Shortest NBA Players Right Now (2026-27)
The 25 shortest players on an NBA roster this season, ranked by listed height.
Updated Sep 1, 2026 · rosters as of the 2026-27 preseason
- Players
- 25
- Average height
- 6'0"
- Average age
- 25.5
- Teams represented
- 19 of 30
- Tallest
- Adam Flagler (6'1")
- Shortest
- Braden Smith (5'10")
- Oldest
- Dennis Schroder (32)
- Youngest
- Christian Anderson (20)
All 25 players on this list are listed at 6'1" or shorter, according to official NBA roster data. These are listed heights — the figures teams submit to the league — not measured heights from the combine or any other source.
Every player here plays guard. The range runs from 5'10" at the shortest, where Braden Smith of the Indiana Pacers sits alone, up to 6'1", which is where the majority of the list clusters. The 25 players are spread across 19 teams.
| # | Player | Team | Pos | Ht | Age | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Braden Smith
|
Indiana Pacers
|
G | 5'10" | 23 | Purdue |
| 2 |
Ryan Nembhard
|
Atlanta Hawks
|
G | 5'11" | 23 | Gonzaga |
| 3 |
Bruce Thornton
|
Houston Rockets
|
G | 6'0" | 22 | Ohio State |
| 4 |
Chucky Hepburn
|
Toronto Raptors
|
G | 6'0" | 23 | Louisville |
| 5 |
Davion Mitchell
|
Miami Heat
|
G | 6'0" | 27 | Baylor |
| 6 |
Duke Miles
|
Philadelphia 76ers
|
G | 6'0" | 24 | Vanderbilt |
| 7 |
Fred VanVleet
|
Houston Rockets
|
G | 6'0" | 32 | Wichita State |
| 8 |
Jahmir Young
|
Miami Heat
|
G | 6'0" | 25 | Maryland |
| 9 |
Jevon Carter
|
Orlando Magic
|
G | 6'0" | 30 | West Virginia |
| 10 |
Jordan McLaughlin
|
San Antonio Spurs
|
G | 6'0" | 30 | USC |
| 11 |
Jose Alvarado
|
New York Knicks
|
G | 6'0" | 28 | Georgia Tech |
| 12 |
LJ Cryer
|
Golden State Warriors
|
G | 6'0" | 24 | Houston |
| 13 |
Sharife Cooper
|
Washington Wizards
|
G | 6'0" | 25 | Auburn |
| 14 |
Tyson Etienne
|
Brooklyn Nets
|
G | 6'0" | 26 | Wichita State |
| 15 |
Tyus Jones
|
Denver Nuggets
|
G | 6'0" | 30 | Duke |
| 16 |
Adam Flagler
|
Sacramento Kings
|
G | 6'1" | 26 | Baylor |
| 17 |
Christian Anderson
|
Charlotte Hornets
|
G | 6'1" | 20 | Texas Tech |
| 18 |
Collin Gillespie
|
Phoenix Suns
|
G | 6'1" | 27 | Villanova |
| 19 |
Craig Porter Jr.
|
Cleveland Cavaliers
|
G | 6'1" | 26 | Wichita State |
| 20 |
Darius Garland
|
LA Clippers
|
G | 6'1" | 26 | Vanderbilt |
| 21 |
Dennis Schroder
|
Charlotte Hornets
|
G | 6'1" | 32 | None |
| 22 |
Ja'Kobi Gillespie
|
San Antonio Spurs
|
G | 6'1" | 22 | Tennessee |
| 23 |
Jamal Shead
|
Toronto Raptors
|
G | 6'1" | 24 | Houston |
| 24 |
Jase Richardson
|
Orlando Magic
|
G | 6'1" | 20 | Michigan State |
| 25 |
Javon Small
|
Memphis Grizzlies
|
G | 6'1" | 23 | West Virginia |
Click any column heading to sort. Players with no college listed came into the league from overseas or straight out of high school.
Who anchors the bottom of the list
Braden Smith, a guard born in Westfield, IN who played college ball at Purdue, is the shortest active NBA player on current rosters at 5'10". Ryan Nembhard of the Atlanta Hawks stands at 5'11" and is born in Aurora, ON, making him one of 2 players on this list not born in the United States. Dennis Schroder, born in Braunschweig, Germany, is the other. Schroder, at age 32, is also the oldest player on the list; Christian Anderson of the Charlotte Hornets, born in Atlanta, GA, is the youngest at 20.
College pipelines and team breakdown
Wichita State leads all colleges with 3 players on this list, followed by Baylor and Houston with 2 each. Charlotte and Houston each have 2 players represented, as does Miami — the rest are spread one to a team across the league. Georgia and Indiana are the most common birth states among players born in the US, with 5 and 4 players respectively.
What these players have in common
Every single player on this list is a guard — not one forward or center appears. That's not a coincidence; the NBA's smallest players have almost always been backcourt players. Ages range from 20 to 32, so this isn't purely a young-player phenomenon. The 25 players come from 19 different teams, meaning most rosters carry at most one player this short.