Think football players are big? You ain’t seen nothin’ until you’ve checked out the official heights of NBA players.

As of around 10 years ago (when teams were still measuring players in shoes), the average NBA player officially clocked in at a towering 6’7”!

But can shorter players be any good at basketball? And who are the shortest NBA players of all time?

It’s easy to see why height is a huge advantage in basketball.

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The net is pretty high up in the air. The closer you are to the net, the easier it can be to score, block and grab rebounds. There’s no mystery here.

But there have been plenty of short-statured guys to take the league by storm, zigging when everyone else was zagging, getting low and weaving around their lumbering opponents to rack up points, steals and assists.

The 13 Shortest NBA Players of All Time

Let’s get into to the list, in no particular order…

1. Tyrone Curtis “Muggsy” Bogues

Height: 5’3”

You can’t have any list of incredible short athletes without including Muggsy.

 

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Not only is he officially the shortest NBA player of all time, standing over a foot shorter than pretty much everyone else on the court — he was pretty damn good!

His low leverage helped him become a great ball stealer and passer. Over 14 seasons in the NBA, Bogues averaged a stunning 7.6 assists per game. For reference, a guy like Kawhi Leonard has averaged around 6 for his career.

2. Earl Boykins

Height: 5’5”

Though he would have “towered” over Muggsy by a whole 2 inches, Boykins might grab the honor of being the smallest NBA player ever; he weighed only about 133 pounds in his playing days.