The Top 17 Shortest Dunkers in the History of the NBA

The NBA has established a very strong fan base over the years due to the amazing performances and dunks by the players, and it does not seem like it will become less popular any time soon. But let’s be real, these players are giants, and they do not give any hope to those who are shorter. That’s why I’ve put together this list. For people like you/us.

An NBA player is normally at an average height of six-foot-seven. It makes it seem that anyone shorter than that does not stand a chance. That’s why I’ve done plenty of research and put together a list of the Top 17 Shortest Dunkers in the History of the NBA to give shorter guys like you and I hope that if they can dunk, we too can.

If you think your size matters after reading this article? Think again!

Here’s a list of players who are just above 6 foot tall or shorter that have turned out to be incredible jumpers.

Short dunkers 6 foot and above:

17. Robert Pack (6’2”)

Started his career in 1992, Robert John Pack John Jr. was a professional basketball player, and is now a professional basketball coach for the Washington Wizards. Up until he stopped playing in 2004, Pack was pretty well-known for sick in-game dunks. I mean the guy dunked on Shawn Kemp. That’s pretty dope.

16. Stephon Marbury (6’2”)

Marbury started his career in 1996 as a professional basketball player, and is currently a professional basketball coach for the Beijing Royal Fighters. He played in the NBA from 1996 to 2009, then started playing for the CBA from 2010 to 2018 until he eventually settled for coaching.

15. Fred Jones (6’2”)

Starting his career in 2002, Jones was not well-known until he won the NBA Slam Dunk contest in 2004, surpassing Jason Richardson in becoming the fourth shortest person to ever with the competition. Unfortunately, he never competed again after that. In 2009, he signed with the Italian team Pallacanestro Biella, then later on moved to play for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China in 2010 before he was let go in 2011. In 2015-2016, he decided to go back to Oregon to complete his education and become an assistant coach for the Oregon Ducks.

14. Dee Brown (6’1”)

Well-known for his “no-look” and Reebok Pump, Dee Brown is considered to be the 3^rd shortest basketball player to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He began his career in 1990, and retired after 12 seasons in the NBA in 2002 after playing for various teams including the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic.

13. Kevin Johnson (6’1”)

Known by his name KJ, Kevin Johnson is a former basketball player in the NBA who was well-known for his dunk that he pulled off at the Game 4 of the 1994 Western Conference Semifinals on one of the biggest men in NBA history Hakeem Olajuwon. He began his career in 1987 and ended it in 2000 to become the Mayor of Sacramento. Believe it or not.

12. Brandon Jennings (6’1”)

He may not have been able to join in the Slam Dunk contest this year as he’s currently suffering from an injury, but it’s needless to say that he can defiantly dunk and has worked hard to deserve being part of this list. I mean watch his sick dunk and how he shuts down the Melo center with his amazing dunk! He is a former basketball player who was part of 10 NBA seasons. He’s currently working full-time as a representative for Young Money.

11. Darrell Armstrong (6’1”)

He may forever be remembered for epically failing at the 1996 NBA Slam Dunk contest, but the guy sure knows how to dunk during games. Darrell Armstrong has played in the NBA for 14 seasons before retiring in 2008 and becoming an assistant coach for the professional NBA team Dallas Mavericks.

10. Jonny Flynn (6”)

He started his career in 2009 playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves until 2011. Flynn has only lasted three full seasons, with a mean of just 9 points and 3 participants per competition. It was one of the greatest flops in NBA history. Despite that, he has left behind some highlights of a couple of good dunks.

9. Jose Juan Barea (6”)

J. J. Barea is currently a professional NBA player for the  Dallas Mavericks, but his kickstart was back in 2001 for Indios de Mayagüez. He has been widely known for his power, speed and shooting three-pointers. He’s currently alternating between playing for the Dallas Mavericks and being a coach for the Indios de Mayagüez.

8. T. J. Ford (6”)

T.J. started his career in 2003 playing for the Milwaukee Bucks. Since then, he has played for many teams including the Toronto Raptors, Indiana Pacers and the Spurs. He has never been a great player, with an average of just over 11.2 points and 5.8 assists in the Association throughout his eight years of playing.

7. Chris Paul (6”)

Chris Paul will forever go down in history as a great NBA player. Possibly the greatest of all time since he started his basketball career in 2005. I mean just watch the video. Need I see more? Only downside is that he lacks dunking abilities, but he does have a history of a couple of good dunks when he played for the clippers. Currently he plays for Oklahoma City Thunder.

6. Allen Iverson (6”)

A.I. or “The Answer” began his career in 1996 playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s known for is badass moments and throwing the ball in at every chance he gets. The best example is this put-back dunk he pulled on Marcus Camby. Later on in his career he took his talent to Turkey in 2010 where was coaching the Beşiktaş.

Short dunkers Under 6 Foot:

5. Isaiah Thomas (5’9”)

Thomas began his career in 2011 playing for the Sacramento Kings. He’s currently playing for Washington Wizards, and he’s been incredible this season. Although he’s one of the few great players under six-foot, he has proven to be powerful by out winning opponents by 28.9 points per game. There are no signs of him dunking during the game, but it can be seen well during his warm ups.

4. Will Bynum (5’11)

Bynum began his career in 2005 by playing for the Roanoke Dazzle. Since then, he has made a great career for himself by throwing in some incredible dunks with his great vertical. As a short guy, it would be hard for him to jump over big guys, but that does not stop him from performing mind-blowing take-offs. He’s currently playing for Turkish professional basketball team Yeşilgiresun Belediye.

3. Ty Lawson (5’11)

Lawson got a head start for his career by playing for the Denver Nuggets from 2009 to 2015. He played for University of North Carolina for 3 years, but dropped in 2009 as he sustained an ankle injury. Later on, in the following years he was named one of the best NBA players that are under 6-foot.

Ty Lawson is a one-foot dunker, which is surprising considering that most players his height struggle at pulling one off.

2. Nate Robinson (5’9)

At five-foot-nine inches tall, Robinson has won the Slam Dunk contest 3 times in 2006, 2009 and 2010. He first began his basketball career in 2005 for the New York Knicks and continues to be on the team until 2010. He’s pretty much a beast for his size. Can you believe he was able to block and dunk over much bigger guys? I’m talking Dwight Howard (6’10) and Yao Ming. He’s currently playing for Homenetmen Beirut Basketball Club, located in Beirut.