Ranking 10 Tallest and Shortest WNBA Players in History

The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) has featured great basketball athletes of International caliber since its inception in the year 1996. A wide variety of player’s heights is among the factors adding diversity and interest to the game. While corner three creators are short and quick, plus-sized players are banging in the lane. The league included roller-coaster height ranges of its players, bringing in edged techniques and styles. In this article, we’ll discuss the most fascinating opponents in the WNBA — the tallest and shortest players. How did these players influence the way the game was played? What role do they play in the history of basketball?

List of Tallest Players in the WNBA: Past to Present

Most of the WNBA reasonably taller players tend to use their height as an advantage for rebounding, blocking, and even shooting over other defenders. Let’s take a look at a few of the tallest players and how they have impacted the league:

#10. Mercedes Russell, 6’6″

A product of the 2018 WNBA Draft, second round, Seattle Storm’s Mercedes Russell is still developing the game and still searching for her fit in the league. A standout player in the WNBL, she indeed boasts skills that would eventually translate consistently to the WNBA level.

Known for rebounding, defense, and three-point shooting, Jones is the Sun’s 2021 MVP. Her ability to play great on the perimeter and also guard multiple positions makes her a notable player in today’s game.

Han could hardly have faced a more thrilling semifinal against Australia, but a phenomenal performance at least cheered her up with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks. Still sidelined with a foot injury, though, Han will have to wait a bit longer for the end of this season to make her comeback.

#9. Sylvia Fowles, 6’6″

Sylvia Fowles, also known as “Sweet Syl” and by several other nicknames-most notably “Baby Shaq”-recently announced that she will be retiring from the league at the end of the season. She is likely to be one of the game’s very top players in history. The Chicago Sky player was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the WNBA Draft of 2008. Fowles lists three career performances, including two WNBA championships, two WNBA Finals MVPs, and the 2017 league MVP.

Perhaps the most successful player of her career, the WNBA’s Sylvia Fowles has been defined by a lifetime of awards and accolades. Winning both Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards, Fowles brings an incredible height to the league at 6’6″, leading the charge in rebounds and defense for many years with her team.

#8. Jonquel Jones, 6’6″

Jonquel Jones was one of New York Liberty’s biggest offseason signings, joining Breanna Stewart in one of the 2023 WNBA’s two superteams. The player, who once filled the scoreboard with 44 points and snatched 22 rebounds in a EuroBasket game, is one of the best bigs of these days in the WNBA. Jones is still the 2021 MVP from the WNBA league. This season can be the time that she will win her first WNBA championship.

#7. Teaira McCowan, 6’7″

Teaira McCowan, selected third overall by the Indiana Fever in 2019, is certainly one of the best bigs playing in the WNBA. The star in the Turkish league, who was absent from the start of the current WNBA season due to overseas commitments, already has three double-doubles for the Dallas Wings this 2023 season.

#6. Maria Stepanova, 6’8″

Russia’s best export to basketball was Maria Stepanova, who spent several seasons in the WNBA playing for the Phoenix Mercury between 1998 and 2001. She took a few seasons away before returning to the Mercury in 2005, averaging the most points per game (10.8) and blocks (2.5) in her career. Stepanova is a three-time winner of both the FIBA Europe Women’s Player of the Year and Russian Player of the Year awards.

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#5. Liz Cambage, 6’9″

Well, Liz Cambage is really the best female basketballer Australia produced, so the hype surrounding her first WNBA season was running high. As talented as she is outspoken, Cambage isn’t ever afraid to speak her mind and often makes waves because of it. But Cambage is still a four-time WNBA All-Star despite not being on an active WNBA roster, and surprisingly she’s also the scoring leader in the league in 2018.

Being the No. 2 overall pick in 2011, no one can deny that Cambage left her marks in the league, one of which is holding the record for the most points in a single WNBA game, and it’s such an incredible one when she scored 53 points in the year 2018. There is no denying that if she’s going to make a comeback in the 2025 WNBA season, she will once again place herself among the top talents of the league.

#4. Brittney Griner, 6’9″

Without question, Brittney Griner is an iconic figure in the game of women’s basketball, as she redefined the center position or rewrote the script on how to play through it. At an unprecedented 6’9″, Griner can stake a claim to unmatched dominance on the floor. Since Griner was drafted number one overall by the Phoenix Mercury in 2013, she has built a truly remarkable career, becoming a multi-time All-Star, WNBA champion, and two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Recognized primarily as the world’s best shot blocker, Griner now matches that with new aspects, such as athleticism, as she led the league in dunks. She claimed two league scoring titles and eight consecutive seasons as the WNBA’s shot-block leader and went down into a building book of accolades. Championships won both at the NCAA and WNBA levels place her stand alongside the all-time greats.

