diff --git a/sdk/trace/provider.go b/sdk/trace/provider.go
index 324b686f4b8..0a018c14ded 100644
--- a/sdk/trace/provider.go
+++ b/sdk/trace/provider.go
@@ -120,7 +120,7 @@ func NewTracerProvider(opts ...TracerProviderOption) *TracerProvider {
 	}
 	global.Info("TracerProvider created", "config", o)
 
-	spss := spanProcessorStates{}
+	spss := make(spanProcessorStates, 0, len(o.processors))
 	for _, sp := range o.processors {
 		spss = append(spss, newSpanProcessorState(sp))
 	}
@@ -192,8 +192,10 @@ func (p *TracerProvider) RegisterSpanProcessor(sp SpanProcessor) {
 	if p.isShutdown.Load() {
 		return
 	}
-	newSPS := spanProcessorStates{}
-	newSPS = append(newSPS, *(p.spanProcessors.Load())...)
+
+	current := p.getSpanProcessors()
+	newSPS := make(spanProcessorStates, 0, len(current)+1)
+	newSPS = append(newSPS, current...)
 	newSPS = append(newSPS, newSpanProcessorState(sp))
 	p.spanProcessors.Store(&newSPS)
 }
@@ -210,12 +212,12 @@ func (p *TracerProvider) UnregisterSpanProcessor(sp SpanProcessor) {
 	if p.isShutdown.Load() {
 		return
 	}
-	old := *(p.spanProcessors.Load())
+	old := p.getSpanProcessors()
 	if len(old) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
-	spss := spanProcessorStates{}
-	spss = append(spss, old...)
+	spss := make(spanProcessorStates, len(old))
+	copy(spss, old)
 
 	// stop the span processor if it is started and remove it from the list
 	var stopOnce *spanProcessorState
@@ -245,7 +247,7 @@ func (p *TracerProvider) UnregisterSpanProcessor(sp SpanProcessor) {
 // ForceFlush immediately exports all spans that have not yet been exported for
 // all the registered span processors.
 func (p *TracerProvider) ForceFlush(ctx context.Context) error {
-	spss := *(p.spanProcessors.Load())
+	spss := p.getSpanProcessors()
 	if len(spss) == 0 {
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -278,10 +280,9 @@ func (p *TracerProvider) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) error {
 	if !p.isShutdown.CompareAndSwap(false, true) { // did toggle?
 		return nil
 	}
-	spss := *(p.spanProcessors.Load())
 
 	var retErr error
-	for _, sps := range spss {
+	for _, sps := range p.getSpanProcessors() {
 		select {
 		case <-ctx.Done():
 			return ctx.Err()
@@ -305,6 +306,10 @@ func (p *TracerProvider) Shutdown(ctx context.Context) error {
 	return retErr
 }
 
+func (p *TracerProvider) getSpanProcessors() spanProcessorStates {
+	return *(p.spanProcessors.Load())
+}
+
 // TracerProviderOption configures a TracerProvider.
 type TracerProviderOption interface {
 	apply(tracerProviderConfig) tracerProviderConfig
diff --git a/sdk/trace/provider_test.go b/sdk/trace/provider_test.go
index 282cd16ee67..8df3f1a4bd7 100644
--- a/sdk/trace/provider_test.go
+++ b/sdk/trace/provider_test.go
@@ -80,6 +80,57 @@ func TestForceFlushAndShutdownTraceProviderWithoutProcessor(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.True(t, stp.isShutdown.Load())
 }
 
