The National Basketball Association, known as the NBA, considers height a critical aspect of playing basketball. People often search for the average NBA height by position.
Before answering this question, we have to admit that the NBA is a league consisting of only tall players.
Many other aspects should be considered necessary for the game, but the NBA decided to put height on the top of everything. However, you should know that there is no hard and fast rule for height.
Different positions demand different heights. So, asking the average NBA height by position is a valid question.
If you are a basketball fan or are considering getting into the association, the question intrigues you correctly. Let us discuss what different positions demand and what place in the NBA is right for you.
What Is the Average NBA Height Overall?
Typically, the average height NBA demands is six to seven feet. You can research thoroughly anywhere and will find this figure for NBA average height.
However, there is something you need to know. The NBA player height varies every season. With every coming season, the height of NBA players either decreases or increases from the previous one.
For elaboration, we can compare the average height of NBA players over the years.
In 1987, the average height was six feet seven inches. While, in 2000, the average height changed to become six feet and 6.93 inches. Furthermore, The average height varies with the fitness, weight of the player, skills, and strengths.
What Is the Average NBA Height by Position?
As stated before, the NBA allocates and asks for different heights for different positions. Steph Curry and Steve Nash being the point guards are the examples. As the height in the point guard position does not contribute much, Curry and Nash, the point guards, did not have to worry much.
Average Height in NBA at the Position of the Point Guard Position
Starting with the position of point guard, the average height of the NBA has been fluctuating since 1951.
In 1952, the average height of the point guard was six feet. Despite having a handsome height, the players were regarded as the shortest players on the team. In 1987, the average height increased by three inches and became 6’3”.
So, what do we conclude from the analysis? As the point guards are the shortest players on the team and the average height hasn’t exceeded 6’3” since 1952, you can consider yourself in if you have this much height.
Since 1952, the tallest player who has played at the point guard position in the NBA is Ben Simmons, who is 6’11”. So, even if you are under 6’5”, you can still play as a point guard in the NBA.
Fun Fact: The shortest person in the NBA of all time was Muggsy Bogues, who was 5-foot-3. Wondering if he ever dunked? Click here.
Average Height in NBA at the Position of Shooting Guard
Moving towards the shooting guard position, we will again compare different average heights of NBA players in different seasons. The shooting guards are no taller than the point guards.
Again, this position does not ask for significantly tall players to play. Instead, any person with a height of six feet to six feet and five inches can serve as a shooting guard.
From 1951 to 1952, the average height of the shooting guard was 6’1.3”. By the end of 1979, the average height increased to be six feet and three inches. The average height has never been greater than six feet and five inches.
So, again, if you are wondering if you can get into the association with your six feet and four inches, you should give it a try.
Average Height in NBA at the Position of Small Forwards
Small forwards, unlike their name, are relatively taller than the players of the two positions we explained before.
The tallest player at this position was recorded to be six feet and eight inches. This record was made in 2014-15. The most recent record shows the player Simmons having a height of six feet and ten inches.
Interestingly, the average height of small forwards started as six feet and four inches in the 1960s. The average height decreased for a certain period.
But, again, in the current era of the NBA, the height is relatively greater than the previous period of the game. The analysis concludes that the average height of NBA players at small forwards positions has considerable heights.
Average Height in NBA at the Position of Power Forwards
If we talk about the recent century or era, the heights of power forwards are almost similar to small forwards. However, this was not always the case. Initially, the power forwards started as the players with height advantages.
Over time the strategies of these players as well as the heights altered. With the advancement of time, gaming abilities and skills improved. The plans that used to circle around post-ups and rebounds changed.
So, there has not been any notable increase in the height for seasons. The average NBA height of a player at the power forward position is 6’7” to 6’11”. The height has not gone through a lot of variation.
The position started with the height of 6’6” and went to 6’9.5” for maximum. As the height has not fluctuated above or below this, we devise a conclusion. A player with a height of 6’7” to 6’11 can serve as a good power forward in the NBA.
Average Height in NBA at the Position of the Centers
Here come the players with the tallest heights, the centers. There is no room for short players in this position in the NBA. You can get the idea by seeing the players reaching up the height of 7’5” in this position. This is where the average of this position lies.
The average height of the centers was never minute. Even in 1996, the average height was seven feet. At that time, it was the highest average height for the position of the centers.
If we talk about the most recent era of the NBA, the height revolves around 6’9” to 7’0”. If you feel like you are tall enough, you can give the position a go.
In contrast to height, there has been a significant upgrade if we talk about weight. The weight on average rose from 1996 to 2014 and reached the point of 229 pounds.
If we go even before the nineties, the average height in the fifties was 6’8”. This shows that average height is increasing over time.
Today, Gheorghe Muresan, Manute Bol, Boban Marjanovic, Yao Ming, and Shawn Bradley are some of the tallest players in the NBA at the centers’ positions. All of these players have a height over seven feet.
How Do the NBA Players Get Tall?
You can find multiple reasons giving you hints about the height of NBA players.
Genetics
Genetics plays a role here. Players with the greatest heights produce offspring with handsome measurements. These children make it to the league based on their heights, and the process continues. The cycle is one of the significant reasons why the NBA has the tallest people as their players.
Bol Bol is a live example of the above-explained process. Bol Bol, son of Manute, got the chance to succeed because of his father’s hard work in this field. Inherited from his father, Bol Bol was seven feet, making him a well-known player in the NBA.
Search for Tallest People
According to the research, approximately seventeen percent of the tallest men play in the NBA.
Another reason for having the tallest people as NBA players is the association’s quest work. The NBA tries hard to expand globally. Every year the NBA markets its association well enough to get the players from all over the globe.
Related: Does Playing Basketball Make You Taller?
General Changes in Average Height of NBA
Since the basketball league began, players’ average heights and weights have been fluctuating without any particular pattern. However, one consistent thing is the significant improvement in players’ physique.
Today, the NBA has the world’s tallest people as its players. According to the NBA, people with tall heights are more likely to win and beat their rivals. Keeping the notion in mind, the NBA continues searching for the tallest players.
Players in the NBA have a habit of eating the healthiest diets. This, coupled with good exercise, are considered critical aspects for building the athletic bodies of players.
Can Shorter People Succeed In the NBA?
One point that is quite clear is the considerable height of the NBA players. The average height of the players in the NBA overall is not less than six feet.
The average height figure shows that the NBA does not leave a big room for people under six feet. Although there have been quite some complaints that the NBA does not care about the basketball IQ and skills of a person and focuses on height, it is not quite the case.
The NBA lets its players grow in healthy circumstances. Although the tall players succeed without heavy training, the NBA makes everyone go through specific exercises daily.
One thing that can make you achieve a good place in the NBA is your motivation. We can still find examples of people becoming successful in the NBA with a height under six feet.
If you are enthusiastic enough to win at the NBA, you can earn some extra inches. Other than this, a daily dose of exercise, a good meal, along with some workout, would do good for you.
You might also like: Can Short People Play Basketball?
Final Thoughts About Average NBA Height by Position
Different positions in the NBA have different average heights. It is because all the positions have distinct height demands.
Point guards and shooting guards do not need tall heights to do their tasks. These players can successfully win even if they have heights of less than seven feet.
For the players at the centers, height plays the most prominent role. Unlike other players, these players have the highest averages in the NBA.
So, it is apparent that there is no specific digit to answer the average NBA height by position. Therefore, if you find yourself in any of these ranges regarding height, you should consider applying for the NBA!
Related: Who is the Shortest NBA Player to Dunk a Basketball?
