck/Icon SMI)
Andrew Champagne
April 7th, 2021
The NBA is seen as a big man’s game, but over the years many pint-sized players have found ways to make an impact. Who could forget the time 5'6" point guard Spud Webb won the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, or the time 5'5" spark plug Early Boykins exploded for 32 points against the Detroit Pistons?
Here are the 10 shortest players in NBA history. They may have been short on height, but they were long on talent.
10. Charlie Criss
Height: 5'8" Teams: Atlanta Hawks, San Diego Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks Years Active: 1978-1985
Criss shined for two seasons in the old Eastern Basketball Association before signing with the Hawks and earning the distinction as the NBA’s shortest active player. The 5’8” guard then spent eight seasons in the league, and averaged greater than 10 points per game in two of them.
Please allow @DWilkins21 to set the record straight regarding Charlie Criss' height... 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Cz11ZkSUNT
— Bally Sports: Hawks (@HawksOnBally) December 16, 2017
9. Monte Towe
Height: 5'7" Team: Denver Nuggets Years Active: 1976-1977
Towe won a national championship at NC State and was a third round draft pick the following year with the Nuggets, who were then an ABA franchise (they joined the NBA the following year). Towe then spent more than 30 years as a coach within the college and professional ranks.
8. Wat Misaka
Height: 5'7" Team: New York Knicks Years Active: 1948
Misaka was the first player of Asian descent to suit up for an NBA team. His journey to New York came after he helped lead the Utah Utes to an NCAA championship in 1944. However, he played just three games for the Knicks and was cut due to a logjam of guards on the team’s roster.
Wat Misaka broke basketball’s color barrier — but few know his name #AAPIMonth pic.twitter.com/e5EYUXKwFt
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 11, 2018
7. Red Klotz
Height: 5'7" Team: Baltimore Bullets Years Active: 1947-1948
Klotz has two unique distinctions. He’s the shortest player ever to play for a team that won a championship, as his Bullets team won the 1948 Basketball Association of America title. The 5’7” Klotz was also the founder of the Washington Generals, who made a living playing (and losing to) the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters.
6. Keith Jennings
Height: 5'7" Team: Golden State Warriors Years Active: 1993-1995
The 5’7” Jennings won the 1991 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding senior player under six feet in height. He averaged 18 minutes per game in several seasons with the Warriors, and after his NBA career came to a close, spent close to a decade playing overseas.
Let’s remember Keith Jennings#Warriors Point Guard (1992-1994)
Career highlights 🏀 1️⃣6️⃣4️⃣ games 🏀 6️⃣.6️⃣ PPG 🏀 1️⃣.5️⃣ RPG 🏀 3️⃣.7️⃣ APG 🏀 Played 9️⃣ seasons overseas from 1995-2003#DubNation #NBA #goldenstate pic.twitter.com/Jc4yBAX9v2
— letsremember_someguys (@remember_guys) January 17, 2020
5. Greg Grant
Height: 5'7" Teams: Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Bullets, Denver Nuggets Years Active: 1990-1996
This is a really cool story. Grant starred for Division III Trenton State College (now known as The College of New Jersey) after being discovered while playing at a New Jersey playground. He was drafted by the Suns in 1989, and spent nine years in the league. Grant’s post-career activities included a five-year stint as a high school coach in Trenton, where his teams went 100-32.
4. Spud Webb
Height: 5'6" Teams: Atlanta Hawks, Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic Years Active: 1986-1998
Known far and wide as the shortest player ever to participate in an NBA Slam Dunk Content, Webb won that event in 1986. However, his game was sharp enough that he enjoyed a long career in the league. Webb actually led the NBA in free throw shooting percentage during the 1994-95 season, when he shot greater than 93% from the charity stripe.
Never forget when Spud Webb stole the show to win the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest! 💥#TeamDay | @ATLHawks pic.twitter.com/Sf8HI1DLrG
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 30, 2019
3. Mel Hirsch
Height: 5'6" Team: Boston Celtics Years Active: 1946-1947
Hirsch long held the distinction as the shortest player in NBA history after the 5’6” guard suited up for 13 games during the 1946-47 season. This was far before Boston’s glory days, as the Celtics finished 22-38 and tied for last in their six-team conference.
