5. Greg Grant – 5’7”
Like many of his vertically challenged NBA counterparts, 5’7” Greg Grant made up for his lack of height through sheer skill and energy. Jim Lynam, manager of the Philadelphia 76ers, put it this way: “He’s a spark plug, a guy who can come off the bench and get the crowd involved and change the flow of it.”
Drafted in 1989, Grant spent a year with the Phoenix Suns before signing with the New York Knicks as a free agent in 1990. In December 1991, he joined the Philadelphia 76ers as point guard, playing for them until 1993, before signing with the Orlando Magic in 1994. Describing his time with the 76ers, Grant said that Lynam gave him the chance he’d “always wanted” and that it was a boost to his confidence. After his career, Grant started running a sports academy in his hometown of Trenton, New Jersey. In 2009, he published94 Feet and Rising: The Journey of Greg Grant to the NBA and Beyond, which details his unlikely route to the NBA.
4. Anthony “Spud” Webb – 5’7”
Like the previous five players on this list, Anthony “Spud” Webb is only 5’7” tall – but like those five other players, he didn’t let this get in the way of his professional basketball career. Astonishingly, the point guard played 814 games in the NBA, managing to average 9.9 points a game. He first garnered national attention thanks to his brilliant performance for the Midland College Chaparrals in the 1982 junior college championship, which resulted in a 93-88 win for Midland. In 1983, North Carolina State University (NCSU) offered Webb a scholarship, and he is remembered at NCSU as a “satellite who could practically leap into orbit.”
In 1985, Webb signed with the Atlanta Hawks, and he went on to play with the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Orlando Magic. Webb is well remembered for winning the 1986 NBA slam-dunk contest – the shortest player ever to do so.
3. Melvin Hirsch – 5’6”
Although not much is known about point guard Melvin “Mel” Hirsch, what is certain is that, at 5’6”, he is the third shortest player in the history of the NBA. Hirsch was born in New York in 1921, and in the early 1940s he attended Brooklyn College, NY, where he played on the basketball team. After a loss to Manhattan College in the last game of the 1941 season, The New York Times wrote, “If Brooklyn had two or three more Mel Hirschs, the outcome might have been different, for Hirsch… was all over the floor, sneaking in for rebounds and intercepting an occasional pass.”
In 1946, Hirsch joined the Boston Celtics in the NBA – then still called the Basketball Association of America. Although the Celtics missed the playoffs, Hirsch played 13 games and scored 19 points for his team. Pictured above is Boston Garden, which was the home arena of the Celtics at the time when Hirsch was playing.
2. Earl Boykins – 5’5”
Earl Boykins started playing basketball when he was very young; in fact, he was so little that he had to learn to dribble with a tennis ball. Until he was three, he snuck into games in his father’s gym bag. Boykins is only 5’5” and weighs in at 133 pounds, yet according to his NBA bio he can bench press 315 pounds – nearly two and a half times his own weight.
From 1994 to 1998, Boykins attended Eastern Michigan University, signing up with the Eagles basketball team, through which he became the second-leading scorer in the nation. The guard soon stood out for his uncanny court sense, his speed, his ball handling, and his shooting and passing skills. After college, he wasn’t drafted by an NBA team but still made his mark on the game through short-term contracts. In 2008, he even spent a season with Virtus Bologna in the Italian A League. But he was signed to the NBA’s Washington Wizards in 2009 and went on to play with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Houston Rockets in the following years.
1. Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues – 5’3”
Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues got his nickname from neighborhood players when he was growing up in Baltimore, Maryland. He was so good at defense that they claimed he was “mugging” them. At 5’3”, Bogues is the shortest player in the history of the NBA. He’s had to prove himself every single day and show the world that he can stand next to giants as an equal. “What drives him is when people say he can’t do something because he’s too short. He thinks to himself, ‘Oh yeah?’ He’s been that way all his life,” explains his wife, Kim.
Bogues’ ex-teammate Larry Johnson said that the team fed “off his energy.” And Spud Webb remarked, “Muggsy is a spark on offense and a real pest on defense. There is no higher compliment.” Between 1983 and 1987, Bogues played basketball at Wake Forest University. After finishing college, he was drafted into the NBA and went on to play 14 seasons – most notably as guard for the Charlotte Hornets. Currently, he is the head coach for the United Faith Christian Academy basketball team.
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