Washington vs. Texas score: Michael Penix Jr. stars as Huskies escape Sugar Bowl into national championship

basketball league :: Article Creator

10 Shortest NBA Players Ever, Including The Shortest Basketball Player In The League Today

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 1-10, with the shortest person in the NBA coming at the end. You'll also find the shortest current NBA player listed too.

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?

2. Earl Boykins comes up just shy of shortest NBA 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.

Related: Best NBA players of all time: Ranking the 20 best NBA players ever

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

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.

Related: Updated NBA power rankings

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.

Related: NBA MVP race 2024-25

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.

Related: NBA playoff predictions: Bracket picks & 2025 Finals champion

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

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. Meanwhile, Yuki Kawamura of the Memphis Grizzlies is the smallest NBA player today, at 5-foot-8.

Related: NBA Rookie of the Year: Top NBA ROY odds and candidates to win

Bonus: Who is the shortest current NBA player?

Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The shortest current NBA player is not very well-known among many basketball fans today. At 5-foot-8, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Jacob Gilyard and Memphis Grizzlies Yuki Kawamura measure as the shortest basketball players currently in the NBA.

Gilyard entered the NBA as an undrafted rookie in 2022, where he landed with the Grizzlies' G-League development team, the Memphis Hustle. Gilyard is now with the Cavaliers on an Exhibit 10 contract and will compete to make the final roster cut in Cleveland with the G-League presenting a fallback option.

Yuki Kawamura entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2023 but didn't get signed to the Grizzlies until 2024, where he now sees semi-regular NBA minutes in addition to playing in the G-League.

Related: 10 tallest NBA players ever

Related Headlines

NBA & Fantasy Basketball Loser Lineup: Orlando Magic Offer Little Beyond Paolo Banchero And Franz Wagner

The 2024-25 NBA season was marred by unfortunate injury luck for the Orlando Magic. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner missed portions of the season with oblique injuries. The team's most reliable reserve, Mo Wagner, tore his ACL right before Christmas. However, Jalen Suggs' season-ending knee injury was the most impactful because, after January, the Magic were without their best defender and third scoring option on offense.

Magically avoiding the 3-point revolution

Orlando's calling card is its defense. While that's vital for real-life hoops, it's not as helpful for fantasy. The Magic play at the slowest pace in the league and are bottom-three in 3s made and attempted. It's okay to play slow-look at the Boston Celtics. What's not okay is playing slow and not maximizing your possessions. That's the issue with the Magic — once Suggs went down, the team didn't have enough 3-point shooters or consistent playmakers to initiate offense outside Banchero and Wagner. The Magic need to address both areas in the offseason, and that is why there isn't a single player to target in fantasy drafts next season besides those two.

The dynamic duo

With two All-Stars leading the way, I'd have no qualms about drafting Banchero or Wagner for next season. Banchero is a top-20 option in points leagues, and I'd be fine drafting him near the fifth round in 9-cat leagues because you still have to deal with his volatile free-throw shooting and turnovers. Wagner seems to be dealing with a case of the yips on his 3s, and yet he still put up career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, 3s made and FT% in his fourth NBA season. So, target Banchero in points leagues and Wagner in 9-cat since Wagner's efficiency is more sustainable.

Stay tuned as we dissect more playoff exits, one team at a time, and help you dominate your draft board.

See Which Former Lady Vols Basketball Players Made 2025 WNBA Training Camp Rosters

Lady Vols basketball has a long history of sending players to the WNBA since the league's inception in 1997.

While Tennessee didn't send any players to the league this season, it has produced 46 WNBA draft picks in program history, and 21 of them were first-round picks.

Here's what you need to know about former Lady Vols playing in the WNBA this summer:

How many Lady Vols are in the WNBA?

There are six Lady Vols with WNBA contracts, although only five of them are active this season. Jordan Horston suffered a torn ACL while playing in Athletes Unlimited during the offseason and will not play this season.

Players are listed alphabetical by last name, with the years the player was at Tennessee.

Rae Burrell – LA Sparks (2018-22)

Diamond DeShields – Connecticut Sun (2015-17)

Isabelle Harrison – New York Liberty (2011-15)

Jordan Horston – Seattle Storm (2019-23)

Rickea Jackson – LA Sparks (2022-24)

Mercedes Russell – LA Sparks (2013-18)

Candace Parker, Tamika Catchings had stellar WNBA careers

The Lady Vols had a run of first-round picks from 2021-24. It was the first time in program history Tennessee produced a first-round draft pick in four consecutive years, capped by Jackson being selected at No. 4 overall in 2024.

Tennessee produced two of the greatest players in league history in Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker.

Catchings played 15 seasons and still ranks No. 5 in all-time scoring (7,380) and rebounding (3,316). She won Defensive Player of the Year a record five times and is still the league's all-time leader in steals (1,074). She was the 2011 MVP, 2012 Finals MVP when she won a WNBA championship and was a 12-time All-WNBA and All-Defensive selection.

Parker retired last April after 16 seasons in the league. She won three WNBA championships, two MVP awards and one DPOY award. Parker is still the only player in league history to win Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season in 2008, and she was the 2016 Finals MVP.

Parker ranks No. 9 on the all-time scoring list (6,574), No. 7 in assists (1,634), No. 3 in rebounding (3,467) and No. 5 in blocks (619). She was a 10-time All-WNBA selection, seven of them first team, and seven-time WNBA All-Star.

2025 WNBA season key dates and information

WNBA training camps began on April 27, kicking off the official start of the 2025 season. There are 13 teams in the WNBA with the addition of expansion team Golden State Valkyries.

There are 156 total roster spots across the 13 teams, which can have up to 12 players. Most teams only carry 11 players on the roster due to salary cap restraints, making it even more difficult to earn a spot on a team.

Preseason games begin May 2 and the regular season begins May 16.

FORMER LADY VOL: Why former Lady Vols basketball star Michelle Marciniak decided to take Arizona GM job

WNBA preseason schedule for former Lady Vols

There are a number of WNBA preseason games that will be televised this season, and the full schedule can be found here. All of the former Lady Vols' preseason games will be stream on the WNBA League Pass, which can be purchased for $34.99 a year. All game times are in Eastern Daylight Time.

May 4: Connecticut vs. Seattle, 6 p.M. On WNBA League Pass

May 6: Los Angeles vs. Golden State, 10 p.M. On WNBA League Pass

May 9: Connecticut vs. New York, 7 p.M. On WNBA League Pass

May 12: Toyota Antelopes vs. New York, 10 p.M. On WNBA League Pass

Cora Hall covers University of Tennessee women's athletics. Email her at cora.Hall@knoxnews.Com and follow her on X @corahalll. If you enjoy Cora's coverage, consider a digital subscription that allows you to access all of it.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Tennessee women's basketball players on WNBA rosters for 2025 season

Search This Blog

The Rockets Houston