Even in a league full of giants, small players are capable of doing big things in the NBA.
According to NBA.com, a total of 27 players who appeared in at least one game during the 2021-22 season measured 6 feet or less.
A number of those players remain unsigned as of this writing, but the list includes a trio of former All-Stars in Isaiah Thomas, Kyle Lowry and Kemba Walker, an NBA legend in Chris Paul, and a few actors such as Patty Mills, Davion Mitchell, José Alvarado and Ish Smith.
MORE: Who are the 10 shortest players in NBA history?
Who are the shortest NBA players?
Two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas is currently listed as the shortest player in the NBA at 5-foot-9. There is a group of players listed at 5-foot-10, headlined by Nuggets guard Facundo Campazzo.
Of the 6-foot-and-under players, Chris Paul is the only one to be named an All-Star in the 2021-22 season.
A member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Paul is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history. In addition to 12 All-Star selections and 11 All-NBA selections, he led the NBA in assists five times and steals six times.
The following list is compiled from the NBA.com database.
Rank | Player | Height | Crew | Nationality |
1. | Isaiah Thomas | 5-9 | – | UNITED STATES |
2. | Facundo Campazzo | 5-10 | Nuggets | Argentina |
Jared Harper | 5-10 | – | UNITED STATES | |
Marcus Howard | 5-10 | – | UNITED STATES | |
Waters of Tremont | 5-10 | – | UNITED STATES | |
3. | Carsen Edwards | 5-11 | – | UNITED STATES |
Chris Chiozza | 5-11 | – | UNITED STATES | |
DJ Augustine | 5-11 | – | UNITED STATES | |
Jordan McLaughlin | 5-11 | timber wolves | UNITED STATES | |
Keifer Sykes | 5-11 | – | UNITED STATES | |
McKinley Wright IV | 5-11 | Mavericks | UNITED STATES | |
4. | Aaron’s Vacation | 6-0 | falcons | UNITED STATES |
Brandon Goodwin | 6-0 | – | UNITED STATES | |
carlik jones | 6-0 | bulls | UNITED STATES | |
Chris Paul | 6-0 | Suns | UNITED STATES | |
Darren Collison | 6-0 | – | UNITED STATES | |
David Mitchell | 6-0 | kings | UNITED STATES | |
Derrick Walton Jr. | 6-0 | – | UNITED STATES | |
Ich Smith | 6-0 | Nuggets | UNITED STATES | |
Jose Alvarado | 6-0 | Pelicans | UNITED STATES | |
Kemba walker | 6-0 | Pistons | UNITED STATES | |
Kyle Lowry | 6-0 | Heat | UNITED STATES | |
Patty Mills | 6-0 | Nets | Australia | |
Tim Frazier | 6-0 | – | UNITED STATES | |
Trey Burk | 6-0 | Rockets | UNITED STATES | |
Tyus Jones | 6-0 | Grizzlies | UNITED STATES | |
Zavier Simpson | 6-0 | Magic | UNITED STATES |
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Who are the shortest players in NBA history?
The shortest player in NBA history is Muggsy Bogues at 5-foot-3. The shortest player to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, meanwhile, is Calvin Murphy at 5-foot-9.
Rank | Player | Height | NBA player career |
1. | Ugly bugs | 5-3 | 1987-2001 |
2. | The First Boykins | 5-5 | 1998-2012 |
3. | Webb | 5-6 | 1985-98 |
Mel Hirsch | 5-6 | 1946-47 | |
5. | Greg Grant | 5-7 | 1989-96 |
Keith Jennings | 5-7 | 1992-95 | |
Klotz red | 5-7 | 1947-48 | |
Wataru Misaka | 5-7 | 1947-48 | |
Mount Towe | 5-7 | 1976-77 | |
ten. | Dino-Martin | 5-8 | 1946-48 |
Willie Somerset | 5-8 | 1965-66 | |
Charlie Cris | 5-8 | 1977-86 |
Spud Webb, tied for the third shortest player in NBA history, is the shortest player to win the NBA Slam Dunk contest.
Louis Herman “Red” Klotz, a member of the championship-winning Baltimore Bullets, is the shortest player to win an NBA title.
Monte Towe, who played one season each in the ABA and NBA, is the shortest player to play in the ABA.
Wataru Misaka, a member of the New York Knicks in 1947-48, was the league’s first Asian player.