Tallest and Shortest NBA Players of All-Time

NBA players are renowned for being tall. In fact, the average height of NBA players was estimated to be 6’6” (or 198.6 meters) during the 2022/23 season, with this figure remaining largely unchanged over the subsequent years. Centers are usually the tallest players on each side, as they’re positioned close to the basket and tend to compete for rebounds and make blocks.

While sports gambling sites in the US may see the majority of bets placed on tall players and centers across various prop markets, there’s a diversity of height ranges represented in the NBA. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the tallest and shortest NBA players of all time, while appraising the current batch of giants competing in the league.

• Who are the Shortest NBA Players?
• From the Shortest Players in NBA History to the Tallest – Introducing the Giants of the Sport
• Victor Wembanyama – The 2024 Rookie of the Year and 7’3” Superstar
• Zach Edey – Becoming One of the Best-Performing Rookies in 2024/25
• Kristaps Porzingis – The Giant at the Heart of Boston Celtic’s 2024 Championship Run
• Bol Bol – Not a Regular Starter, but One of the NBA’s Leading Impact Players
• Donovan Clingan – A Towering NBA Rookie Averaging 6.7 Rebounds in 2024/25

Who are the Shortest NBA Players?

None of the seven shortest players in NBA history currently ply their trade in the league. The honor as the NBA’s shortest ever player belongs to Muggsy Bogues, who managed to play for 14 seasons despite measuring just 5’3”. What’s more, the point guard star was a full-time starter in five of these campaigns.

Earl Boykins is next on the all-time list of shortest NBA players. Another point guard, Boykins was just 5’5” tall, while he managed to play for 13 seasons in the league. He also averaged 14.6 points-per-game (PPG) over the course of his career and managed to reserve his best performances for clutch playoff matches.

Among the eight shortest players in NBA history, former Toronto Raptors point guard Markquis Nowell is the only active performer. Although he currently plies his trade for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the NBA’s developmental ‘G League’, the 5’8” Nowell still has a future in the competition having debuted as recently as 2023/24.

Tied with Nowell among the shortest NBA players of all-time is Memphis Grizzlies point guard Yuki Kawamura. However, Kawamura remains active in the NBA, boasting a field goal percentage of 36.4% and a 3-point field goal percentage of 25.0% during his rookie 2024/25 season to date. So, despite being one of the shortest NBA players, the 23-year-old remains a highly promising prospect.

From the Shortest Players in NBA History to the Tallest – Introducing the Giants of the Sport

While the shortest NBA players of all-time measure well under six-feet, the league’s tallest ever player stood at a staggering 7’7”. Gheorghe Muresan enjoyed six seasons in the NBA with Washington and New Jersey between 1993 and 2000, playing 307 matches in total and averaging 9.8 PPG overall.

Unlike the best short basketball players, giants like Muresan regularly operate at center, where they can leverage their height to register blocks and rebounds. But who were the tallest players in the NBA at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign? Here’s our analysis of the top five!

Victor Wembanyama – The 2024 Rookie of the Year and 7’3” Superstar

Not only is Victor Wembanyama the reigning ‘Rookie of the Year’ and a true generational talent, but he also stands as the tallest current NBA player at 7’3”. Just 21 years old, the French-born center now players for the San Antonio Spurs, having been the selected as the first pick in the opening round of the 2023 draft.

The towering Wembanyama certainly enjoyed a stellar debut campaign, averaging an eye-catching 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.6 blocks across 71 regular season starts. He broke numerous records during the campaign too, becoming just the third teenager in history (after LeBron James and Kevin Durant) to put up at least 35 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks in a game. He achieved this during a 132–121 win over the Phoenix Suns in November.

He has continued to fare well in 2024/25, despite his season being cut short after a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Prior to being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign, he was averaging an improved 24.3 PPG, while he continued to leverage his height to produce 3.7 assists and 3.8 blocks across 46 matches.

Zach Edey – Becoming One of the Best-Performing Rookies in 2024/25

While some estimates suggest that Edey is the tallest NBA player at 7’4”, he’s officially measured as the same height as fellow prospect Wembanyama. The 2024/25 campaign has seen the 22-year-old center Edey launch his rookie NBA season, after the Memphis Grizzlies picked him in the first round of the summer draft (he was the ninth pick overall).

