When it comes to basketball, people often think of it as a sport that belongs to the giants. Most players are over 6 feet (1.83 m) tall. However, there are a few short players in the league who do not restrict their performances because of their lack of height.
Today, the Slam Dunk Jun will take you to take stock of the dwarf stars in the history of the NBA!
Aaron Iverson: 6'0" (1.83 m)
At 6 feet tall, Iverson is the star of the NBA's short players. The legend is known for his incredible speed, scoring, and fearlessness on the pitch.
Iverson was PG when he first entered the league, then switched to SG under Brown, and eventually returned to PG. Iverson proved that a 1.83m player can also be an unstoppable point guard.
On the field, he is a killer, and there is a kind of pride in his bones - Lao Tzu is the first in the world, no one obeys, it is to you! "The showdown with Kobe Bryant is 96 good stories. Iverson's character has always allowed him to maintain a strong fighting ability, a strong sense of competition has always stimulated his potential, so in the year of his establishment, he not only did not decline as critics say, but played the most wonderful season, his tenacity and indomitability is the symbol of Philadelphia, as long as Iverson is there, Philadelphia will not give up.
Iverson is the NBA leading scorer four times, the NBA steals king three times, the NBA All-Star Team 11 consecutive NBA All-Star Team members in 2000-10 and 2 NBA All-Star MVP, the NBA All-NBA First Team three times, the NBA All-NBA Second Team three times, and the NBA All-NBA All-Team Third Team in 2005-06. In the 2000–2001 season, Iverson played the best performance of his career and was elected MVP of the season.
On October 30, 2013, Iverson officially announced his retirement. His NBA career averaged 41.1 minutes per game, with 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 2.2 steals. On March 1, 2014, iverson's No. 3 jersey was retired in Philadelphia. On April 4, 2016, Iverson was officially inducted into the 2016 Nye Smith Basketball Hall of Fame.
Kemba Walker: 6'0" ( 1.83m )
Kemba Walker is another short, fast, point guard who excels at scoring, accustomed to having the ball in hand; can advance rhythm, is not good at ending offense, shoots with ups and downs; and is tireless on the defensive end and can grab rebounds.
Walker has been considered an incredible player since he played for the University of Connecticut Huskies. He led the team to victory in his junior year, leaving the University of Connecticut early to pursue the NBA, and signed with the Charlotte Bobcats in 2011.
He was the first rookie in that year's draft to sign a multi-year sneaker contract with Under Armour. Walker has played in 37 games for the Knicks this season, starting all of them, averaging 25.6 minutes per game, scoring 11.6 points, 3 boards, 3.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and shooting 36.7% from three-point range. At the moment, the two sides have reached an agreement that he will no longer play for the Knicks this season, and has now left the team to train alone in Charlotte and may return to the Hornets.
Terrell Brandon: 5'11" (1.80 m)
Terrell Brandon is not short to the average person, but he is small and delicate on the court. He was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 11th pick in the 1991 draft, but didn't get much playing time at first. A few years later, however, Brandon became the team's thigh.
The 1995–96 season was significant for Brandon as a starter, averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 assists per game. The star point guard was eventually traded to the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Minnesota Timberwolves. By the time he retired, Terrell was averaging 13.8 points and 6.1 assists per game.
John Lucas III: 5'11" (1.80 m)
I believe that the above picture, everyone must be familiar with it. James leap during the Heat john Lucas III completes the compartment. Coincidentally, Lucas III is now a member of the Lakers' coaching staff.
John Lucas III is the son of John Lucas II, the 1976 NBA draft winner. From the moment he first stepped onto the high school basketball court, he was destined to shine, even though he wasn't tall.
Lucas Jr. initially began his college career at Baylor University. However, due to the Baylor University basketball scandal in 2003, Lucas Jr. transferred to Oklahoma State University. Lucas is best known for hitting the winning goal against St. Joseph's University to help the Oklahoma State Cowboys reach the NCAA Final Four.
