Charlie Criss, Willie Somerset and Patrick Don ‘Dino’ Martin
Height: 1.73 m
Charlie Criss played in the NBA from 1977 to 1985, representing the Atlanta Hawks, San Diego Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks. Criss averaged 8.5 points and 3.2 assists per game.
Somerset was an ABA star in the 1960s and even earned a spot in the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame for his performances. He spent one season in the NBA: in 1965/66, Willie played for the Baltimore Bullets, appearing in eight games, scoring 45 points and making nine assists.
Dino Martin did not technically play in the NBA, as it had not yet been officially established at the time of his career. Nevertheless, we have included him in the list (along with a few other guys below) because from 1946 to 1948 he played for the Providence Steamrollers in the Basketball Association of America, which was essentially the direct predecessor of the NBA.
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Keith Jennings, Greg Grant, Monty Taw, Wataru Misaka, Spud Webb, Red Klotz
Height: 1.70 m
In the 1991 draft, Keith Jennings was not selected by any team, but the following season he found himself with the Golden State Warriors, where he played until 1995. In total, he played 164 games in the NBA, averaging 6.6 points and 3.7 assists. Jennings then moved to Europe, where he played for Real Madrid and Fenerbahçe, among others. The last club in his career, which ended in 2004, was Strasbourg in France.
The Phoenix Suns selected Greg Grant in the 1989 draft and became the first of six clubs he played for in the NBA, never staying anywhere for more than a season. Grant played a total of 274 games there (averaging 2.8 points and 2.7 assists).
Monty Taw and Wataru Misaka did not leave a big mark on the Association. Taw played there for one season (1975/76 with Denver), and Misaka played three games in the BAA for the New York Knicks in 1947/48. Nevertheless, Wataru still managed to make history: he became the first basketball player of Asian descent to play in the strongest league on the planet.
Despite the fact that Red Klotz is one of the owners of a championship ring, even hardcore fans are unlikely to remember him. The fact is that in the 1947/48 season, when the Baltimore Bullets won the BAA, he played only 11 games for them, scoring 15 points. Either way, Klotz remains the shortest champion in the history of the Association.
Spud Webb and Mel Hirsch
Height: 1.68 m
While none of the previous players on the list ever came close to true stardom, the name Spud Webb resounded throughout the basketball world. In 1986, at 1.68 m, he managed to win the slam dunk contest during All-Star Weekend.
Webb’s first club was the Atlanta Hawks, where he ended up in 1985 and spent a total of seven seasons. Spud also played for the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic, where he ended his career in 1998. In total, Webb played 814 games in the NBA (averaging 9.9 points and 5.3 assists per game).
Mel Hirsch had a brief stint with Boston in the 1946-47 season, playing 13 games for the Celtics. For 42 years, he remained the shortest basketball player in the history of the Association.
Earl Boykins
Height: 1.65 metres
Like all the other members of the top ‘shorties’, Boykins played point guard. He was not selected in the NBA draft, but he signed five short-term contracts with various clubs before hitting the jackpot with Denver, which offered him a five-year, £13.7 million deal in 2003.