Best 6’0″ (and under) NBA Players of ALL TIME

Some of the best players in NBA history have been 6’0″ tall or shorter (i.e. approximately 1.83m or shorter).

While 6’0 is considered very short by NBA standards, the players on this list made up for their lack of height with tremendous skill, speed, IQ, and effort.

The list includes some all-time great scorers; assists leaders; All-NBA players; All-Defensive Team players; and NBA champions.

In order by seasons played, the eleven best 6 foot and under NBA players of ALL TIME are:

• Chris Paul*
• Kyle Lowry*
• Allen Iverson
• Tim Hardaway
• Calvin Murphy
• Mark Price
• Louie Dampier
• Kemba Walker
• Slater Martin
• Dick McGuire
• Isaiah Thomas*

(* indicates currently active player)

Read on for a detailed description of each player, list of other notable 6 foot and under players, and more. Let’s get started!

Chris Paul, PG (6’0″)

Chris Paul, a.k.a. “CP3“, is widely recognized as one of the best NBA point guards of all time.

He is best known for his high basketball IQ, elite playmaking skills, and ultra efficient mid-range shooting. He was also a great defender in his prime, leading the the league in steals per game six different seasons.

Paul has played a total of 19 NBA seasons (2005-present), for six teams (New Orleans, LA Clippers, Houston, OKC, Phoenix, Golden State). He averaged double figure scoring in 18 straight seasons, and a double-double (assists + points) in seven separate seasons.

Some of his other NBA achievements include: 11x All-NBA Team (4x First, 5x Second, 2x Third); 9x All-Defensive Team (7x First, 2x Second); 12x All-Star; 1x All-Star Game MVP; Rookie of the Year; All-Rookie First Team; 5x Assists Leader; 6x Steals Leader; and member of NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

CP3 also won two Olympic gold medals with Team USA (2008 – Beijing; 2012 – London).

The only thing missing from Paul’s impressive career is an NBA championship. He is currently 38 years old, and nearing the end of his career. It will be a pity if he can not win one, but he will still go down as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history.

All-Time Point Gods: Chris Paul is currently ranked 3rd all time in career assists and career steals. He is only behind other all-time greats John Stockton and Jason Kidd, who rank first and second in both categories.

Kyle Lowry, PG (6’0″)

Kyle Lowry has been one of the top NBA point guards of the past decade.

The stocky guard is a great all-around player that can score, pass, rebound, and defend at a top-tier level. His toughness and grit is what sets him above most other players.

Lowry is best known for his time with the Toronto Raptors, where he helped lead the team to multiple deep playoff runs, and won the franchise’s first and only championship. He averaged double-figure scoring every year with the Raptors, and holds multiple franchise records (assists, steals, 3-pointers).

Lowry has played a total of 18 NBA seasons so far (2006-2024), for five different teams (Memphis, Houston, Toronto, Miami, Philadelphia).

A list of his achievements includes: NBA champ; 6x All-Star; All-NBA Third Team.

He also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

❤️ Toronto loves Lowry: The city of Toronto loves Kyle Lowry so much that there is a street named after him, and also proclaimed April 3rd to be “Kyle Lowry Day“.

Allen Iverson, PG/SG (6’0″)

Allen Iverson, a.k.a. “AI“, a.k.a. “the Answer“, is one of the most electrifying guards ever, and one of the most culturally influential players of all time.

He is also the only MVP winner on this list, and also the only player on this list to lead the league in scoring.

Iverson was best known for his fearless playing style, unguardable crossovers, and innate scoring ability.

He played a total of 14 NBA seasons (1996-2011) for four different teams (Philadelphia, Denver, Detroit, Memphis).

Iverson is best remembered for his time on the Philadelphia 76ers, where he led the league in scoring four times, and won league MVP in 2000-2001.

A list of Iverson’s NBA achievements include: MVP; 7x All-NBA Team (3x First, 3x Second, 1x Third); 11x All-Star; 2x All-Star Game MVP; Rookie of the Year; All-Rookie First Team; 4x Scoring Champion; 3x Steals Leader; and member of NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.

Iverson averaged double-digit scoring every season of his career, including 12 straight seasons of over 20 points per game. He has incredible career averages of 26.7 points, 6.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.2 steals per game.

