For every one of the tallest players to ever play in the NBA, there is a guard who was told he was too small and proved otherwise.

Only 27 players listed at 5'9" (1.75m) or shorter have appeared in the NBA, and every one of them has been a point guard. It also ensures the list spans across two centuries. The 10 below are the smallest of the lot – from the league’s earliest pioneers to a dunk champion.

Heights are the official-listed heights. In the case where players share the same height, they sit level on the list.

10 Keith Jennings – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: Golden State Warriors (1992–95)
• Career: 164 games, 6.6 points, 3.7 assists

Keith “Mister” Jennings was a sensation at East Tennessee State, where he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year and won the 1991 Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s best player under 6 feet.

He went undrafted but earned three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, scoring a career-high 23 points in April 1995, before building a long career in Europe with clubs including Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe.

9 Greg Grant – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, Charlotte Hornets, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets, Washington Bullets (1989–96)
• Career: 274 games, 2.8 points, 2.7 assists

Greg Grant’s route to the NBA was as unlikely as they come. Working at a fish market in high school, he was spotted on a local playground, went on to lead NCAA Division III in scoring at Trenton State, and was drafted 52nd overall by the Phoenix Suns in 1989.

He lasted six seasons with six different franchises, before returning home to coach Trenton Central High School.

8 Monte Towe – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: Denver Nuggets (1975–77, ABA and NBA)
• Career (NBA): 51 games, 2.5 points, 1.7 assists

Monte Towe’s place in basketball history was secured before he turned pro. Alongside David Thompson at NC State, he is credited with helping to pioneer the alley-oop while dunking was banned in college, and he started at point guard on the Wolfpack’s 1974 national championship side.

He followed Thompson to the Denver Nuggets, was named an ABA All-Star in 1976, and stayed for the franchise’s first NBA season.

7 Wat Misaka – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: New York Knicks (1947–48)
• Career: 3 games, 2.3 points

Wat Misaka’s NBA career amounted to just three games, but few players have mattered more. Selected by the New York Knicks in 1947, the Japanese American guard became the first non-white player and the first player of Asian descent in the BAA, the league that became the NBA.

He had already won the 1944 NCAA title and the 1947 NIT with Utah, serving in the US Army in between. His trailblazing earns him a place among the best Asian players in NBA history.

6 Red Klotz – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: Baltimore Bullets (1947–48)
• Career: 11 games, 1.4 points

Red Klotz is the shortest player ever to win a championship, featuring for the Baltimore Bullets side that won the 1948 BAA title. But he is far better known for what came next.

In 1953, Klotz founded the Washington Generals, the perennial opponents of the Harlem Globetrotters. Between 1953 and 1995, the Generals lost more than 14,000 games to them – and won just once in a result the Globetrotters recognised, in 1971.

5 Yuki Kawamura – 5'7" (1.70m)

• Teams: Memphis Grizzlies (2024–25), Chicago Bulls (2025–26), LA Clippers (2026)
• Career: 40 games, 2.5 points, 1.7 assists (through 2025/26)

The shortest active player in the league, Yuki Kawamura arrived with a big reputation. He was B.League MVP and Rookie of the Year with the Yokohama B-Corsairs in 2022/23, then scored 29 points against France at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

A two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies followed, and after a blood clot interrupted his Chicago Bulls stint, he returned to post a career-high 14 points against the Dallas Mavericks.

4 Mel Hirsch – 5'6" (1.67m)

• Teams: Boston Celtics (1946–47)
• Career: 13 games, 1.5 points, 0.8 assists

For four decades, Mel Hirsch was the shortest player the league had ever seen. A Brooklyn College standout and Second World War navigator, he joined the Boston Celtics for the BAA’s first season in 1946/47.

He held the title of shortest player until Muggsy Bogues arrived in 1987.

3 Spud Webb – 5'6" (1.67m)

• Teams: Atlanta Hawks (1985–91, 1995–96), Sacramento Kings (1991–95), Minnesota Timberwolves (1996), Orlando Magic (1998)
• Career: 814 games, 9.9 points, 5.3 assists

Spud Webb produced the most famous moment any small player has ever had. At the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest in Dallas, the Atlanta Hawks guard beat his own teammate and defending champion Dominique Wilkins, posting two perfect 50s in the final round – still one of the greatest dunk contest performances of all time.

A fourth-round pick who was cut by the Detroit Pistons before the season, Webb lasted 12 years in the league, averaging close to 10 points a game.

2 Earl Boykins – 5'5" (1.65m)

• Teams: New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic, LA Clippers, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Charlotte Bobcats, Washington Wizards, Houston Rockets (1999–2012)
• Career: 652 games, 8.9 points, 3.2 assists

Undrafted out of Eastern Michigan in 1998, Earl Boykins became the definition of a journeyman, suiting up for 10 different franchises.

His best spell came with the Denver Nuggets, where he scored a career-high 32 points against the Detroit Pistons in November 2004 – making him the shortest player in NBA history to score 30 or more points in a game.

1 Muggsy Bogues – 5'3" (1.60m)

• Teams: Washington Bullets (1987–88), Charlotte Hornets (1988–97), Golden State Warriors (1997–99), Toronto Raptors (1999–2001)
• Career: 889 games, 7.7 points, 7.6 assists, 1.5 steals

There could only be one name at the top. Muggsy Bogues, the shortest player in NBA history, was drafted 12th overall by the Washington Bullets in 1987 – and spent his rookie year alongside 7'7" Manute Bol, a 28-inch gap that remains one of the league’s most striking sights.

He went on to become a fan favourite with the Charlotte Hornetss, leaving as their all-time leader in assists and steals, and lasted 14 seasons in the league. He even blocked 39 shots in his career, including one from Patrick Ewing. Michael Jordan once named him among the players who could beat him one-on-one.