Average Height and Weight of NBA Players

Average Height and Weight of NBA Players (By position 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 each position group across the league. In addition, just for fun, I listed the tallest, shortest, heaviest and lightest players as well regardless of position. Go ahead and impress someone today with your newfound random basketball knowledge.

Average Height of an NBA Basketball Player

The average height of an NBA Basketball Player is 78.59 inches (roughly 6’6 1/2″)

Height of NBA Players by Position 2023
NBA Average Height By Position
PositionHeight (in inches)Height (ft/inches)
Overall78.596’6 1/2″
Guard75.596’3 1/2″
Guard-Forward78.036’6″
Forward79.656’7 3/4″
Forward-Center81.876’9 3/4″
Center83.236’11 1/4″

Average Weight of an NBA Basketball Player

The average weight of an NBA Basketball Player is 216.52 pounds.

Weight of NBA Players by Position 2023
NBA Average Weight By Position
PositionWeight (in pounds)
Overall216.52
Guard198.87
Guard-Forward212.33
Forward222.70
Forward-Center240.67
Center251.30

Who Are The Tallest Players in the NBA?

There are over 35 players listed at 7’0″ or taller, but only 5 listed at 7’2″ or taller. Here are the current 5 tallest players in the league.

Tallest Players in the NBA
PlayerHeightPositionTeam
Boban Marjanovic7’4″CenterRockets
Kristaps Porzingis7’3″Forward-CenterWizards
Luke Kornet7’2″Center-ForwardCeltics
Alex Len7’2″CenterKings
Moses Brown7’2″CenterClippers

Who are the Shortest Players in the NBA?

There are 11 players in the NBA listed at 6’0″ tall, but only 2 under six feet.

Shortest Players in the NBA
PlayerHeightPositionTeam
Kennedy Chandler5’11”GuardGrizzlies
McKinley Wright IV5’11”GuardMavericks

Who are the Heaviest Players in the NBA?

Admittedly, I was a little surprised not to see at least one player over 300 pounds. The 11 heaviest players in the league all weigh between 275 and 290 pounds.

Heaviest Players in the NBA
PlayerWeightPositionTeam
Boban Marjanovic290CenterRockets
Jusuf Nurkic290CenterTrail Blazers
Jae Crowder285ForwardSuns
Nikola Jokic284CenterNuggets
Zion Williamson284ForwardPelicans
Brook Lopez282CenterBucks
Robin Lopez281CenterCavs
Joel Imbiid280Center-Forward76ers
Andre Drummond279CenterBulls
Omer Yurtseven275CenterHeat
Kenneth Lofton Jr275ForwardGrizzlies

Who are the Lightest Players in the NBA?

Many people assume that basketball players are just tall and skinny, but that’s not really the case. The average guard in the NBA weighs almost as much as the average NFL safety. Only 9 guys in the entire league (out of almost 500) weigh less than 175 pounds.

Lightest Players in the NBA
PlayerWeightPositionTeam
Trae Young164GuardHawks
Isaiah Joe165GuardThunder
Bones Hyland169GuardNuggets
Kennedy Chandler170GuardGrizzlies
Kira Lewis Jr170GuardPelicans
Scotty Pippen Jr170GuardLakers
Dennis Schroder172GuardLakers
Carlik Jones174GuardBulls
Ja Morant174GuardGrizzlies

Final Thoughts

So, what did I learn?

Honestly, the funniest thing I learned while going through all these numbers is that Brook Lopez is listed as both 1 inch and 1 pound more than his twin brother Robin Lopez. He has to be messing with him, right?

Unless you’ve really been around basketball players or on the floor of an NBA game, it’s hard to really wrap your head around just how big these guys are.

The average guard is almost 6’4″ and 200 pounds. Put him in any situation other than on a basketball court and he’s most likely the biggest person in the room. On the court though, he’s noticeably small.

On the other hand, at 7’4″ and 290 pounds Boban Marjanovic is literally one of the biggest people walking this entire planet.

Finally, I also broke down the average heights and weights of NFL players by position as well if you want to check that out.

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2 Comments

  1. Hello!

    My name is Blake Murphy. I’m a 5’11” 25 year old male. My dream has been to play Point Guard in the NBA. My weight currently is 215. My goal is to get down to 175lbs. Is there a way you could help me? If you have any suggestions or different opinions on what I should do; please feel free to recommend. I’m willing to be a sponge. Thank you for your time!

    My number is: 812-698-9544
    My email is: bl18murphy@gmail.com

    1. Hey Blake,

      First off, check your inbox, I sent you an email. But, I’ll go ahead and give a little of my response here as well in the event it may help someone else.

      I’d be more than willing to help you out with losing some weight, getting stronger and in better shape.

      I have to be honest though, at 25, unless you are already REALLY CLOSE to being on the NBA level then I’m afraid your shot at playing in that league is pretty much non-existent.

      The level of talent, athleticism and skill of the WORST NBA player in the league is so great it’s hard for most people to even comprehend.