Great college basketball players truly come in all shapes and sizes. While the biggest players tend to grab headlines, it is time to shed some light on some of the smallest players ever to play college basketball.
The 7 Shortest Players To Ever Play College Basketball
1) Shawnta Darnell Rogers Jr., 5’2″
Standing at 5’2″, Shawnta Rogers Jr. is the smallest college basketball player in the history of Division I. A former member of the American East All-Defensive Team in 2021, Rogers was an incredibly scrappy player who made a great impact on the UMBC program.
He is proof that size doesn’t always matter in sports.
2) Shawnta Darnell Rogers Sr., 5’4″
At 5’4″, Shawnta Rogers Sr. became the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in 1999, which was also the same season that saw him lead the country in steals.
He would go on to play over a decade of professional basketball before being inducted into the George Washington Athletics Hall of Fame.
3) Spud Webb, 5’6″
The 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion is one of the greatest miniature players ever to play a sport.
Spud Webb averaged nearly 10.0 points per game throughout his 12-year NBA career.
5 foot 7 Spud Webb in the 1986 NBA Slam Dunk Contest pic.twitter.com/VR6sXjsTBj
— OldTimeHardball (@OleTimeHardball) March 18, 2025
Before that, he was drafted out of North Carolina State, where he played for legendary head coach Jim Valvano and averaged 10.4 points and 5.7 assists per game throughout his Wolfpack career.
4) Chris Lykes, 5’7″
Like many players on this list, Chris Lykes was a college transfer. Later in his college career, he went from Miami to Arkansas.
He averaged 15.0 points per game in 3 of 5 collegiate seasons before heading overseas to play professional basketball in Europe.
5) Markquis Nowell – 5’7″
A former All-Big 12 performer, Markquis Nowell did not let his size stop him one bit while he was at Kansas State.
The 2023 Bob Cousy Award winner holds the NCAA Tournament record for single-game assists (19) and ended up heading to the NBA to play for the Toronto Raptors.
6) Jacob Gilyard, 5’8″
Jacob Gilyard is the NCAA’s all-time Division I steals leader after a remarkable career at Richmond.
The Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year was one of the best defenders in America during his college days and eventually led the G League in assists in 2023.
7) Kendall Anthony, 5’8″
Continuing the trend of Richmond Spiders, Kendall Anthony was another great performer in the Atlantic 10 over a decade ago.
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He earned All-Atlantic 10 honors after averaging over 14.0 points per game throughout his solid college career. Anthony ended up becoming an Israeli National League champion.
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