Basketball is a big man’s game. Or so the story goes. We’ve all seen the highlights of 7-footers looking down on the rim like it’s a middle school hoop, but honestly, some of the most electric basketball right now is coming from the guys who barely clear the average person's height at a grocery store. When you look at the shortest NBA players current rosters are carrying, you're not just looking at "small" athletes; you're looking at survivors. They’ve had to be twice as fast and three times as smart just to get a foot in the door.
Size is relative. In the NBA, standing 6 feet tall makes you a "tiny" guard. In the real world, you're just a normal guy who can probably reach the top shelf. But for the select few who are actually under that 6-foot mark, the air is a bit thinner and the mountain is much steeper.
The King of the Small Guards: Yuki Kawamura
Right now, the conversation about the shortest NBA players current fans are watching begins and ends with Yuki Kawamura. He's 5'8". Think about that for a second. In a league where the average height hovers around 6'6", Yuki is giving up nearly a foot of height to almost everyone he defends.
He’s currently on a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster for him lately. He was actually waived back in October 2024 because of a lower leg injury, which felt like a massive blow for the fan favorite. But the Bulls didn't give up on him. On January 6, 2026, they officially brought him back on another two-way deal.
Why? Because the kid is a wizard with the ball. He’s got that low center of gravity that makes him impossible to strip, and his passing vision is basically supernatural. He’s spent some time with the Windy City Bulls in the G League to get his rhythm back, but whenever he steps onto the United Center floor, the energy shifts. You can’t help but root for the guy who looks like he wandered onto the court from a local YMCA and then starts throwing no-look dimes like he’s Prime Steve Nash.
Life at 5’11”: The Ryan Nembhard Story
If Yuki is the extreme outlier, Ryan Nembhard is the guy holding it down for the "almost 6 feet" club. Standing at 5’11”, the Dallas Mavericks guard is technically one of the shortest players currently in the league. If you follow college ball, you know the name. He was an absolute floor general at Gonzaga and then Creighton, eventually leading the NCAA in assists in 2025.
Basketball runs in the blood, too. His brother, Andrew Nembhard, is busy carving out a solid career with the Indiana Pacers. But Ryan had to take the hard road. He went undrafted. Most teams looked at the 5’11” frame and the 175-pound build and saw a defensive liability. Dallas saw a guy who doesn't turn the ball over and knows how to run a pick-and-roll in his sleep.
Nembhard is proof that being "short" in the NBA often means you have to be the smartest person in the room. He can't jump over a defender, so he has to manipulate them with his eyes and his pace. It's a high-wire act every single night.
The 6-Foot Wall: Where Most "Short" Players Live
Once you hit the 6-foot mark, the list of players gets a lot longer. It’s sort of the unofficial cutoff for the modern NBA. If you’re 6 feet tall, you better be an elite shooter or a defensive pest.
Take Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s 6’0”, but he plays like he’s 6’8” and made of pure caffeine. He’s famous for his "Grand Theft Alvarado" move where he hides in the corner of the court and sneaks up behind unsuspecting point guards to poke the ball away. That’s the kind of creativity you need when you can’t contest shots at the rim.
Then you’ve got the vets who have survived for over a decade despite their stature:
- Chris Paul (6'0"): The "Point God" is the blueprint. He’s proof that if your mid-range jumper is automatic and your IQ is off the charts, height is just a number.
- Mike Conley (6'0"): Still a steady hand for the Timberwolves, using veteran savvy to stay effective.
- Kyle Lowry (6'0"): A master of the "dark arts" of basketball—taking charges, boxing out guys twice his size, and being a general nuisance.
- Fred VanVleet (6'0"): He famously "bet on himself" and it paid off with a massive contract and a championship ring.
What Happened to Markquis Nowell and Jacob Gilyard?
A lot of people searching for the shortest NBA players current lists are looking for the names they saw in the G League or on 10-day contracts last year. Markquis Nowell, the 5’7” legend from Kansas State, was a massive story for a minute. As of early 2026, he’s actually playing overseas for Baskonia in Spain. He’s still an unrestricted free agent in NBA terms, but the height barrier is tough to break for good.
Jacob Gilyard is another one. He’s 5’8” and holds the NCAA record for career steals. He had stints with the Grizzlies and the Nets, and even signed a training camp deal with the Cavs. Right now, he’s taking his talents to Italy, playing for Pallacanestro Cantù.
These guys are elite. They are among the top 1% of basketball players on the planet. But the NBA is a league of giants, and sometimes, even being a 5'8" superstar isn't quite enough to hold a permanent roster spot when a team can just draft a 6'5" guard with the same wingspan as a small airplane.
The Science of Being Small in a Big Man’s League
There’s a real tactical disadvantage to being short that these guys have to overcome. On defense, you’re a target. Teams will run "switch" actions specifically to get their biggest player matched up against Yuki Kawamura or Ryan Nembhard. It’s called "hunting."
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To survive, short players have to be elite at:
- Lateral Quickness: They have to stay in front of their man because they aren't going to block the shot if they get beat.
- The "Floater": A high-arcing shot that goes over the outstretched arms of a 7-foot center. If you don't have a floater, you don't have a career.
- Drawing Fouls: Using their size to get under the arms of defenders and get to the free-throw line.
It's exhausting. Every minute on the court is a battle of leverage. But it's also why fans love them. There’s something deeply relatable about watching a guy who is the same size as your cousin trying to score on Victor Wembanyama.
Why the "Short" Era Might Be Making a Comeback
For a while, the NBA went through a phase where everyone wanted "positionless" basketball—meaning everyone should be 6'7". But lately, the value of a pure, small, lightning-fast playmaker has returned. With the floor being so spaced out by three-point shooters, there’s more room for a guy like Yuki Kawamura to dart into the lane and cause chaos.
The "Shortest NBA players current" list might be small in number, but their impact is huge. They remind us that while you can't teach height, you also can't teach the kind of heart it takes to play among giants.
If you're looking to follow these players, keep an eye on the Chicago Bulls' box scores for Kawamura's minutes and watch how Dallas utilizes Nembhard as a backup floor general. The best way to understand the game is to watch the people who have to work the hardest to stay in it. Check out G League highlights for the Windy City Bulls or the Rio Grande Valley Vipers; that’s where the next generation of sub-6-footers is usually grinding for their chance. Watch the footwork. It’s the most important tool they have.