Best ankle breaker ever? Iverson has many highlight-worthy crossovers in his career. One of the best was this double-cross on Antonio Daniels … it may be the best ankle breaker of all time.

Tim Hardaway, PG (6’0″)

Tim Hardaway was one of the great point guards of the 90s.

He was best known for his “killer crossover” which made him one of the toughest players to guard off the dribble. He was also a great scorer, playmaker, and defender.

Hardaway played a total of 14 NBA seasons (1989–2003), for five different teams (Golden State, Miami, Dallas, Denver, Indiana). He is best remembered for his time on Golden State and Miami where he was multi-time All-Star and All-NBA player.

A list of Hardaway’s NBA achievements include: 5x All-Star; 5x All-NBA (1x First, 3x Second, 1x Third); All-Rookie First Team.

He averaged double-figure scoring for 12 straight seasons, including five seasons of over 20 points per game. He has impressive career averages of 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.

Hardaway also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

His son, Tim Hardaway Jr., is currently a guard for the Dallas Mavericks.

UTEP Two-Step: Before Iverson (listed above), Hardaway was the original crossover king. His signature killer cross was dubbed the “UTEP Two-Step”. Check out his highlights!

Calvin Murphy, PG (5’9″)

Calvin Murphy was one of the top NBA guards of the 70s. He is also the shortest player on this list (tied with Isaiah Thomas).

He was a dynamic scorer, terrific shooter, and solid defensive player. He was one of the best players in Houston Rockets history, and held many franchise records before players like Hakeem Olajuwon and James Harden came along.

Murphy played a total of 13 NBA seasons (1970–1983), all for the San Diego/Houston Rockets.

A list of his NBA achievements include: 1x All-Star; All-Rookie First Team.

He averaged double-figure scoring every year of his career, including five seasons of 20 or more points per game. He has tremendous career averages of 17.9 points, 4.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.

Murphy also has the second highest free throw percentage in a season of all time (95.8% in 1980–81).

Mark Price, PG (6’0″)

Mark Price is one of the greatest shooters of all time, and the only player on this list that is part of the exclusive 50-40-90 club.

While best known for his accurate shooting ability, Price was also a solid all-around player, and had career averages of 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

Price played a total of 12 NBA seasons (1986-1998) for four teams (Cleveland, Washington, Golden State, Orlando). He is best remembered for his time in Cleveland, where he ranks in the franchise’s top 10 in for multiple career records (assists, points, 3-pointers, minutes, etc.).

A list of Price’s NBA achievements includes: 4x All-NBA Team (1x First, 3x Third); 4x All-Star; 2x Three-Point Contest Champion; and 1x member of 50-40-90 club.

In his career, Price averaged double figure scoring in 9 of his 12 seasons, eight seasons of over six assists per game, and shot over 90% from the free throw line six times.

He currently ranks 3rd all time for career free throw percentage (.9039).

Shooting Coach: After retiring, Price has worked as a shooting coach/consultant for various NBA teams including Memphis, Boston, Golden State, and Denver.

Louie Dampier, PG (6’0″)

Before Steph Curry, before Ray Allen, before Reggie Miller…there was Louie Dampier. He was the first great three-point shooter in ABA/NBA history.

Dampier is an often overlooked player, mainly because he played the majority (and prime) of his career in the ABA.

The 3-point shot was actually invented by the ABA, and Dampier was the first player to take full advantage of the extra point.

In the 1968-69 season, he hit a record 199 three pointers. This record would stand for an impressive 26 years, until it was finally broken in 1995 by John Starks.

Dampier played a total of 12 ABA/NBA seasons (1967-1979) for two teams — Kentucky Colonels (ABA), and the San Antonio Spurs.

Some of his ABA/NBA achievements include: ABA Champion; 4x All-ABA Second Team; 7x ABA All-Star; ABA-All-Rookie First Team; and member of ABA All-Time Team.

Dampier was not just a great outside shooter, but a terrific scorer. He averaged double figure scoring for nine straight seasons, including three straight seasons of over 20 points per game.