In 2005, after losing the NBA Draft, John Lucas III signed a contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves to play in the Summer League. The Timberwolves also signed Lucas to the training camp. But by the regular season, Lucas was part of the Houston Rockets. With the team full of injuries, the Rockets management signed Lucas and played two games before being laid off. Lucas's signing made him the first player in the NBDL Tulsa 66ers to be recalled by an NBA team. He went on to work with several NBA teams and overseas teams, eventually ending his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
JJ Barria: 5'10" (1.78 m)
Barria signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2006 and is the seventh Puerto Rican player to join the NBA. At less than 6 feet tall, Barria is one of Dallas' outside fire delivery points, the eighth-highest number of assists in team history, and is a member of Dallas' 2011 championship.
Although Barria does not have much advantage in height, his advantage lies in his determination, daring to fight in the game, especially at key moments, he will not be afraid to dare to shoot.
Because of its stable next set, James played his back, and won this mountain in Puerto Rico and swept the league.
Damon Stoudemire: 5'10" ( 1.78 m)
Damon Stoudemire was nicknamed "Little Flying Squirrel". He doesn't care who you are or how big you are, he just keeps slamming into you, he's an extremely difficult defender to deal with. Fast, agile, cunning and experienced. Jordan has said that he is one of the last opponents he wants to face.
In the rookie season, "Little Flying Squirrel" shocked the league, and what shocked the league even more was that the year was almost the peak of his career. He set a record for the most three-pointers for rookies in his first season with the Toronto Raptors.
He was a top scorer for three seasons in Toronto before being traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. At the peak of the Blazers' '90s, the Flying Squirrel was the team's core point guard, but by then he had degenerated into a 12+5 level point guard, and the victory contribution value in some games had even been negative, and it didn't make the team better. Still, he's still the best point guard in this inside draft.
Avery Johnson: 5'10" (1.78 m)
Avery Johnson, better known as the "Little General". He dominated college basketball, setting an NCAA record of averaging 13.3 assists per game. However, after graduating from Cameron University, the 1988 NBA draft didn't go well for him, with most teams not choosing him because of his height.
So, he started out on temporary contracts with multiple teams until a major breakthrough with the San Antonio Spurs in 1994. After winning the NBA championship in 1999, Johnson undoubtedly left his mark on the city and proved that his height could never stop him.
Kay Feld: 5'9" ( 1.75 m)
Some people may think that being below 5 feet 9 inches tall is a disadvantage in the NBA, but Kay Feld has used his height advantage in his successful career. Many college teams abandoned Felder because they all thought he was too short to play, but he ended up proving them wrong with practical actions.
In 2016, the NBA officially released the physical test data of the rookies participating in the NBA Draft Joint Training Camp, in which Kay Feld, who was only 1.75 meters tall, became the bounce king among the players participating in the joint trial with a 44-inch (111.76 cm) running bounce. He later signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016-17 season and was eventually traded to several other teams in the league.
In 2019, he began to play in China and now plays for the Shanxi men's basketball team. This season, with 10 assists per game, he became the CBA assist king.
Calvin Murphy: 5'9" (1.75 m)
Even at 5 feet 9, Calvin Murphy is a shooting machine who has spent his entire NBA career playing for the Houston Rockets. He truly dominated the court in 1977-78, when he averaged 25.6 points per game, making the Houstonians incredibly proud.
After retiring from the NBA in 1983, Murphy was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame that same year, where he spent an incredible 13 seasons. Calvin ended his career with an average of 17.9 points and 4.4 assists per game and proved to be an unstoppable point guard.
Calvin Murphy was like an ultra-lightweight boxer who bravely broke into the stage of heavyweights.
Nate Robinson: 5'9" (1.75 m)
Nate Robinson was selected by the New York Knicks with 21 overall picks in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft and has played for the Knicks, Celtics, Thunder, Warriors, Bulls and Nuggets three times in the NBA All-Star Dunk Contest.
Robinson is a slinger, and Superman's bouncing powers help him perform all sorts of bizarre maneuvers in the air. The offense is dominated by breakthroughs, and the outside line can suddenly cast cold arrows but the stability is not enough. The defensive attitude is positive, and the constant running and excellent bouncing make up for the lack of height.
