Average Wnba Height: How Tall Are Female Basketball Players?

If you want to know the average WNBA height for each position, then this is the female basketball height guide for you.

While most WNBA players aren’t as tall as their male counterparts, the average WNBA player is still considerably taller than the average man.

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Table of Contents show

What is the average WNBA height?

A woman holding a basketball who has an average height of a WNBA player

What is the average WNBA height? It’s commonly said that the average height of a WNBA player is around 6 feet tall when you factor in the average height for each position.

Here is the average WNBA height by position:

Point Guard: 5’9
Shooting Guard: 5’11
Small Forward: 6’0
Power Forward: 6’2
Center: 6’5

Obviously, there’s a range to these WNBA heights. For example, a WNBA shooting guard is usually between 5’10 and 6’1, so 5’11 is a reasonable average.

Interestingly, the average WNBA player height is 6 inches less than the male equivalent, which may indicate that height is valued more in the male game.

Another fun fact is that professional female basketball players are 8 inches taller than the average woman and 3 inches taller than the average man.

This is a lot considering that men are usually much taller than women on average.

What is the average weight of a WNBA player?

A woman who has the average WNBA player weight

According to the official WNBA website, the average weight of a WNBA player is 166.61 pounds, which works out to 75.57 kilograms. ^[1]

Despite being a whopping 10 inches taller than the average woman, a typical WNBA player still weighs around 5 lbs less than the average American woman.

This shows just how lean and athletic WNBA players are compared to women in the general population. In other words, height isn’t the only important physical characteristic in basketball; many positions require that you’re lean, light, and highly mobile.

Of course, there are many WNBA players who weigh well in excess of 166 lbs. Indeed, some WNBA players that play center or power forward weigh more than male NBA players.

By the same token, some smaller point guards will naturally weigh less than the 166-pound average due to having a smaller build and, therefore, less body mass.

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How tall is the tallest WNBA player?

A woman holding a basketball who has an average height for a WNBA player

How tall is the tallest WNBA player? The tallest ever WNBA player was Polish basketball player Margo Dydek at 7 feet 2 inches tall.

Demonstrating the genetic influence of height, Margo Dydek was born in Warsaw to a 6’7 father and a 6’3 mother, and she was the tallest ever female basketball player. ^[2]

Other exceptionally tall WNBA players include Bernadett Határ, at nearly 6 feet 11 inches, Han Xu, at 6 feet 10 inches, and Liz Cambage, who stands 6 feet 8 inches.

All of the women named here—and quite a few more—are taller than the average male basketball player, who’s already exceptionally tall himself!

So while a woman doesn’t need to be exceptionally tall to succeed in the WNBA, having a height advantage is always a big benefit on the court.

Is there a height requirement for the WNBA?

A tall woman who clearly has the average WNBA height

There is no specific height requirement in the WNBA because women below the average WNBA height can still be very skillful basketball players.

Sure, women under 6 feet might not be playing power forward anytime soon, but there’s no reason why they can’t find success as a point guard or shooting guard if they work on their basketball skills and believe in themselves.

While height is important in basketball, it’s not everything. Some of the best WNBA players of all time were not necessarily the absolute tallest. ^[3]

Still, some coaches might look for players of certain heights for each position. This isn’t to say that you need to be a very specific height; rather, it’s just that some coaches expect players with a certain height range for a given position.

What is the average height of an NCAA women’s basketball player?

Some girls who have an average height for a women's college basketball player

Currently, in women’s college basketball, the average height of an NCAA women’s basketball player is 5 feet 6 inches tall.

As with the WNBA, point guards will be smaller on average than power forwards or centers.

Obviously, since the WNBA is more competitive than college basketball, the players are naturally going to be taller on average because professional basketball attracts a lot of tall women who know that their height is advantageous.

Conclusion: What does the WNBA average height tell us?

Knowing that the average height of a WNBA player is greater than that of the average man is an astonishing fact, especially considering that men are around 5 inches taller than women on average.

You can instantly see that basketball attracts many tall athletes, a sport in which they can really use their height to their advantage.

Of course, some of the best WNBA players aren’t necessarily the tallest. However, any top-level WNBA player is extremely skillful and has perfected their craft over a number of years.

In summary, being tall is a major advantage in basketball, but height alone won’t turn you into a WNBA pro.

References

WNBA.com: 2003 WNBA Player Survey Results: Weight. (n.d.). https://www.wnba.com/archive/wnba/statistics/survey_weight_2003.html
Ex-WNBA All-Star Margo Dydek dies after heart attack. (2011, May 27). ESPN.com. https://www.espn.co.uk/wnba/news/story?id=6597787
Elbaba, J. (2022, August 9). Who are the best WNBA players of all time? RSN. https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/who-are-best-wnba-players-all-time