Shortest NBA Centers of All-Time

While many of us associate NBA centers as these big, large, towering figures, standing in at over 7-feet and formidable in both height and strength, that is not always the case. In fact, some of the shortest players in the NBA were also some of the best centers.

And while, overall, most NBA centers are taller than their counterparts, there have been a number of players to play the center position who were on the shorter side.

And while height can definitely play a role and assist in the center position, these players proved that height isn’t the only factor to being a successful center.

Below, we are going to review the shortest NBA centers of all-time. These players, while still taller than the average human, were significantly shorter than the towering 7′ figures were all so used to seeing playing the position.

Chuck Hayes

Chuck Hayes is a retired NBA player and former player development coach for the Denver Nuggets. Born on June 11, 1983, he attended the University of Kentucky for his college basketball career.

However, although Hayes had a relatively good college career, he went undrafted in the 2005 NBA draft but was signed by the Houston Rockets prior to the start of the 2005-06 NBA season.

Although Hayes played several preseason games, he was cut by the Rockets and selected sixth in the 2005 NBA Development League Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, leading the NBA D-League in rebounds with 12.2 per game.

As luck would have it, Chuck Hayes would sign a 10-day contract with the Houston Rockets due to injuries on the team. He would go on to sign a year extension and continue his NBA career with the Sacramento Kings, the Toronto Raptors, and retire back with the Rockets.

Standing in at just 6’6″, Chuck Hayes played a significant role for every team he played for. Ending his NBA career with a respectable 5.0 rebounds per game, he proved that you don’t need to be over 7-feet to make an impact as a center.

Ben Wallace

Ben Wallace, one of the Detroit Pistons big 3, was a formidable defensive player. Known for his aggressiveness and willingness to fight for every rebound, he gained a reputation as one of the toughest NBA players.

Standing in at 6’9″, Ben Wallace would win the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times.  And in his nine seasons with the Detroit Pistons, he would make two NBA Finals appearances and win a championship with the team in 2004.  The Pistons retired his jersey number in 2016 and he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Born to difficult circumstances, Ben Wallace is the only undrafted NBA player of all-time to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Kenneth Faried

Kenneth Faried played both the center and power forward positions in the NBA, albeit his relatively smaller stature, standing in at just 6’8″. However, nicknamed ‘The Manimal’ due to his hustle on the court, he would prove that height is just a number.

Having attended Morehead State University for four years, twice being named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, he would finish his collegiate career as the NCAA all-time leading rebounder with 1,673 rebounds and was selected 22nd overall in the 2011 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.

A solid NBA career, Faried finished his time in the NBA averaging 11.4 point and 8.1 rebounds per game.

Wes Unseld

We’re just a tad bit upset to not have included Wes Unseld in our list of the best NBA players with afros. And while Wes Unseld definitely had one of the best afros in the NBA, he was also one of the best shortest centers in the league at his time.

Standing at just 6’7″, Unseld spent his entire NBA career with the Baltimore/Capital/Washington Bullets. Unseld played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected with the second overall pick by the Bullets in the 1968 NBA draft.

He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player and NBA Rookie of the Year during his rookie season and joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player in NBA history to accomplish the feat.

Unseld would go on to win an NBA championship with the Bullets in 1978.

Averaging 10.8 points and an even 14 rebounds per game in his career, Unseld would average 18.2 rebounds per game in his rookie season, an incredible feat for sure.

Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw is probably most well-known for his time with the San Antonio Spurs, during which time he would win an NBA championship. Listed as standing in at 6’8″, Diaw typically played the power forward position.

However, due to injuries in the Phoenix Suns lineup, he played the center and the point guard positions, garnering the nickname 3D for his drive, dish, defend attitude.

And as a center, Diaw was a formidable player, putting up 18.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in the 2006 NBA playoffs.