Mani Love

Don’t Believe The Height, Believe The Hype! Yes, Jahmani Swanson, aka Mani Love, is not just your ordinary basketball player, he is in fact the shortest person to ever play for the Harlem Globetrotters in New York. Known as the “mini Michael Jordan”, Love stands at just 4ft 5in tall (1.34m), boasts an amazing 75in (190cm) vertical leap, and has gained popularity for his play in the Venice Basketball League.

Love grew up in New York with a fierce determination to play basketball professionally despite being born with dwarfism. He joined the Dwarf Athletic Association of America’s New York Towers basketball team in 2010, and such was his skill on the court, that within the year he was asked to join the VBL’s Beach Warriors team for their summer season. He become an internet sensation overnight, achieving his dream of becoming a basketball star.

Love regularly connects with his legions of dedicated followers and fans through Instagram, posting pictures and videos of his personal and professional life around the basketball court. And as Love says, “Basketball is all about the heart over height. And if you’ve got the heart then you outstand the height!”