The three-pointer revolution ushered in a new era of basketball in which quickness and athleticism is often prioritized over size. The traditional center, whose dominating inside presence once was a prerequisite for success, has given way to lineups that capitalize on the open space they create with lethal outside shooters.
A tiny group of players literally define the “small ball” craze with their diminutive stature.
Players who stand 6 feet or shorter still have a place in the NBA. We’re still waiting for the next Isaiah Thomas to emerge from the woodwork but these players have carved out their own spaces nevertheless. And the Bulls employ the shortest of those players.
Shortest NBA players in 2025–26
Listed at 5'7" by the NBA’s official website, Bulls guard Yuki Kawamura is the shortest player on an NBA roster. The 25-year-old from Japan 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
Next up are three players who check in at just under 6 feet—Isaiah Stevens, Ryan Nembhard and Jordan McLaughlin.
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 got some national television time during the 2026 NBA playoffs as he was pressed into service during the Western Conference finals thanks to an injury to Fox.
Below you’ll find the 10 shortest players who were on an NBA roster this season, including the names listed above.
| 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
As much as Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol were basketball spectacles as the NBA’s tallest players ever, the shortest players in league history were equally fascinating phenoms.
In 1987, Tyrone Bogues was drafted 12th overall by the Washington Bullets, and in his 14-year NBA career, he was good enough to be known by his nickname—Muggsy. His other distinction came from his height.
The 5'3" Bogues is the NBA's shortest player of all time, but what opponents saw of him was merely a blur. The speedy guard from Wake Forest routinely blitzed defenses by driving to the basket and dishing to teammates, and he used his quickness on defense as a constant threat to steal the ball.
Bogues joined the expansion Hornets in 1989 and enjoyed his best years in the Queen City. He was the floor general for four Hornets playoff teams and remains Charlotte’s all-time leader in assists (5,557) and steals (1,067).
“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 once said. “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 wasn’t a big-time scorer, averaging double-digit points in a season only three times. However, Earl Boykins, the NBA’s second shortest player ever, could get buckets in bunches.
Undrafted from Eastern Michigan, the 5'5" Boykins played 13 seasons for 10 different teams, his most notable tenure coming as a sixth man with the Nuggets from 2003 to ’07. He averaged 12.1 points in 255 regular-season games and scored 12.9 points per contest on three Nuggets playoff teams.
| 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 1947 | 5'6" |
| Spud Webb | Hawks, Kings, Timberwolves, Magic | 1985 to 1996, 1997 to 1998 | 5'7" |
| Greg Grant | Suns, Knicks, Hornets, 76ers, Nuggets, Bullets | 1989 to 1993, 1994 to 1996 | 5'7" |
Notable moments and highlights of the shortest NBA players
The most memorable moment for an NBA little man occurred in the most unlikely event—the slam dunk contest.
In 1986, Spud Webb—a 5'6" guard for the Hawks—became the shortest dunk champion by upsetting Atlanta legend Dominique Wilkins. Webb received perfect scores of 50 on his last two dunks to prevent Wilkins from repeating as dunk champ.
Webb played for four teams in 12 NBA seasons, averaging 9.9 points and 5.3 assists in 814 regular-season games. He was a double-digit scorer in five consecutive seasons from 1990–91 with the Hawks to 1994–95 with the Kings.
However, Webb’s signature achievement was his improbable dunk title, which was made possible by an estimated vertical jump of 46 inches.
Shortest players in the 2026 NBA draft class
As far as who the next short king of the NBA draft might be, the 2026 class has a handful of players who measured at 6 feet or under without shoes at this year’s NBA draft combine.
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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