2. Earl Boykins
Height: 5'5" Teams: New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, L.A. Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets Years Active: 1999-2012
It took Boykins some time to stick in the league, but he grew into a very productive player during the 2000’s. He averaged 14.6 points per game during the 2006-07 campaign in which he competed for both the Nuggets and Bucks. Even in 2009-10 and 2010-11, where he was 33 and 34 years old, he averaged greater than 15 minutes per game.
Earl Boykins: heart over height 🙌🏽 pic.twitter.com/wwUBV3iESf
— SLAM Rewind (@SLAMRewind) November 5, 2019
1. Muggsy Bogues
Height: 5'3" Teams: Washington Bullets, Charlotte Hornets, Golden State Warriors, Toronto Raptors Years Active: 1988-2001
Short on size but not on talent, the 5’3” Bogues is the shortest player to ever compete in the NBA. He enjoyed a 14-season professional career after his number was retired at Wake Forest, and he averaged greater than 10 assists per game twice.
Heart Over Height.
S/o to 5'3" Muggsy Bogues! ✊️ pic.twitter.com/WdE8kjyGmD
— Timeless Sports (@timelesssports_) November 21, 2019
Perhaps just as noteworthy, he was one of the NBA stars who acted in the film Space Jam, where aliens sapped Bogues and his fellow players of their skills.
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NBA
10 shortest NBA players ever
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Basketball players come in all shapes and sizes. This is proven by players such as ‘The Round Mound‘ and the ‘Stifle Tower‘. Today, we’re focusing on the shortest NBA players ever.
How many players are in the NBA? With each of the 30 rosters allowed to hold a maximum of 15 players during the season, there are at least 450 players signed to NBA contracts.
Counting down the shortest basketball players, we go from 10-1, with the shortest person in the NBA coming at the end. You’ll also find the shortest current NBA player.
10. Charlie Criss
There are several players who officially measured in at around 5-foot-8, as Charlie Criss was listed at, but some suggest he was even smaller than his listed height, which isn’t all that uncommon.
9. Keith Jennings
Standing at 5-foot-7, Keith Jennings entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent with the Golden State Warriors. He managed to play in 164 games in his pro career, before heading overseas for several more.
Related: NBA games today
8. Greg Grant
Like many other NBA players, Greg Grant had to overcome long odds just to be signed by an NBA team. Perhaps they overlooked his 5-foot-7 frame, but Grant lasted nine years in the league.
7. Monte Towe
You know what they say. Those who can’t do, teach. There’s no one saying Monte Towe wasn’t talented (he even made an All-Star team), but it’s clear, his 30 years as a basketball coach dwarf his two seasons playing basketball.
6. Wat Misaka
Another relatively unknown player, Wat Misaka will always have his name etched in the record books, but it’s not due to being 5-foot-7. Instead, Misaka has the unique distinction of being the first player of Asian descent to reach the NBA.
5. Red Klotz
If you’ve never heard of Red Klotz, you’re likely not alone. The 5-foot-7 guard only played 11 games in the NBA with the Baltimore Bullets, but they did manage to win an NBA title, which makes Klotz the shortest NBA player to win a ring.
Related: Top-selling NBA jerseys
4. Spud Webb is the most well-known short basketball player
Commonly mistaken for the shortest NBA player in basketball history, many people are curious to know the true Spud Webb height.
Since so many forget, you may wonder, just how tall is Spud Webb? He stood at 5-foot-6 during the height of his basketball career.
Webb will forever be infamous for being able to dunk the ball despite being vertically challenged. Although, his athleticism has never been questioned. He proved that by winning the 1986 Dunk Contest.
3. Mel Hirsch held shortest basketball player title for 42 years
We know who the shortest NBA players of today are, but there was a time when Mel Hirsch of the Boston Celtics, at 5-foot-6 was the smallest NBA player. From 1946-47, Hirsch played 13 games in his short career.
2. Earl Boykins comes up just shy of shortest NBA player
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
At 5-foot-5, Earl Boykins may be small, but he’s not quite the shortest basketball player in existence. Boykins didn’t let his slight frame prevent him from playing in 652 NBA games in his career.
1. Muggsy Bogues is shortest player in NBA history
Who’s the shortest NBA player? Measuring in at 5-foot-3 makes Muggsy Bogues the shortest NBA player of all time.
He was a popular player at the height of his career, even making a cameo in the 1996 basketball classic appearing in Space Jam alongside Michael Jordan and several other NBA stars at the time.
Now the next time someone asks who is the shortest NBA player, you might have an informed answer ready to go.
Related: Who are the ten oldest players in the NBA?
