Average Height and Weight of NBA Forwards (Updated 2023)
I’ve been a collegiate sports performance coach for 20 years. One thing I always felt was effective was showing guys the heights and weights of players at their position in the NBA.
It helped give many players the extra motivation needed to gain weight when they were able to compare themselves to guys at the next level.
So, this is essentially the same research I would share with players, but now I’m sharing it with you. I took the active rosters for the 2022-2023 season, almost 500 players total and broke them down by position.
For this guide, I took an average of the heights and weights of the 151 forwards* across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest forwards as well. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random basketball knowledge.
*For these numbers I only used players listed specifically as a forward. In an attempt to keep this as simple as possible, I left out players listed as a forward-center or as a forward-guard.
Average Height of an NBA Basketball Forward
The average height of an NBA Basketball Forward is 79.65 inches (just over 6’7 1/2″ tall)
Average Weight of an NBA Basketball Forward
The average weight of an NBA Basketball Forward is 222.7 pounds.
Who Are The Tallest Forwards in the NBA?
There are three forwards listed at an incredible 7’0″ tall.
| Tallest Forwards in the NBA | |||
| Player | Height | Position | Team |
| Giannis Antekounmpo | 7’0″ | Forward | Bucks |
| John Butler Jr | 7’0″ | Forward | Trail Blazers |
| Aleksej Pokusevski | 7’0″ | Forward | Thunder |
FYI: Two of the tallest guys in the league, Kristaps Porzingis (7’3″) and Luke Kornet (7’2″) are listed as Forward-Center combos.
Who are the Shortest Forwards in the NBA?
There are 3 forwards listed at 6’4″, the shortest in the league.
| Shortest Forwards in the NBA | |||
| Player | Height | Position | Team |
| Malaki Branham | 6’4″ | Forward | Spurs |
| David Roddy | 6’4″ | Forward | Grizzlies |
| Terry Taylor | 6’4″ | Forward | Pacers |
Who are the Heaviest Forwards in the NBA?
For basketball fans, it’s probably not surprising to see Zion on this list, but he’s not the heaviest forward in the league. In total, there are 9 forwards listed at 250 pounds or more.
| Heaviest Forwards in the NBA | |||
| Player | Weight | Position | Team |
| Jae Crowder | 285 | Forward | Suns |
| Zion Williamson | 284 | Forward | Pelicans |
| Kenneth Lofton Jr | 275 | Forward | Grizzlies |
| David Roddy | 255 | Forward | Grizzlies |
| Bobby Portis | 250 | Forward | Bucks |
| Paolo Banchero | 250 | Forward | Magic |
| LeBron James | 250 | Forward | Lakers |
| Blake Griffin | 250 | Forward | Celtics |
| Ish Wainright | 250 | Forward | Suns |
Who are the Lightest Forwards in the NBA?
There are four guys listed at 185 pounds or less.
| Lightest Forwards in the NBA | |||
| Player | Weight | Position | Team |
| Malaki Branham | 180 | Forward | Spurs |
| Ousmane Dieng | 185 | Forward | Thunder |
| Jaden McDaniels | 185 | Forward | Timberwolves |
| Ziaire McDaniels | 185 | Forward | Grizzlies |
Final Thoughts
So, what did I learn?
The range of body types in the NBA is fascinating to me. The fact that you can have guys playing the same position (and roughly the same height by the way) and be 70, 80 – even 100 pounds apart is crazy.
On top of that, there are forwards that range from 6’4″ all the way to 7’0″ tall. That’s a HUGE difference!
I know that basketball matchups are fluid and just because two guys are listed as a forward doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll ever guard each other. But, that’s also part of the strategy of the sport that I love so much. Making the right substitutions and creating matchup advantages is such an underappreciated part of the sport.
Finally, I also broke down the average heights and weights of all NBA players by position as well if you want to check that out.
