Ranking the top 6 Houston Rockets 6-feet and under of all-time

1. Calvin Murphy (5 ft. 9)

Stats as a Rocket: 17.9 PPG, 4.4 AST, 2.1 REB

Calvin Murphy never let his stature get in the way of becoming one of the all-time greatest Houston Rockets ever. Not only is he the shortest player on this list, but he’s also the shortest player ever to be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.

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Unlike Kyle Lowry, the Rockets were fortunate enough to enjoy having Murphy on the roster throughout his entire NBA career.

Taken as the 18th overall pick by the San Diego Rockets in 1970, Murphy quickly made several teams regret passing him up.

At 5-foot-9, he possessed superior quickness and scoring ability at Niagara University, which translated seamlessly to the NBA. His stats above speak for themselves, but they don’t say enough about just how easily Murphy could put the ball in the basket.

In his 13-year career, Murphy averaged over 20 points per game five different times, with his peak season in 1977-78, when he averaged 25.6 points per game.

His ability to knock down free throws at a rate of 89.2 percent throughout his career was also crucial in late-game situations and made him extremely dangerous in crunch time.

Calvin Murphy’s career résumé speaks for itself and is the ultimate proof of why lacking in one quality shouldn’t stop you from achieving greatness. Murphy sure didn’t let it.