Size matters in the NBA. Look no further than the 2026 NBA Finals, in which 7'4" Victor Wembanyama is doing battle with fellow 7-footer Karl-Anthony Towns and a host of rangy Knicks forwards.
The three-point shot has democratized the game a bit, however, and opened up room for shorter players to thrive. Steph Curry, listed at 6'2", is by no definition a “short” person, but by NBA standards, he is below average height. And yet, because of his incredible shooting ability, he has helped revolutionize the game. New York is led by a similarly diminutive guard, Jalen Brunson, who is working to cement his legacy against the Spurs.
Neither player is anywhere near the NBA’s shortest, though. There are still a few players measuring in at under 6-feet, including one very diminutive guard for the Bulls: Yuki Kawamura of Japan.
Shortest NBA players in 2025–26
Listed at 5'7" by the NBA’s official website, Kawamura is the shortest player on an NBA roster. The 25-year-old holds the title by some distance, standing four inches shorter than the trio of 5'11" guards who make up the league’s group of second-shortest players.
Kawamura's performance in the 2024 Olympics caught the attention of NBA scouts, and a strong preseason with the Grizzlies earned him a two-way contract to play games for Memphis’s team in the developmental G League. Kawamura suited up for 22 games as a rookie before signing with Chicago for summer league action in 2025. He suffered a blood clot during training camp but the Bulls signed him to a two-way deal once recovered, and Kawamura wound up appearing in 18 contests this past season. He averaged 3.4 points in 11.6 minutes per night and gave fans this tremendous moment back in January.
Yuki Kawamura forces the jumpball.
— NBA (@NBA) February 1, 2026
Yuki Kawamura wins the jumpball!
"HE WON THE TIP, HE WON THE TIP!"
Hilarious moment in South Beach 🤣 pic.twitter.com/dE4MzAeRWx
Three more NBA players from the 2025–26 season also stand under 6-feet: the Kings’ Isaiah Stevens, Mavericks’ Ryan Nembhard and Spurs’ Jordan McLaughlin, all of whom are listed at 5'11".
Stevens was an undrafted free agent from the 2024 NBA draft who led the G League in assists in 2025 and spent this past season on a two-way deal with the Kings. He appeared in only three games for Sacramento last year but averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 assists per game for the team’s G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings.
Nembhard is the younger brother of Andrew Nembhard, who plays for the Pacers, but went undrafted in the 2025 draft in part because he is shorter than his sibling. But the Mavericks signed him over the summer anyway and Nembhard took full advantage of his opportunity—he played in 60 games for Dallas as a rotational point guard. Nembhard raised eyebrows everywhere with a 23-assist night late in the season.
Ryan Nembhard put up 15 PTS, 23 AST, 9 REB, 2 STL!
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) April 13, 2026
Most Assists in Mavs history
Kidd: 25
Nembhard: 23
Luka: 20
Kidd: 20
Luka: 19
Nash: 19pic.twitter.com/H1dlzPgmWf https://t.co/nM07mDLiHq
Rounding out the group is McLaughlin, a grizzled veteran comparatively at 30 years old. The Spurs PG broke into the league in 2018 with the Nets as an undrafted free agent before playing five years for the Timberwolves up in Minnesota. McLaughlin earned a reputation as a reliable backup point guard whose shooting and aversion to turnovers made him a safe option out there on the court. He signed with the Kings in 2024 before getting traded to the Spurs as part of the De’Aaron Fox package later that season.
McLaughlin doesn’t have a significant role in San Antonio’s rotation but has played in 10 games throughout the playoffs, including five of the team’s seven games against the Thunder in the Western Conference finals. He has not yet appeared in the NBA Finals against the Knicks. Another player on the list below, Jose Alvarado, has played a pretty big role on the other side of the matchup, putting in quality minutes as Brunson spent time out of the game due to injury in Game 1.
Here are the 10 shortest players who were on an NBA roster this season.
| Player | Team | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Yuki Kawamura | Bulls | 5'7" |
| Isaiah Stevens | Kings | 5'11" |
| Ryan Nembhard | Mavericks | 5'11" |
| Jordan McLaughlin | Spurs | 5'11" |
| Aaron Holiday | Rockets | 6'0" |
| Chucky Hepburn | Raptors | 6'0" |
| Jahmir Young | Heat | 6'0" |
| Davion Mitchell | Heat | 6'0" |
| Jevon Carter | Magic | 6'0" |
| Jose Alvarado | Knicks | 6'0" |
The shortest players in NBA history
With Wembanyama dominating throughout the playoffs, the NBA’s historic behemoths have gotten more attention as of late, though there is something special about a sub-6-foot player going toe-to-toe with larger than life stars.
Perhaps the most famous small player in league history is Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues, the No. 12 pick in the 1987 NBA draft out of Wake Forest by the Washington Bullets.
At just 5'3", Bogues is the NBA's shortest player of all time. He more than made up for it with his quick hands and feet, blazing up and down the court and picking the pockets of bigger guards. Bogues played 14 NBA seasons and averaged a robust 7.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game for his career, and is the Hornets’ all-time leader in both categories with 5,557 assists and 1,067 steals for the franchise.
“I don’t think being short is a problem. In fact, I look at it as an advantage I have on those big guys,” Bogues said, per his Wake Forest bio. “I’m low to the ground, and when they put the ball on the floor, I’m already there. They have to worry about me.”
Bogues set the stage for a number of other impressive players under 6-feet tall. Earl Boykins, a 5'5" dynamo from Eastern Michigan, played 13 seasons and averaged over 12 points per game in the league.
Hawks great Spud Webb, 5'6", upset teammate Dominique Wilkins at the 1986 Slam Dunk contest and was a solid contributor for Atlanta.
Here are the five shortest players in NBA history
| Player | Team(s) | Year Active | Height |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muggsy Bogues | Bullets, Hornets, Warriors, Raptors | 1987 to 2001 | 5'3" |
| Earl Boykins | Nets, Cavaliers, Magic, Clippers, Warriors, Nuggets, Bucks, Hornets, Wizards, Rockets | 1998 to 2008, 2009 to 2012 | 5'5" |
| Mel Hirsch | Celtics | 1946 to ‘47 | 5'6" |
| Spud Webb | Hawks, Kings, Timberwolves, Magic | 1985 to 1996, 1997 to ‘98 | 5'7" |
| Greg Grant | Suns, Knicks, Hornets, 76ers, Nuggets, Bullets | 1989 to 1993, 1994 to ‘96 | 5'7" |
Shortest players in the 2026 NBA draft class
The upcoming 2026 NBA draft has a few players who could take the title as the league’s next true short king.
Purdue’s Braden Smith just barely beats out Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner for the shortest player measured entering this year’s draft. There is a chance a player who didn't participate in the combine gets drafted and is shorter than those two, but that’s a long shot.
| Player | College | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Braden Smith | Purdue | 5'10" |
| Tyler Tanner | Vanderbilt | 5'10" |
| Ja’Kobi Gillespie | Tennessee | 5'11" |
| Jeremy Fears Jr. | Michigan State | 6'0" |
| Bruce Thorton | Ohio State | 6'0" |
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