Who is the shortest NBA player right now and of all time?

As Lord Varys told Tyrion Lannister in “Game of Thrones,” “A very small man can cast a very large shadow.”

The adage applied in Westeros, and it has also wrung true in the NBA. Going up against some of the tallest people on the planet, short players have cemented a legacy in the league.

Calvin Murphy is the shortest player in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame at 5-foot-9. Allen Iverson, who is 6-foot even, is the shortest player to be named league MVP. Isiah Thomas led the Detroit Pistons to back-to-back NBA titles at 6-foot-1, while the 5-foot-9 Isaiah Thomas took the league by storm in 2016-17 with the Boston Celtics, earning his “King in the Fourth” moniker and placing fifth in the MVP race.

A few small players have become some of the NBA’s most famous high-flyers. Nate Robinson won three NBA Dunk Contests -- and jumped over Dwight Howard -- at 5-foot-9. Spud Webb is remembered as one of the game’s shortest players and most electrifying dunkers. He took home the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest title at 5-foot-6 and played 12 NBA seasons. Only two players in NBA history have measured shorter than Webb.

Here’s a look at the shortest players in the league all-time and the present day.

Who is the shortest NBA player ever?

There have been nine players in NBA history who stood at 5-foot-7 or shorter, led by the 5-foot-3 Muggsy Bogues.

1. Muggsy Bogues, 1987-2001: 5-foot-3

2. Earl Boykins, 1998-2012: 5-foot-5

T-3. Spud Webb, 1985-1996, 1997-1998: 5-foot-6

T-3: Mel Hirsh, 1946: 5-foot-6

T-5. Greg Grant, 1989-1996: 5-foot-7

T-5: Keith Jennings, 1992-1995: 5-foot-7

T-5: Herm “Red” Klotz, 1948: 5-foot-7

T-5: Wat Misaka, 1948: 5-foot-7

T-5: Monte Towe, 1975-77: 5-foot-7 

Bogues’ height was put into a mind-blowing perspective in a famous photo with teammate Manute Bol, who shares the title of tallest player in league history with Gheorghe Muresan at 7-foot-7.

Hirsh played just 13 games for the Celtics early in the 1946-47 season and held the title of shortest NBA player ever for almost 40 years until Bogues was drafted by the Washington Bullets with the 12th overall pick in 1987.

Wisaka made history in 1948 by breaking basketball’s color barrier, becoming the first non-white player in the NBA (then known as the Basketball Association of America). He played three BAA games and scored seven career points.

Who is the shortest player in the NBA right now?

Memphis Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura holds the title of the shortest player in the NBA right now. The 5-foot-8 rookie from Japan made his NBA debut on Oct. 25 against the Houston Rockets, scored his first NBA points against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 6 and scored his first NBA basket against the Washington Wizards on Nov. 8.

The 23-year-old brought "Yukimania" to Portland in a blowout victory over the Trail Blazers on Nov. 10.

Kawamura is the only player on an active NBA roster who is below 6-foot.

Shortest player on each NBA team

There are team leaders across the league who also stand the shortest on their squads. Trae Young, Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry are among the marquee players with the smallest heights on their teams.

Here is a list of each team’s shortest player according to their listed heights on NBA.com:

• Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young – 6-foot-1
• Boston Celtics: Payton Pritchard and JD Davison – 6-foot-1
• Brooklyn Nets: Dennis Schroder – 6-foot-1
• Charlotte Hornets: KJ Simpson– 6-foot-0
• Chicago Bulls: Jevon Carter – 6-foot-1
• Cleveland Cavaliers: Darius Garland and Craig Porter Jr. – 6-foot-1
• Dallas Mavericks: Brandon Williams – 6-foot-1
• Denver Nuggets: Jamal Murray, Russell Westbrook and Trey Alexander – 6-foot-4
• Detroit Pistons: Marcus Sasser – 6-foot-2
• Golden State Warriors: Steph Curry and Gary Payton II – 6-foot-2
• Houston Rockets: Fred VanVleet and Aaron Holiday – 6-foot-0
• Indiana Pacers: T.J. McConnell – 6-foot-1
• Los Angeles Clippers: Bones Hyland – 6-foot-2
• Los Angeles Lakers: Bronny James and Gabe Vincent – 6-foot-2
• Memphis Grizzlies: Yuki Kawamura – 5-foot-8
• Miami Heat: Terry Rozier – 6-foot-1
• Milwaukee Bucks: Damian Lillard – 6-foot-2
• Minnesota Timberwolves: Mike Conley – 6-foot-1
• New Orleans Pelicans: Jose Alvarado – 6-foot-0
• New York Knicks: Miles McBride – 6-foot-1
• Oklahoma City Thunder: Cason Wallace, Isaiah Joe and Adam Flagler – 6-foot-3
• Orlando Magic: Cole Anthony, Cory Joseph and Mac McClung – 6-foot-2
• Philadelphia 76ers: Kyle Lowry – 6-foot-0
• Phoenix Suns: Tyus Jones and Collin Gillespie – 6-foot-1
• Portland Trail Blazers: Anfernee Simons and Scoot Henderson – 6-foot-3
• Sacramento Kings: Jordan McLaughlin – 6-foot-0
• San Antonio Spurs: Chris Paul – 6-foot-0
• Toronto Raptors: Davion Mitchell – 6-foot-0
• Utah Jazz: Patty Mills – 6-foot-2
• Washington Wizards: Jared Butler – 6-foot-3

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article was published in September 2022.