If you walk into a WNBA arena, the first thing you notice isn’t just the skill—it’s the scale. Everything looks bigger. The court feels slightly smaller because the humans occupying it are, on average, much taller than the general population. But there’s a weird misconception that every woman in the league is a 6-foot-5 giant. Honestly? That’s not even close to the truth.
The average height for WNBA players in 2026 is actually 6 feet 0.79 inches.
Think about that for a second. It's just a hair over six feet. While that is obviously much taller than the average American woman, who stands around 5-foot-4, it's not the "land of the giants" caricature people sometimes paint. In fact, if you’re 6 feet tall in the WNBA, you’re basically just... average. You're the middle of the pack. You're the baseline.
Why the Average Height for WNBA Players is Shifting
Basketball is evolving. We’ve moved past the era where you just put the tallest person under the rim and told them to stay there. Now, even the "bigs" are expected to run the floor, shoot from the perimeter, and defend out to the three-point line. This has created a ripple effect on roster construction.
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Interestingly, while the league average has ticked up slightly (about 0.1% since 2023), the way that height is distributed has changed. Guards are getting taller. Centers are staying massive. But the "middle" of the league—the small forwards and "tweeners"—is becoming more athletic and versatile rather than just taller.
Take a look at how the height breaks down by position:
- Centers: These are your true towers. The average height for a WNBA center is roughly 6 feet 4.92 inches.
- Forwards: Versatility is king here. Forwards average out at 6 feet 2.45 inches.
- Guards: This is where the "shorter" players live, though that's a relative term. The average guard is 5 feet 10.01 inches.
If you're looking at those numbers and thinking, "Wait, 5-foot-10 is a tall woman," you're right. But in a league where you have to defend someone like Brittney Griner or Kamilla Cardoso, 5-foot-10 can feel like being a toddler in a forest.
The Outliers: From 5-Foot-4 to 6-Foot-9
Averages are just math. The real soul of the league is in the outliers. You have players like Brittney Griner, who stands at 6-foot-9 and can dominate a game just by existing in the paint. Then you have the incoming talent like Kamilla Cardoso at 6-foot-7, who represents the new wave of mobile, high-IQ bigs.
But the WNBA isn't just for the sky-scrapers.
Some of the most impactful players in history have been well below the average height for WNBA players. Look at Crystal Dangerfield. She’s 5-foot-5. She won Rookie of the Year in 2020. Then there's Mai Yamamoto, a 5-foot-4 guard who proves that if you have the handle and the vision, height is just a number on a program.
There are currently over 50 players in the league under 6 feet tall. That’s nearly a third of the league. It tells you that while being tall is a massive advantage, it isn't a requirement. If you can shoot, if you can pass, and if you can defend, coaches will find a spot for you.
The "Big Guard" Revolution
Something cool is happening in scouting. We are seeing a massive influx of "jumbo" guards. Players who are 6-foot or 6-foot-1 but play the point. This is why the guard average has fluctuated. Coaches want the court vision that comes with being taller. If a point guard is 6 feet tall, they can see over the defense. They can make passes that a 5-foot-6 guard simply can't see.
Paige Bueckers and other recent stars have highlighted this trend. They have the height of a traditional forward but the skill set of a floor general. This "positionless" basketball is making the old height-by-position charts a little bit obsolete.
Does Height Actually Guarantee Success?
Sorta, but not really. Being 6-foot-5 gives you a higher floor, but it doesn't give you a higher ceiling.
There have been plenty of 6-foot-7 players who didn't last two seasons because they couldn't keep up with the pace. The WNBA is a fast league. If you're tall but slow, you're a liability. This is why you see the average height staying relatively stable around that 6-foot mark. Teams aren't just looking for height; they're looking for "functional height."
Functional height is the ability to use your length without sacrificing mobility. It’s why someone like Jonquel Jones (6-foot-6) is so dangerous. She has the height of a center but moves with the fluidity of a wing. That’s the "Goldilocks zone" for modern WNBA front offices.
Comparing the WNBA to the NBA
People always want to compare the two. In the NBA, the average height is around 6-foot-6 or 6-foot-7.
Mathematically, the 6-foot average in the WNBA is actually more impressive when you consider the global population. A 6-foot woman is in a much smaller percentile than a 6-foot-6 man. To put it simply: it is statistically "harder" to find a 6-foot-3 woman who can play professional basketball than it is to find a 6-foot-9 man.
This scarcity makes the talent in the WNBA even more concentrated. Because the league is smaller (only 12 teams compared to the NBA's 30), the competition for those spots is brutal. You don't get a roster spot just because you're tall. You have to be elite.
How to Use This Information
If you’re a young player or a fan trying to understand the game better, don't get hung up on the 6-foot-0.79-inch average. Instead, look at the roles.
- Identify your "Physical Peer": If you’re a 5-foot-8 guard, don't watch Brittney Griner film. Watch how players like Jordin Canada navigate screens and use their low center of gravity to blow past taller defenders.
- Focus on Wingspan: In the modern WNBA, wingspan is often more important than standing height. A 6-foot-1 player with a 6-foot-6 wingspan plays "bigger" than a 6-foot-3 player with short arms.
- Value the "Short" Advantages: Shorter players generally have better ball security because the ball has a shorter distance to travel from their hand to the floor. Use that.
The average height for WNBA players is a helpful benchmark, but the league’s diversity is its greatest strength. Whether you’re 5-foot-4 or 6-foot-9, the court is the same size, and the hoop is still ten feet high.
If you want to track how these physical metrics translate to on-court production, start by following the "Player Efficiency Rating" (PER) of the league's shortest versus tallest players. You’ll find that the gap in impact is much smaller than the gap in inches.