Isaiah Thomas: 5'9" (1.75 m)
Thomas Jr. is known as the "Strongest 175 on the Surface". He belongs to the short and fast blocking type defender, the ball style is tough, can break through; with a three-point range, he has the ability to organize the offense, can handle the ball correctly, the defense is very hard, fearless confrontation. In addition, he can always make some correct choices on the field and can also transfer the ball. He can really affect the performance of the entire team, can break into the interior to tie the scoring responsibility together, and in terms of scoring efficiency, it is also a powerful endpoint on the offensive end.
Thomas, who was named to the NBA All-NBA Team in 2017, once joked about his height: "I'm a little guy... So unless you're a super basketball fan, you probably won't recognize me in town. ”
After 10 days of playing for the Lakers, Lone Rangers and Hornets this season, the Hornets officially signed Thomas Jr. to the end of the season yesterday!
Kung Fu pays off, and finally there is no need to wander!
Spert Webb: 5'7" ( 1.70 m)
Anthony Jerome Webber, better known as "Potato" Weber, although he was only 5 feet 7 inches tall, his dunks always impressed the audience. He had played on the high school basketball team, but no college interested him. But he was determined to be big, so he went to Play Basketball at Midland Junior College.
There he moved to North Carolina State after becoming a key player, where he signed with the Detroit Pistons in 1985, but they cut him shortly thereafter. Thankfully, the Hawks found him and signed him, eventually making his NBA debut at atlanta. Later, he won the dunk contest at the 1986 dunk contest, gave a big gift to his hometown fans, and became the shortest dunk champion in NBA history.
Earl Boykins: 5'5" (1.65 m)
As the league's second-shortest player, Earl Boykins struggled to gain a foothold on the court. When he played at Eastern Michigan University, he averaged 26.8 points per game, ranking second. He was initially unable to lock in a long-term NBA contract, so Boykins worked short-term until the Denver Nuggets signed him to a five-year contract in 2003-04. The 5-foot-5-inch defender was the shortest player in the league at the time, finishing seventh in the Season's Best Sixth Man selection. The offense is extremely fast, everywhere on the field, averaging 19.4 minutes per game but contributing 8.8 points to the team. It is a rare substitute who has the ability to change the course of the game after playing.
Boykins, who was predicted from an early age that there would be no tall men, overcame countless difficulties and setbacks in his basketball career and eventually became a winner.
Tini Boggs: 5'3" ( 1.60 m)
Tini Boggs, also known as "Buggy" Boggs, is the shortest player the NBA has ever had and one of the fastest players. Growing up, Boggs loved basketball, but because of his height, he always felt the need to prove himself. Apparently, his determination paid off when he played at Wake Forest.
Boggs was selected by the Washington Bullets (now the Washington Wizards) in the first round of the 1987 NBA Draft, joined the Hornets the following year, and quickly became a major force in the Hornets' backcourt due to his excellent assists. Point Guard Boggs played in the NBA from 1987 to 2001, playing for the Bullets (now wizards), Hornets, Warriors, Raptors and Mavericks, and he was one of the most popular players in The Hornets' history and widely loved by players in the league.
Those friends who love to watch movies should be no stranger to him, and the little man in the movie "Big Dunk in the Air" is him.
The diminutive Boggs was able to gain a foothold in the NBA because of his speed, defense and indomitable will. Basketball is a game in which both the enemy and the enemy check each other, and the result of a capper's restriction is that the shooter changes the shooting route, and Boggs restricts the opponent by changing the opponent's travel route by relying on the shadowy close defense. Boggs is one of the most threatening players in the NBA's defense.
Due to his short stature, Boggs dribbled with almost no one to break, and the fact that he made few mistakes made him the number one assist turnover than the NBA.
When a 1.60-meter tall, 64-kilogram boy has been in the NBA for 14 years, it's shock and greatness! Yes, Boggs is such a person.
Which diminutive players do you remember? The comments section tells us!
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