Bonus: Who is the shortest current NBA player?
Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The shortest current NBA player is also very well-known by basketball fans today. At 5-foot-9, Isaiah Thomas measures as the shortest basketball player currently in the NBA. He most recently played on the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, and Charlotte Hornets in the 2021-22 season. Thomas is currently a free agent.
Related: 10 tallest NBA players ever
The shortest and smallest basketball players in the world: top 10 - Go-Sport
Top 10 shortest basketball players in the world
June 20, 2019
The average height of basketball players is 185-190 centimeters. At the same time, in the history of world basketball there were many talented players with growth below 175 centimeters. We have compiled the top 10 shortest basketball players in the world.
10. Willie Somerset (173 cm)
Willie Somerset, photo: nasljerseys.com
Willie Somerset was the shortest professional basketball player in the 60s of the last century who managed to play in the NBA. However, Somerset spent only one season in the world's major basketball league.65/66, speaking for the Baltimore Bullets (now the Washington Wizards), and even then went to the floor in only eight meetings, having managed to score 45 points. At the same time, Somerset became the lowest basketball player who played in all three major North American basketball leagues: the National Basketball Association (NBA), the American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). During his career, Somerset changed eight clubs, in 1971 he won the CBA championship with the Scranton Apollos, in the same year he was recognized as the most valuable player of the season, and in 19In 1969 he participated in the ABA All-Star Game.
Willie Somerset is not the only 173 cm basketball player. Don Martin, who played for the Providence Steamrollers in the late 40s, was the same height. And Charlie Criss became one of the legends of the Atlanta Hawks of the 70s and 90s, having played more than 400 games in the NBA.
9. Justin Lundako (172 cm)
Justin Lundako has the shortest height among basketball players who played in Russian leagues. Justin began his career at the age of 20 in Dynamo Maikop, where even with such a small stature he attracted attention with a productive game and spent an average of about 16 minutes on the court. However, Justin did not become a big star, eventually switching to business. In recent years, Justin Lundako was seen as a member of the KubGTU student basketball team, took part in amateur street basketball competitions.
Justin Lundako is the shortest Russian basketball player, he is a Russian citizen and lives in Krasnodar.
8. Nate Robinson (170-172 cm)
Nate Robinson, photo: theringer.com
Nate Robinson's height is a hot topic of debate. Different sources indicate from 175 to 172 cm. But those who met Nate in everyday life claim that his real height is closer to 170 cm, and extra centimeters are added due to sneakers. From early childhood, Robinson was distinguished by outstanding jumping ability, so already in his school years he easily scored from above, which attracted the attention of basketball scouts. In parallel, Robinson played football and even received a college scholarship thanks to this, but eventually chose basketball and made his NBA debut in 2005 as part of the New York Knicks. He then played for seven more NBA clubs, but in 2016, Nate began to lose competition for a place in the lineup and changed the New Orleans Pelicans to the Israeli Hapoel.
Robinson is playing for the Lebanese Omenetman in 2019 and hopes to return to the NBA.
Nate Robinson is the smallest basketball player among those who managed to win the NBA All-Star Game dunk contest twice and the only one in the world who was able to do this three times in his career (2006, 2009 and 2010).
7. Wat Misaka, Monty Taw, Keith Jennings, Greg Grant (170 cm)
There are four players on the seventh line of our ranking of the shortest basketball players, whose height is officially 170 cm.
Wat Misaka played only three games with the New York Knicks in the 1947-48 season and scored seven points, but never reached the proper level and ended his professional career.
Monty Thau also played too little - only two seasons with the Denver Nuggets in the mid-1970s, after which he switched to coaching. At the same time, his personal track record is somewhat richer than that of Misaki. Monty won the 1974 NCAA Collegiate Championship and was an ABA All-Star in 1976 year.
Monty Tau, photo: newsobserver.com
Keith Jennings played in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors, but stayed with the Warriors for only three seasons, having managed to play 164 games and score 1090 points. Then Jennings went to travel around Europe, having managed to change three French and two Spanish clubs, looked into Turkey, where he played for Fenerbahce, and even appeared in the unique St. Petersburg Lions project, which lasted only one season. Jennings then switched to coaching.
Greg Grant had the longest career of the four, playing in the NBA from 1989 to 1996. Grant changed 6 clubs, played 274 matches and scored 767 points. Subsequently, Grant played in the Mexican team "Mexico Aztecas" and the Puerto Rican "Capitanes de Arecibo", and also "dusted" in the lower American leagues.
