Part of the appeal of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is his diminutive stature. Against the giants who typically roam the courts of the NBA, Curry looks like an ordinary person. But he's far from it.
Curry stands 6' 2" which is five inches taller than the average height for men in the United States (5' 9"). Recognized as the greatest shooter to ever pick up a basketball, the NBA's all-time leader in three-point field goals changed the sport as teams copied the Warriors' championship blueprint built around lethal shotmaking and defensive versatility.
Skilled multitaskers are coveted more these days than the towering figures who used to dominate the league before this golden era of small ball triggered by the wondrous Curry.
What’s the Average Height of an NBA Player in 2025?
Entering the 2024–25 season, the average height of an NBA player was 78.54 inches—or 6' 7"—according to the league's roster survey.
The NBA lists 39 players who stand 7' or taller. Twelve players are 6' or shorter.
The current average height is in line with the league's median over the past four decades ranging between 6' 6" and 6' 7". However, the three-point revolution across basketball has put a premium on athletic talent across every position.
Historical Trends in NBA Player Heights
A 2024 study discovered height trends in the NBA that align with the league's analytics-driven shift to emphasize three-point shooting and fill lineups with smaller, quicker defenders to guard the three-point line.
In 2024, the average height of an NBA player was 6' 6.3", the shortest average of the previous 39 seasons. Also, 72% of the league was under 6' 9"—the highest percentage over the past 40 seasons.
While NBA point guards were the tallest they've ever been at 6' 2.4", the other four positions—shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center—were the shortest they've been since the early 1980s.
Still, the current NBA player would tower over those who played in the 1951–52 season, when the average height was only 6' 4.1".
How the Average Height Varies by Position
The only NBA player who embodies the league's average height (6' 7") and average weight (215 pounds) is Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson.
Robinson is more of an offensive player who provides three-point shooting, but he represents the type of talent that NBA general managers are looking to fill their rosters with—a 6' 7" wing player who can reliably make outside shots and seamlessly defend guards and forwards.
The average heights for the five traditional positions — point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward and center — increased 2–3 inches over the last 70 years entering this decade, but the era of three-point shooting and small ball have spawned more homogeneous tactics applied to the five players on the floor.
As a result, the number of positions have been cut to more generic designations. The average heights for guards (6' 4.4"), forwards (6' 8.33") and centers (6' 11.3") don't reflect the game's evolution, but the tasks required at each spot have changed.
No position has been impacted more than the center spot, which used to be the fulcrum of every NBA offense with hulking, dominating big men scoring inside at will. Now, coaches are content to deploy a 6' 7" or 6' 8" forward in the middle to rebound, defend perimeter scorers and create space offensively as a three-point threat.
The Tallest and Shortest Players in the NBA Today
The tallest and shortest players in the NBA are teammates.
At 7' 4", Memphis Grizzlies center Zach Edey is the tallest player in the league. The two-time John Wooden Award winner as the nation's top men's college basketball player at Purdue was drafted ninth overall by the Grizzlies in the 2024 NBA draft, and as a throwback to another era, the gargantuan Edey averaged 9.2 points and 8.3 rebounds in 66 games to earn all-rookie second-team honors.
At 5' 8", Grizzlies guard Yuki Kawamura is the shortest player on an NBA roster. The 23-year-old from Japan holds the title by some distance, standing four inches shorter than the group of six-footers who share the distinction of second shortest in the league.
Kawamura's performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics caught the attention of NBA scouts, and a strong preseason with Memphis earned him a two-way contract to play games for the Grizzlies and their team in the developmental G League. Flashy dribbling and passing has made Kawamura a fan favorite.
How Changing Styles Have Affected NBA Heights
The current era of basketball has erased position stereotypes. In some cases, the script has been completely flipped.
San Antonio Spurs forward/center Victor Wembanyama — the 7' 3" French phenomenon who was drafted No. 1 overall in 2023 as the most transcendent prospect since LeBron James — uniquely represents this period of position-less basketball.
Wembanyama has the ballhandling and passing skills of a point guard and the shooting ability of a wing forward. With his 8-foot wingspan and athleticism, he can be the most imposing defender on the planet.
The 21-year-old basketball unicorn was allowed to showcase all of these skills because of the way the game is played today, which is a far departure from how big men played when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Shaquille O'Neal were dominating the NBA.
In that era, Wembanyama would likely still be an incredible talent. However, he would not be the basketball marvel forged from the way the game is played today.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What’s the Average Height of an NBA Player in 2025?.