+func TestUnregisterFirst(t *testing.T) {
+	stp := NewTracerProvider()
+	sp1 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp2 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp3 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp1)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp2)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp3)
+
+	stp.UnregisterSpanProcessor(sp1)
+
+	sps := stp.getSpanProcessors()
+	require.Len(t, sps, 2)
+	assert.Same(t, sp2, sps[0].sp)
+	assert.Same(t, sp3, sps[1].sp)
+}
+
+func TestUnregisterMiddle(t *testing.T) {
+	stp := NewTracerProvider()
+	sp1 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp2 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp3 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp1)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp2)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp3)
+
+	stp.UnregisterSpanProcessor(sp2)
+
+	sps := stp.getSpanProcessors()
+	require.Len(t, sps, 2)
+	assert.Same(t, sp1, sps[0].sp)
+	assert.Same(t, sp3, sps[1].sp)
+}
+
+func TestUnregisterLast(t *testing.T) {
+	stp := NewTracerProvider()
+	sp1 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp2 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	sp3 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp1)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp2)
+	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp3)
+
+	stp.UnregisterSpanProcessor(sp3)
+
+	sps := stp.getSpanProcessors()
+	require.Len(t, sps, 2)
+	assert.Same(t, sp1, sps[0].sp)
+	assert.Same(t, sp2, sps[1].sp)
+}
+
 func TestShutdownTraceProvider(t *testing.T) {
 	stp := NewTracerProvider()
 	sp := &basicSpanProcessor{}
@@ -162,7 +213,7 @@ func TestRegisterAfterShutdownWithoutProcessors(t *testing.T) {
 
 	sp := &basicSpanProcessor{}
 	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp) // no-op
-	assert.Empty(t, stp.spanProcessors.Load())
+	assert.Empty(t, stp.getSpanProcessors())
 }
 
 func TestRegisterAfterShutdownWithProcessors(t *testing.T) {
@@ -173,11 +224,11 @@ func TestRegisterAfterShutdownWithProcessors(t *testing.T) {
 	err := stp.Shutdown(context.Background())
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
 	assert.True(t, stp.isShutdown.Load())
-	assert.Empty(t, stp.spanProcessors.Load())
+	assert.Empty(t, stp.getSpanProcessors())
 
 	sp2 := &basicSpanProcessor{}
 	stp.RegisterSpanProcessor(sp2) // no-op
-	assert.Empty(t, stp.spanProcessors.Load())
+	assert.Empty(t, stp.getSpanProcessors())
 }
 
 func TestTracerProviderSamplerConfigFromEnv(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/sdk/trace/span.go b/sdk/trace/span.go
index 81e89122fa2..8ec7da7f744 100644
--- a/sdk/trace/span.go
+++ b/sdk/trace/span.go
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ func (s *recordingSpan) End(options ...trace.SpanEndOption) {
 	}
 	s.mu.Unlock()
 
-	sps := *(s.tracer.provider.spanProcessors.Load())
+	sps := s.tracer.provider.getSpanProcessors()
 	if len(sps) == 0 {
 		return
 	}
diff --git a/sdk/trace/span_processor.go b/sdk/trace/span_processor.go
index e6ae1935219..9c53657a719 100644
--- a/sdk/trace/span_processor.go
+++ b/sdk/trace/span_processor.go
@@ -62,11 +62,11 @@ type SpanProcessor interface {
 
 type spanProcessorState struct {
 	sp    SpanProcessor
-	state *sync.Once
+	state sync.Once
 }
 
 func newSpanProcessorState(sp SpanProcessor) *spanProcessorState {
-	return &spanProcessorState{sp: sp, state: &sync.Once{}}
+	return &spanProcessorState{sp: sp}
 }
 
 type spanProcessorStates []*spanProcessorState
diff --git a/sdk/trace/tracer.go b/sdk/trace/tracer.go
index 16e0108f085..85a71227f3f 100644
--- a/sdk/trace/tracer.go
+++ b/sdk/trace/tracer.go
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ func (tr *tracer) Start(ctx context.Context, name string, options ...trace.SpanS
 
 	s := tr.newSpan(ctx, name, &config)
 	if rw, ok := s.(ReadWriteSpan); ok && s.IsRecording() {
-		sps := *(tr.provider.spanProcessors.Load())
+		sps := tr.provider.getSpanProcessors()
 		for _, sp := range sps {
 			sp.sp.OnStart(ctx, rw)
 		}