Greg Grant, photo: tcnjsignal.net
6. Herm Klotz (170 cm)
Herm Klotz is the shortest champion in the NBA. Klotz won his title in the ABA, which is considered the forerunner of the major basketball league of our time. It happened in season 1947/48, and this season was the only one in Klotz's career that was held at the highest level. Herm Klotz played for the Baltimore Bullets, but played only 11 games in which he scored 15 points. Before that, Klotz performed well at the level of college basketball, but this was not enough for a successful career in the NBA.
5. Spud Webb (168-170 cm)
Spud Webb (center), photo: si.com
Anthony Jerome Webb (Spud Webb) is a legend among undersized basketball players. Back in high school and college, Webb, whose height, according to various sources, was 168 or 170 cm, was distinguished by incredible speed and good jumping ability, which allowed him to score more than 10 points per game and regularly score from the top. At 19In 1985, Webb was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, but immediately traded to the Atlanta Hawks, where the short defender played until 1991. Then Webb played for the Sacramento Kings, returned to Atlanta, moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves, and even made a year-long voyage to the Italian Verona.
Spud Webb is the shortest basketball player ever to win a dunk contest. Webb did this as part of the 1986 All-Star Game.
4. Mel Hirsch (168 cm)
Mel Hirsch is the shortest basketball player among those who lasted no more than one season in professional basketball. Hirsch began his basketball career in the army, from 1943 playing for the officer team of his squadron. After being retired, Hirsch tried his hand at professional sports and played the 1946–47 season with the Boston Celtics. However, Hirsch did not play much, in his asset only 13 matches appear, in which the former military man scored 19 points. Both high competition and health problems prevented him from continuing his career. At 19Mel Hirsch died of leukemia in 1968.
3. Earl Boykins (165 cm)
Earl Boykins, photo: wikipedia.org in the 2000s, the dominance of tall guys. At the same time, Boykins was not selected in the draft, but this did not prevent him from entering into short-term and annual contracts with NBA clubs. In 1999, Boykins played five games for the New Jersey Nets, then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. Boykins played for the Denver Nuggets from 2003 to 2007. This is his longest spell at the same club. Earl then went back to changing clubs almost every season, and in 2008/09even played in the Italian Virtus.
Earl Boykins played in 644 games in the NBA, scoring 5752 points, becoming one of the highest scorers under 175 cm. com
Barney Sedran (surname Sedransky) was born in New York in 1891. Sedran is the shortest basketball player of the first half of the 20th century. Sedran began his professional career around 1910 and ended in early 1910s.20s, moving on to coaching. According to some reports, Sedran was the highest paid basketball player of his time, but the exact amount of his salary is unknown.
In 1962, Barney Sedran was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and became the shortest player to be so honored.
1. Mugsy Bogz (160 cm)
Mugsy Bogz, photo: postandcourier.com
Tyrone Curtis "Mugsy" Bogz is officially the shortest basketball player in the world. His height is only 160 cm, but this did not prevent him from being effective on the site. The career of the shorty, nicknamed the "robber" began at 1987, when he was selected by the Washington Bullets in the draft under the 12th number, for which Bogz played only one season. Bogz then moved to the Charlotte Hornets, where he played from 1988 to 1997. At the end of his career, Bogz spent two seasons each with the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. In addition to being the shortest player in the NBA, Mugsy Bogz also holds the title of the shortest world champion, which he won as a student at the 1986 World Cup in Spain. After the end of his career, Bogz went into business, managed to train the Charlotte Sting women's team and wrote an autobiographical book, In the Land of the Giants.
Out of Contest
For current NBA players, the shortest title in the 2018-19 season is held by guard Isaiah Thomas of the Denver Nuggets. Officially, his height is 175 cm, but the real height, according to some experts, may be 1-2 centimeters lower. Thomas is still continuing his career, but has already managed to chalk up several interesting achievements.
Isaiah Thomas is the shortest multiple All-Star, the shortest player to score 50 points in a single game, and the shortest player to record a triple-double.
Isaiah Thomas, photo: sportsspectrum.com
Also noteworthy is Calvin Murphy, who played in the NBA in the 1970s, but due to his "too tall" height of 175 cm, did not make it into our rating. Despite his height, Murphy set a number of unique achievements. He became the shortest player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame to play during the NBA era. Murphy is also the lowest among basketball players whose number has been retired. Calvin is the only basketball player with a height of 175 cm and below managed to play more than 1000 games in the NBA. Murphy became the shortest basketball player to break the 10,000 mark in the NBA.
