With their 12th pick in the first rhythm of the1987 NBA draft , the Washington Bullets ( now the Wizards ) choseTyrone “ Muggsy ” Bogues , a Baltimore native hot off a four - yr life history at Wake Forest University . Bogues was a lightning - quick point guard known for his precision passes and penchant for darting through narrow-minded defensive holes — a accomplishment not entirely unrelated to the fact that he was only 5 feet , 3 inches tall .
At that elevation , Bogues became the shortest NBA actor the league had ever seen , and nobody ’s broken his record since .
His stint with the Bullets only last a season , after which he was pick up by the newly formed Charlotte Hornets . Hespentabout a decennary there before moving on to the Golden State Warriors and lastly hit the sack with the Toronto Raptors after the 2000 - 2001 season . While in Washington , Bogues pose to share home court with fellow BulletManute Bol , whose 7 feet , 6 inches ( or7 feet , 7 inch , depending on the generator ) made him the tallest player in the NBA at the time .
But asSportscasting points out , Bogues is n’t just think of for his short height . No other player in Hornets history has clock more assists or steal ; many of his peers have sung his praises as a scrappy innovator who pushed teammates and competitors alike beyond their normal tactics .
“ All of us did whatever Muggsy read on the story , ” former Hornets mate Dell Curry said in aclipfrom an NBA TV special calledMuggsy : Always Believe . “ He was the full general . We trust him with the ball . ”
There are wad of othershort playerswho’ve had successful careers in the league , too . Earl Boykins , at 5 foot , 5 inches , filtered through several teams in the early 2000s . And Spud Webb — just an in tall than Boykins — won the NBA Slam Dunk competition in 1986 . He also boasted the well barren throw percentage ( about 93 percent ) during the 1994 - 1995 time of year . The ‘ shortest NBA player ever ’ title , however , indisputably belongs to Muggsy Bogues .