#3. Han Xu, 6’10”

At 6 feet 8 inches, Han Xu is the tallest active player in the WNBA. This one tower is compared to Yao Ming, therefore comparisons are obvious Han Xu has lived up to hype as a standout player for the Chinese national team and helped the team reach a silver medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup.

#2. Bernadett Hatar, 6’10”

Hungarian Bernadett Hatar made her way into the WNBA as a 2021 draftee of the Indiana Fever. Being one of the tallest players in the league today, Hatar’s height gives her a big advantage on both ends of the floor, particularly in the paint, where she can dominate or be the dominant piece on the defensive end and shoot lights out on the offensive end. Yet, for a player with obvious potential like a force in the league, her WNBA career has gotten off to a slower start.

She played in only seven games last season, as an injury ended her season early, so she didn’t have much of a chance to demonstrate just how capable of wearing multiple titles she is going forward. Having played the majority of her professional career abroad, Hatar remains one of the tallest players in the league, next to only the legendary Malgorzata Dydek, and fans are raring to see if she lives up to the promise that her size and abilities suggest.

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#1. Malgorzata Dydek, 7’2″

The 7’2″ Malgorzata Dydek, from Poland, became the tallest player in WNBA history as per WNBA records. She was a giant on the court as a center, and standing six feet, ten did her much good by making her an unstoppable shot-blocker and an unstoppable power in the paint. First overall in the pick by the Utah Starzz in 1998, Dydek then served in several games for teams such as the San Antonio Silver Stars, Connecticut Sun, and Los Angeles Sparks.

But, sure enough, this FIBA Hall of Famer and No. 1 pick still holds the WNBA career record for blocked shots, an incredible 877. Sadly enough for the basketball world, the world lost her too early when she died in 2011 at just 37 years of age; her legacy lives on forever, though.

Below is a comprehensive list of the top 10 tallest WNBA players:

Rank	Player Name	Team	Height	Age	Year	Position
1	Malgorzata “Margo” Dydek	Los Angeles Sparks	7’2″	37	1998-2008	Center
2	Bernadett Hatar	Elitzur Ramla	6’10”	30	2021-present	Center
3	Han Xu	New York Liberty	6’10”	24	2019-present	Center
4	Brittney Griner	Atlanta Dream	6’9″	34	2013-present	Center
5	Liz Cambage	Los Angeles Sparks	6’9″	33	2011-present	Center
6	Maria Stepanova	Phoenix Mercury	6’8″	52	1998-2001, 2005	Center
7	Teaira McCowan	Dallas Wings	6’7″	28	2019-present	Center
8	Jonquel Jones	New York Liberty	6’6″	30	2016-present	Center
9	Sylvia Fowles	Chicago Sky	6’6″	39	2008-2022	Center
10	Mercedes Russell	Seattle Storm	6’6″	29	2018-present	Center

List Of Shortest Players in the WNBA: Past to Present

While the tallest WNBA players have their strengths, the shortest of these basketball players have proven that there is also a limit in height. With such fast and agile movements and highly adept basketball knowledge, these slight girls stand tall on the court for every game position.

#10. Dana Evans, 5’6″

Drafted 13th overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2021 WNBA Draft Dana Evans’ height is 5’6. In 2021 June got traded from Wings to Chicago Sky as a guard, where Evans finished her rookie season with averages of 3.3 PPG and 1.0 APG, and as of November 2024, she was placed in 9th number on the Sky’s All-Time 3 Pointers Made List with 122. The Sky’s player also has clinched accolades like a finalist for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award in 2020 and 2021 and is a member of the All-ACC First Team in 2020 and 2021.

#9. Jordin Canada, 5’5″

California born Jordin Canada stands as a 5’6″ guard for the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream. The UCLA player was drafted 5th overall by the Seattle Storm in 2018. She went on to win the WNBA championship in 2018 and 2020. The Dream player also led the WNBA in steals in 2019 and 2023. Furthermore, Jordin clinched the WNBA All-Defensive 1st Team in 2019 and 2023.

#8. Leilani Mitchell, 5’5″

Standing at just 5’5 Leilani Mitchell of the Australian women’s national basketball team, Australia was drafted 25th overall by the Phoenix Mercury in the 2008 WNBA draft. Mitchell has a total of 13 years of experience in the WNBA where she played as a guard for the Mercury and then was traded to the New York Liberty in 2008 pre-season. Mitchell made her first professional start on June 6, 2008, against the Houston Comets.