However, his debut for the Grizzlies was one of the worst on record. Starting in a narrow 126-124 win over the Jazz, Edey played for just 15 minutes before being ejected for persistent fouling. This made him the first NBA rookie to foul out in 15 minutes or less during their debut match.

The good news is that he has recovered to be one of the best performing rookies in the NBA this season. To this end, he’s averaging 9.2 points-per-game in 2024/25 so far, with only four rookies performing better according to this metric. He also leads the way with eight ‘double doubles’, most commonly combining points and rebounds.

Overall, he’s also converting 14.6% of his offensive rebounds. This is the second highest tally in the NBA this season, behind both Donovan Clingan and Kevon Looney (who are tied on 15.1%).

Kristaps Porzingis – The Giant at the Heart of Boston Celtic’s 2024 Championship Run

Next on our list is 7’2” center and power forward Kristaps Porzingis. The 29-year-old starred in the Boston Celtic’s NBA Championship run last year, averaging 20.1 PPG, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.9 blocks during regular season matches. He then competed in seven playoff and postseason games, averaging 12.3 points-per-game as Boston lifted the NBA crown.

Although he averages 19.7 PPG across 459 NBA career outings, he has scored more than 20.0 points-per-game in six of his last seven seasons for Boston, Washington and Dallas. Since making his NBA debut for New York in 2015, Porzingis has averaged 7.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists across an incredibly consistent career, while his towering frame has also enabled him to produce 1.8 blocks per game.

Unfortunately, Porzingis suffered a serious leg injury during last year’s NBA Championship finals, undergoing surgery in June. While he missed the first month of the 2024/25 regular season, however, he returned to action slightly ahead of schedule in November. Facing off against the LA Clippers in his comeback match, he notched 16 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a resounding 126-94 victory.

Bol Bol – Not a Regular Starter, but One of the NBA’s Leading Impact Players

Commonly referred to as ‘Bol Bol’, this Sudan-born center also measures 7’2” and is one of the tallest players in the NBA. He’s also the son of Manute Bol, who was even taller at 7’7” and enjoyed a stellar career in the NBA. Manute Bol was considered to be among the best shot-blockers in the league’s history, and is the only NBA player to retire with more career blocks than points scored!

His son has now completed five seasons in the NBA having debuted in 2019, representing Denver, Orlando and most recently the Phoenix Suns. However, he has never been a regular starter in the league, with 131 of his 166 NBA appearances coming from the bench.Incredibly, he has averaged just 13.9 minutes-per-game across the entirety of his career.

Last season, his MPG average fell slightly to 10.9, but he still managed to score 5.2 PPG and produce 3.2 rebounds. Overall, Bol averages 6.0 PPG despite his limited playing time, highlighting his immense focus and ability as an impact player. He also averages 3.6 rebounds-per-game during his NBA career, with his height helping him to dominate on-court from this perspective.

Donovan Clingan – A Towering NBA Rookie Averaging 6.7 Rebounds in 2024/25

Last, but not least, we come to Donovan Clingan. Another NBA rookie enjoying his debut season, Clingan measures 7’2” and currently plies his trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, choosing the number 32 as his jersey number before signing on July 4th.

Clingan made his NBA debut on October 23rd, during an unfortunate 140-104 defeat to the Golden State Warriors. Despite being just 21 years old, he has managed to feature in 43 regular season games (winning 18 of these). He’s also averaging 16.4 minutes-per-game across the campaign so far, alongside a respectable 5.7 PPG.

Among fellow rookies in 2024/25, he currently ranks 3rd in terms of rebounds in the NBA. In fact, he’s averaging 6.7 rebounds so far, alongside 1.6 blocks and 0.7 assists. Clingan his also producing 2.7 offensive rebounds per game this season, narrowly trailing behind Yves Missi (3.5) and the aforementioned Edey (3.3).

The Last Word

As you can see, there’s room for both short players and towering giants in the NBA. Of course, short basketball players NBA requirements are different to taller competitors, with the former typically operating as point guards whereas the latter play primarily as either centers or power forwards.

It’s interesting that two of the five current tallest NBA players are rookies, while Victor Wembanyama (who measures 7’3”) is only enjoying his second competitive season. A total of 36 current NBA players measure 7-feet or taller, including the league’s second highest earner Joel Embiid!