NBA: Nate Robinson and the Greatest Players Under Six Feet Tall

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Throughout the NBA's history, there have been quite a few players under six feet tall.

Some have had very successful careers, and some were not so fortunate.

In that group of those better undersized players, some used skill and smarts to prosper, and other thrived with sheer athleticism. 

But, skill-set aside, here are the NBA's greatest players under six feet tall.

Honorable Mention: Ty Lawson, 5'11"

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

At just 23 years old, Ty Lawson is a very promising young player for the Nuggets.

But with just two seasons under his belt, Lawson fails to make this list. 

10. Brevin Knight, 5'10"

Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Brevin Knight never averaged more than 12.6 points or nine assists.

Although Brevin did get a fair share of starts in his career, I would qualify him as a pretty good backup.

9. Earl Boykins, 5'5"

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Despite his height, Earl Boykins is more of a scorer than a distributor.

The 2006-07 season was his best, scoring 14.6 ppg and dishing out 4.4 assists, while he split time between the Nuggets and the Bucks.

8. Nate Robinson, 5'9"

Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Nate Robinson is an energy guy who can come off the bench after sitting out 16 games and drop 41 points. But, he can also make some bone-headed mistakes and turn the ball over.

However, by far the most impressive part of Robinson's game is his incredible athleticism and his gravity-defying dunks.

This diminutive showman is the only player in NBA history to be a Slam Dunk Contest champion three times. 

7. Muggsy Bogues, 5'3"

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

At best, Muggsy Bogues was a 10 and 10 point guard. But at just 5'3", Muggsy definitely defied some odds throughout his NBA career.

6. Avery Johnson, 5'10"

Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Avery Johnson is and was a tenacious, fierce competitor. But he was also a smart player, as he became the head coach of the Mavericks just five months after retiring as a player.

In his prime, AJ was about a 12 and 9 point guard.

5. Damon Stoudamire, 5'10"

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Damon Stoudamire had an unusual career, as his best years were by far his first three.

Over those first three years, Stoudamire averaged 18.8 points and 8.8 assists.

Whereas for his career, Damon averaged just 13.4 points and 6.1 assists.

But still, good enough for sixth place on this list.

4. Terrell Brandon, 5'11"

Matthew Stockman/Getty Images

Early in his career, Terrell Brandon was a scorer for the Cavs, but later on became much more of a distributor for the T-Wolves.

His career numbers are pretty much comparable with those of Damon Stoudamire. 

3. Spud Webb, 5'6"

Mike Powell/Getty Images

Spud Webb, perhaps the most well-known player on this list, also happens to be the shortest player ever to win the Dunk Contest.

Although remembered as an Atlanta Hawk, Spud's best years came with Sacramento, where he averaged 14.7 points and 7.2 assists.

2. Michael Adams, 5'10"

Michael Adams didn't have a great career, but rather, had one incredible season with the Denver Nuggets.

In that season, Adams scored 26.5 ppg, dished out 10.5 assists, and averaged 2.2 steals per game.

That season alone is enough to buy Adams the second spot on this list.

1. Calvin Murphy, 5'9"

In his NBA career, all with the Rockets, Calvin Murphy averaged 17.9 ppg. His top scoring numbers came in the 1977-78 season, in which he scored 25.6 ppg.

But that's just in the NBA.

In his four years at Niagara University, Murphy dropped 33.1 ppg.

And in his freshman year, Murphy scored an insane 48.9 ppg.

Murphy was an All-Star just once in his career. But he is the greatest player under six feet tall in NBA history.