#7. Crystal Dangerfield, 5’5″

The point guard for Indiana Fever Crystal Dangerfield won the 2020 Rookie of the Year title while playing for Minnesota Lynx. Standing only 5’5″ tall she proved skeptics wrong by demonstrating exceptional speed alongside scoring prowess and clutch performance. Due to this, she was the first second-round pick in the WNBA draft to win Rookie of the Year.

Crystal brought her elite ball handling along with court vision and perimeter shooting when she played at the University of Connecticut. Her small stature does not limit her abilities since Dangerfield successfully creates scoring opportunities and accelerates the tempo while directing her team confidently therefore making her an important part of the league.

#6. Brooke McCarty-Williams, 5’4″

From 2002 through 2003 Brandi McCain served as a guard for the Cleveland Rockers while establishing herself as a quick player who excelled in shooting and distributing the ball. Brandi McCain illustrated her talent at the University of Florida by receiving All-American honors in 2001 and guiding Florida to reach the 1997 NCAA Elite Eight round.

McCarty proved her ability to defend and handle the ball alongside possessing court vision. Even though her WNBA career lasted only a short time it enabled her to excel at defending bigger opponents. People respected her role as point guard because she brought leadership and dynamism to both college and professional basketball games.

#5. Brandi McCain, 5’3″

Brandi McCain is 5 feet 3 inches tall. She was selected as the 24th overall pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft to play one year for the Cleveland Rockers. McCain was a collegiate ball player for the University of Florida and was both an All-American first-team and a first-team All-SEC Conference selection. Brandi averaged 6.0 points per contest as Team USA brought back a silver medal in the World University Games in 1999.

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#4. Temeka Johnson, 5’3″

Temeka Johnson, drafted 6th overall in the 2005 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics, is one of the league’s shortest players at 5 feet 3 inches tall. The WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2005 also played seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, Tulsa Shock, and Seattle Storm. Temeka, who won a WNBA Championship with the Phoenix Mercury in 2009, had a highly decorated playing career at the NCAA level with LSU, where she broke the school’s record for career assists and led her team to two Final Fours and an Elite Eight.

#3. Debbie Black, 5’2.5″

Debbie Black was 5 feet 2.5 inches tall, and one of the shortest WNBA players in league history. In 2001, she became the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year, a yearly award given to the league’s top defensive player from a pool of sportswriters and broadcasters.

Nicknamed “The Pest” for her tenacious defense, Debbie was selected 15th overall by the Utah Starzz in the 1999 WNBA Draft. She spent one season with the Starzz before playing several seasons with the Miami Sol and finished out her tenure with the Connecticut Sun. Before coming to the WNBA, Debbie spent years playing for Australia’s WNBL and a season in the ABL.

#2. Tina Nicholson, 5’2″

Tina Nicholson stands tied with 5 feet 2 inches as the shortest WNBA player ever recorded. Tina played one season for the Cleveland Rockers in the WNBA. Tina was drafted from Penn State as the 20th overall pick from the 1997 WNBA Draft. Tina racked up 48 points, 42 assists, 10 rebounds, and 11 steals in 24 games played for the Cleveland Rockers.

#1. Shannon Bobbitt, 5’2″

Shannon Bobbitt shares the tied record for the shortest WNBA player ever recorded at a height of 5 feet 2 inches. She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks with the overall 15th pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft and also played with the Indiana Fever and Washington Mystics.

Before joining the WNBA, Shannon played for two years at Trinity Valley Community College and two years at the University of Tennessee, where she won back-to-back titles in NCAA Division I and was the shortest player ever signed with the Lady Vols.

Below is a comprehensive list of the top 10 shortest WNBA players:

Rank	Player	Team	Height	Age	Year	Position
1	Shannon Bobbitt	Washington Mystics	5’2″	38	2008-2013	Guard
2	Tina Nicholson	Houston Comets	5’2″	51	1997-2003	Point Guard / Shooting Guard
3	Debbie Black	Connecticut Sun	5’2.5″	58	1999-2005	Point Guard
4	Temeka Johnson	Los Angeles Sparks	5’3″	42	2005-2017	Point Guard
5	Brandi McCain	Cleveland Rockers	5’3″	45	2002-2003	Guard
6	Brooke McCarty-Williams	Dallas Wings	5’4″	29	2021-present	Guard
7	Crystal Dangerfield	Indiana Fever	5’5″	26	2020-present	Point Guard
8	Leilani Mitchell	New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, Washington Mystics	5’5″	39	2008-2022	Point Guard
9	Jordin Canada	Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks	5’6″	28	2018-present	Point Guard
10	Dana Evans	Chicago Sky	5’6″	26	2021-present	Guard