ABA Great: Dampier is the ABA’s all-time leader in points, three pointers, assists, games played, and minutes played!

Slater Martin, PG (5’10”)

Slater Martin was one of the top point guards in early NBA history. He was literally one of the first NBA stars, as he played during the inaugural NBA season of 1949-1950.

Martin was best known for his great defensive ability, and for winning multiple championships with the (Minneapolis) Lakers alongside all-time great George Mikan.

Martin played a total of 11 NBA seasons (1949-1960), all for three different teams — Minneapolis Lakers (now the LA Lakers), New York, and St. Louis (now the Atlanta Hawks).

A list of Martin’s NBA achievements include: 5x NBA champion; 5x All-NBA Second Team; 7x All-Star.

After retiring, Martin coached in college, as well as in the ABA.

Dick McGuire, PG (6’0″)

Dick McGuire, a.k.a. “Tricky Dick”, was another early star in NBA history. Similar to Slater Martin (above), McGuire also played during the inaugural NBA season 1949-1950.

McGuire was known for his playmaking skills, and was consistently one of the top assists man in the league throughout his career.

He played 11 seasons in the NBA (1949-1960), for two different teams (New York, Detroit).

Some of his achievements include: 1x All-NBA Second Team; 7x All-Star; 1x Assists Leader.

McGuire was a player-coach for Detroit during his last season, and continued coaching in the NBA after he retired. He won a championship in 1973 as an assistant coach with the Knicks.

Isaiah Thomas, PG (5’9″)

Isaiah Thomas is one of the greatest “little men” in recent memory. Standing at just 5’9″ (approximately 1.75m), he is also the shortest player on this list (tied with Calvin Murphy).

Thomas’ peak (2015-2017) was relatively short lived (no pun intended) due to major injuries, but it was absolutely incredible. In 2016-2017, he averaged 28.9 points (3rd best in the league), and 6 assists per game, while shooting 46.3% from the field and over 90% from the free throw line. He even finished 5th in MVP voting that season.

On this list, only Allen Iverson has better single season scoring average than Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas has played in a total of 12 NBA seasons so far (2011-2022, 2023-2024) for 10 (!!) different teams (Sacramento, Phoenix, Boston, Cleveland, LA Lakers, Denver, Washington, New Orleans, Dallas, Charlotte).

Some of his achievements include: 1x All-NBA Second Team; 2x All-Star; All-Rookie Second Team.

Unfortunately, Thomas’ career took a nosedive after multiple hip surgeries over a few years (2017-2020), and no team wanted to take a chance on an injured, short, 30-year old point guard.

Thomas is still technically an active NBA player. It would be great to see a successful comeback story, though it seems his career may be winding down soon.

4th Quarter King: In his prime, Isaiah Thomas was one of the most clutch players in the league. He still has the NBA single-game record for most points in the 4th with 29. He did this in a narrow 3 point win over Miami in 2016. Check the highlights!

Best Current 6’0″ and under NBA Players

There are currently 11 players in the NBA that are listed at 6’0″ or shorter. The best current players are:

• Chris Paul
• Mike Conley
• Fred VanVleet

👉 Click here for a complete list of all 6’0 and under players currently in the NBA

Some Other Notable 6’0″ and under NBA Players

Besides the all-time greats and current stars listed above, there have been plenty of other notable 6’0″ or shorter players in NBA history.

The list below includes some hall-of-famers, All-Stars, All-NBA, champions, and more. Some of these players should arguably be on the all-time list above.

In order by seasons played, some other notable former/current 6’0″ and under players include:

• Calvin Murphy
• Earl Boykins
• Muggsy Bogues
• Kenny Anderson
• Darrell Armstrong
• J.J. Barea
• Jameer Nelson
• Spud Webb
• Damon Stoudamire
• Greg Anthony
• Nate Robinson
• Terrell Brandon
• Bobby Wanzer

Don’t agree with my choices? Did I miss any of your favorite players?

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Other All-Time Players by Height

Check out these lists of other all-time great NBA players by height (i.e. 6’9, 6’10, etc.)

Summary

Who is your favorite 6’0″ or under NBA player of all time? Favorite current 6’0 player?

Did I miss any notable players on this list?

Let me know in the comments below!