How tall was the tallest basketball player
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Two meters? Two and a half? Three? We made the top of the tallest athletes
We are so used to the fact that basketball players are tall that we even call tall people “basketball players”. But can you imagine how tall the tallest athlete in the history of this sport was? Two meters? Two ten? Three meters? We have compiled the top 7 tallest basketball players in the history of professional sports in order to finally figure out the numbers.
7th place. Yao Ming
Chinese center Yao Ming is probably the most popular basketball player on the internet. Everyone saw the famous laughing meme with him.
But besides the fact that he is very popular, he is also very tall: the athlete's height is 229 centimeters. Thanks to this, he became the tallest player included in the basketball hall of fame, and at the same time one of the most successful and wealthy Chinese athletes.
6th place. Slavko Vranesh
The height of the tallest basketball player in the Balkans is 230 centimeters. Vranesh started his career at the end of 90s, playing for the Serbian Zheleznik. At the beginning of the 2000s, he tried to conquer the NBA, but his career abroad did not work out.
5th place. Suleiman Ali Nashnoush
For a long time, this Libyan athlete of the 60s was considered the tallest basketball player with a height of 245 centimeters, but a little later it turned out that his real height was 230 centimeters, and at the same time the athlete continued to grow. To stop this process, he went through a special drug course.
4th place. Manute Bol
Basketball player of Sudanese origin Manute Bol is known not only for his high growth: 231 centimeters, but also for his thinness unusual for such growth: Manute weighed about 100 kilograms, while Yao Ming's weight is 141 kilograms.
3rd place. Gheorghe Muresan
The official height of the Romanian basketball player Gheorghe Muresan is 231 centimeters, but according to other information, his real height is a couple of centimeters higher, which makes him the tallest player in the history of the NBA.
2nd place. Sun Mingming
The Chinese are not the tallest people in the world, which is why it is a little surprising that the tallest active athlete - Sun Mingming - comes from China. His post is 236 centimeters!
1st place. Alexander Sizonenko
The tallest basketball player Alexander Sizonenko is from Russia. In addition to the "high" basketball title, he was also recognized as the tallest man in the world and is considered the tallest man in Russian history. His height was 245 centimeters.
Growth for Alexander became a huge problem, because the athlete continued to grow until the end of his life. In recent years, he moved only with the help of crutches. The tallest basketball player died in 2012 at the age of 52.
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However, he played just three games for the Knicks and was cut due to a logjam of guards on the team’s roster.
He averaged 18 minutes per game in several seasons with the Warriors, and after his NBA career came to a close, spent close to a decade playing overseas.
Grant’s post-career activities included a five-year stint as a high school coach in Trenton, where his teams went 100-32.
This was far before Boston’s glory days, as the Celtics finished 22-38 and tied for last in their six-team conference.
He enjoyed a 14-season professional career after his number was retired at Wake Forest, and he averaged greater than 10 assists per game twice.
You’ll also find the shortest current NBA player.
Perhaps they overlooked his 5-foot-7 frame, but Grant lasted nine years in the league.
Instead, Misaka has the unique distinction of being the first player of Asian descent to reach the NBA.
Thomas is currently a free agent.
During his career, Somerset changed eight clubs, in 1971 he won the CBA championship with the Scranton Apollos, in the same year he was recognized as the most valuable player of the season, and in 19In 1969 he participated in the ABA All-Star Game. 
It happened in season 1947/48, and this season was the only one in Klotz's career that was held at the highest level. Herm Klotz played for the Baltimore Bullets, but played only 11 games in which he scored 15 points. Before that, Klotz performed well at the level of college basketball, but this was not enough for a successful career in the NBA. 
In 1999, Boykins played five games for the New Jersey Nets, then played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors. Boykins played for the Denver Nuggets from 2003 to 2007. This is his longest spell at the same club. Earl then went back to changing clubs almost every season, and in 2008/09even played in the Italian Virtus. 
Calvin is the only basketball player with a height of 175 cm and below managed to play more than 1000 games in the NBA. Murphy became the shortest basketball player to break the 10,000 mark in the NBA. 
Thanks to this, he became the tallest player included in the basketball hall of fame, and at the same time one of the most successful and wealthy Chinese athletes. 
