Basketball is often viewed as a domain where towering figures dominate, with a general assumption that players typically stand well over six feet tall. Yet, exceptions like Stephen Curry, standing at 6 feet 2 inches (189 cm), challenge this norm and highlight that skill can transcend physical boundaries. Curry’s exceptional talent has not only secured his place among the sport’s legends but also earned him a spot in the top 10 highest-paid NBA players, proving that height is not the sole determinant of success in basketball.
This narrative of overcoming physical limitations and achieving greatness in sports mirrors the excitement and unpredictability found in the world of online gaming. At Wanted Win casino review, players encounter a diverse arena where strategy, luck, and skill can lead to unexpected victories, much like how these remarkable athletes have carved their names in NBA history. Whether it’s on the basketball court or in the dynamic environment of online gaming, success stories continue to inspire, reminding us that greatness comes in all sizes and forms.
10. Charlie Criss – 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1975-85
- Position: Point Guard
Charlie Chris played for the Atlanta Hawks, San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. He is the highest scoring player in this top. Charlie averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game. His best year was 1978, when Chris played in 77 games and averaged 11 points and 4 assists per game.
The best result in his career Charlie Kris reached on 20 February 1982, playing for the San Diego Clippers (since 1984 – Los Angeles Clippers). In a game against the San Antonio Spurs, he scored 34 points and gave 8 assists.
9. Monty Towe – 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1975-77
- Position: Point Guard
Monty Towe was a NCAA champion in 1974, after which he was drafted at number 57 in the NBA Draft. The player played for the Denver Nuggets for 2 seasons. An outstanding achievement in Tau’s career is his participation in the All-Star Game in 1976. However, the player was not effective on the court.
He played 115 games in the NBA, and Monty’s average performance was as follows:
- 2.8 points
- 0.8 rebounds
- 1.9 assists
- 0.5 steals
Monty Tau had 5 blocked shots in 115 games. In 1977, Denver did not renew the player’s contract, after which he finished his career and took up coaching university teams.
8. Wat Misaka – 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1947
- Position: Point Guard
Wat Misaka joined the New York Knicks team in 1947 as the 61st pick of the draft. However, his basketball career was short-lived. Wat played in the NBA (then called BAA) only three games, in which he scored 7 points. Misaka became the first non-white player and first player of Asian descent to play in BAA/NBA. The team at that time had a lot of defenders. Therefore, the 170 cm tall player lost the competition. After being expelled from the team, Misaka decided not to continue his basketball career.
7. Herm “Red” Klotz – 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1947-48
- Position: Point Guard
Herm Klotz spent only one season in the NBA. The player played for the Baltimore Bullets club, which became one of the founding members of the NBA. As part of the professional team, the basketball player spent the 1947/48 season, which became a championship for the club. Therefore, Herm Klotz is the lowest NBA champion in history. However, the player played only 11 games for the team, in which he scored 15 points.
In 1953, Klotz founded the Washington Generals exhibition team that sparred with other clubs. Interestingly, Herm himself played on this team and played at point guard until the age of 62. I note that these matches were more elements of the show, and 11 matches for Baltimore remained the only ones in the professional career of the player.
6. Keith Jennings – 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1991-2004
- Position: Point Guard
The player was not selected at the draft by any team, and even at the beginning of his career he managed to play in Germany. But later Jennings returned to the NBA and in 1992 signed a contract with Golden State Warriors. For this team Keith played three seasons, in which he played in 164 games and scored 1090 points. Interestingly, in the NBA Jennings has only 2 blocked shots in his career.
In 1995, after the new Toronto Raptors team entered the championship, the club sent the player to the expansion draft. Jennings thus got into the new team, but never played a single game for the Canadian club and in the same 1995 went to Europe. In the NBA something special player could not distinguish himself, but became one of the lowest in the history of the most prestigious basketball championship.
5. Greg Grant – 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1989-98
- Position: Point Guard
During his career Greg Grant managed to play for 6 NBA teams. His first club was the Phoenix Suns, who selected the point guard with the number 52 pick in the draft (2nd round).
In 1989, before moving to the NBA, Grant became the most productive player in the NCAA Division III college league, scoring an average of 32 points per game. But after moving to a professional team, the basketball player’s performance dropped significantly. The player’s average score in the NBA was 2.8 points per game.
4. Spud Webb – 5 ft 6 in (169 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1985-98
- Position: Point Guard
Anthony “Spud” Webb made it to the NBA only at number 87 of the draft in 1985. The player was drafted by the Detroit Pistons, but Webb never got a chance to play for the team, going to Atlanta. In the NBA he also played for Sacramento, Orlando and Minnesota. The player averaged 9.9 points per game. The basketball player was most productive in four seasons in Minnesota, where he averaged 16 points per game in the first year of the 1991/92 regular season.
With his height, Spud Webb became a legend among dunkers. He is the shortest player in NBA history to win a dunk contest at the All-Star Game.
3. Mel Hirsch – 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1946-47
- Position: Point Guard
Mel Hirsch was a military pilot and a participant in World War II. He started playing basketball in the army. And in 1946, the player managed to fulfill his dream and get into the NBA. Hirsch’s first and only professional team was the Boston Celtics.
The career of the player was not long. He played in only 13 games, for which he scored 19 points. Later the basketball player was forced to leave the sport because of health problems. Hirsch was diagnosed with leukemia. Nevertheless, Mel went down in history as the shortest basketball player who played less than one season in the NBA.
2. Earl Boykins – 5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1998-2012
- Position: Point Guard
Earl Boykins was not selected in the draft. The player got to the NBA thanks to short-term contracts, which he periodically signed with teams. In most cases Boykins changed teams every 1-2 years. In 1999 Earl managed to play for three teams: New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Orlando Magic. The player stayed the longest in Denver, where he played three seasons and even made the playoffs.
The player averaged 8.9 points per game for his career. Boykins was most effective in the 2006-07 season, where he averaged 15.2 points per game for the Denver Nuggets.
Earl Boykins is the smallest player in NBA history to score 30+ points in a single game. It happened in 2004 in Denver’s game against Detroit. The guard scored 32 points in that game. The player also distinguished himself in the history of Italian football, where he played in Serie A in the 2008/09 season for Virtus. With a salary of $3.5 million, he remains the highest paid player in the history of the Italian championship.
1. Muggsy Bogues – 5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
- Country: USA
- Career years: 1987-2001
- Position: Point Guard
Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues is the shortest basketball player in the history of basketball. However, his height of 160 cm did not prevent him from becoming a professional basketball player and being drafted in 1987 by the Washington Bullets with the 12th pick in the 1987 draft. The player got the nickname “Thief,” and all because of his style of play. Muggsy would steal from much taller opponents, taking the ball away while they were hitting the ball on the floor.
Interesting fact. In his NBA debut game, Bogues played against Magic Johnson, who is a legend of the Los Angeles Lakers. On Johnson’s first attack, Mugsy took the ball away from his opponent and ran to the other’s basket. Even more interesting is that in his first season, fate brought the basketball player in the same team with the tallest player in history – Manute Bol, who was taller than Bogues at 71 cm.
Muggsy played in 889 games and played more for the team, averaging 7.6 assists per game and scoring 7.7 points per game. The basketball player has only made 39 blocked shots in his career.