The average WNBA player height is 6 feet 0.7 inches (184.7 cm) in our August 2, 2026 roster snapshot. The median is exactly 6 feet 1 inch. Those figures come from 203 unique players displayed across the official roster pages of all 15 WNBA teams, not from a recycled historical estimate.
Height changes sharply by role. Guards average about 5 feet 10.4 inches, forwards 6 feet 2.5 inches and centers 6 feet 5.1 inches when hybrid players are grouped by their first listed position. Han Xu is the tallest player in the snapshot at 6 feet 11 inches, while Mai Yamamoto is the shortest at 5 feet 5 inches.
Average WNBA height in 2026
We downloaded each official team roster on August 2, converted every feet-and-inches listing to inches and removed duplicates by WNBA player ID. The resulting mean is 72.729 inches, which converts to 184.73 centimeters. Rounded for readability, that is 6 feet 0.7 inches. The median—the middle value when all 203 listings are sorted—is 73 inches, or 6 feet 1 inch.
This is a roster snapshot, not a count of players available for a particular game. Official pages can display injured, suspended or otherwise inactive players, and a roster can change after a transaction. For the current game context, pair these measurements with the WNBA games today page or the 2026 WNBA schedule.
The word listed matters too. Public team rosters do not state a single league-wide protocol for whether every measurement was taken barefoot, in shoes or at the same stage of a player's career. These are the official roster numbers fans see, not independent laboratory measurements. A few tenths of an inch in a league average should never be treated as greater precision than the source data provides.
Average WNBA height by position
To prevent double counting, each player appears in one group. For hybrid labels, we used the first position shown by the team: a Guard-Forward counts as a guard, a Forward-Center as a forward and a Center-Forward as a center.
| Primary position | Players | Average height | Centimeters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guard | 104 | 5 ft 10.4 in | 178.7 cm |
| Forward | 73 | 6 ft 2.5 in | 189.4 cm |
| Center | 26 | 6 ft 5.1 in | 195.8 cm |
The gap follows basketball roles without creating a height requirement. Guards spend more possessions initiating offense, navigating perimeter screens and defending in space. Forwards cover the widest range of assignments, which is why official pages use several hybrid labels. Centers work closer to the rim more often, so size and standing reach appear more heavily in roster construction.
Other studies can produce slightly different averages without either one being dishonest. A sample taken before final cuts, after a trade or in a 12-team season contains different players. A study that puts every Guard-Forward in a separate “wing” category will also change both the guard and forward means. A credible comparison should always publish its date, sample and grouping rule.
Tallest player on a 2026 WNBA roster
Han Xu is the tallest player displayed on an official WNBA roster in our August 2 snapshot. The New York Liberty list the center at 6 feet 11 inches (210.8 cm). Brittney Griner is next at 6 feet 9 inches, followed by a group of 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-6 frontcourt players.
That wording is deliberate: roster status does not automatically mean a player was available for every 2026 game. It does establish that Han was the tallest person included in the current official team-page dataset we measured. Fans can check the New York Liberty schedule for upcoming matchups rather than inferring availability from a height list.
Han's listing sits more than 10 inches above the league mean and nearly six inches above the center average. The difference is striking, but height alone does not describe touch, movement, positioning or how a coaching staff deploys a center.
Shortest player on a 2026 WNBA roster
Mai Yamamoto is the shortest player in the snapshot at 5 feet 5 inches (165.1 cm). She appears on the Las Vegas Aces roster page. The next group—Costanza Verona, Dana Evans, Georgia Amoore, Jordan Harrison, Jordin Canada and Rori Harmon—is listed at 5 feet 6 inches.
Yamamoto is 5.4 inches below the guard-group average, but her roster place is also a reminder that a guard's job is not a height contest. Change of pace, ball security, shooting, passing angles and the ability to survive defensively can offset inches. See the Las Vegas Aces schedule for the team's remaining calendar.
Tallest and shortest players in WNBA history
The current-roster extremes should not be confused with all-time records. Margo Dydek is the WNBA's historical height benchmark at an official listed 7 feet 2 inches. The WNBA selected the Polish center first overall in 1998, and its official draft retrospective lists her at 7-foot-2. She led the league in blocks eight times during her career.
Historical “shortest ever” lists are less consistent. Shannon Bobbitt and Tina Nicholson are commonly listed at 5 feet 2 inches, but there is no simple league-maintained all-time height leaderboard that resolves every old roster entry and measurement convention. It is more accurate to call them two of the shortest listed players in WNBA history than to present an uncertain tie as a perfectly audited record.
The clean distinction is this: Han Xu and Mai Yamamoto are the extremes in the 15-team official roster snapshot collected on August 2, 2026; Dydek and other retired players belong to the historical record.
Why height changes by role
Height is useful in basketball because it can improve passing sightlines, finishing angles and the area a defender can contest. Yet it is only one part of functional size. Wingspan, standing reach, strength, balance, timing and vertical explosiveness can make two players with the same listed height play very differently.
- Guards: Ball handling, decision speed, shooting and lateral movement often matter more than added inches. Taller guards can see over pressure, but smaller guards may create separation with a lower center of gravity.
- Forwards: This is the most flexible group. Some forwards function as large playmakers or perimeter defenders; others screen, rebound and defend centers.
- Centers: Rim protection, rebounding position and finishing through contact make height and reach especially valuable, which explains the 6-foot-5.1 average.
There is no minimum WNBA height in the rules. The range in this roster snapshot—5 feet 5 inches to 6 feet 11 inches—shows that teams select for role-specific impact, not one ideal body type. Use the WNBA calendar to compare how different lineups match up over the season.
Frequently asked questions
What is the average height of a WNBA player?
The average is 6 feet 0.7 inches (184.7 cm) across 203 unique players on official team roster pages collected August 2, 2026. The median is 6 feet 1 inch.
How tall is the average WNBA point guard?
Our guard group averages 5 feet 10.4 inches. That is not a point-guard-only figure because official pages do not consistently split every guard into point guard and shooting guard. It is the most reproducible league-wide answer available from the roster labels.
Who is the tallest current WNBA player?
Han Xu, listed at 6 feet 11 inches on the New York Liberty roster, is the tallest player in the August 2, 2026 official-roster snapshot.
Who is the shortest current WNBA player?
Mai Yamamoto, listed at 5 feet 5 inches on the Las Vegas Aces roster, is the shortest player in the same snapshot.
Are WNBA heights measured barefoot?
The public roster pages reviewed do not state a uniform barefoot-versus-shoes protocol. Treat the numbers as official listed heights. They are appropriate for roster comparisons, but not precise independent body measurements.
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