The NBA has been running since 1946, and it has produced more strange stories than most sports manage in a century. This list skips the questions everyone already knows the answer to. Instead you get a shot clock invented with a calculator, a 7’7″ centre who claimed to have killed a lion with a spear, and a draft pick announced during a Taco Bell ad.
There are 150 questions across 10 categories, built for family game nights, car trips, group chats and anyone who has ever said “actually, it was 1962” during a broadcast.
Read the question aloud, give everyone ten seconds, then reveal the answer. Star ratings show difficulty: ⭐ easy, ⭐⭐ medium, ⭐⭐⭐ for the people who read box scores from 1974.
150 NBA Basketball Trivia Questions
Numbers that sound made up
- Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points on March 2, 1962. In which small Pennsylvania town was the game played? ⭐⭐
Answer: Hershey. The Warriors beat the Knicks 169-147, and no video of the game exists. - In 1961-62 Wilt averaged 50.4 points and 48.5 minutes per game. A game is only 48 minutes long, so how is that possible? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Overtime. He barely came off the floor all season. - How many times did Wilt Chamberlain foul out in 1,205 career NBA games? ⭐⭐
Answer: Never. - In 1967-68 Wilt led the entire league in a stat normally owned by point guards. Which one? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Assists, at 8.6 per game. He was a 7’1″ centre. - In January 2015 Klay Thompson scored 37 points in a single quarter against Sacramento. How many threes did he make in that quarter? ⭐⭐
Answer: Nine, an NBA record for a quarter. He shot 13-of-13 from the field. - In December 2005 Kobe Bryant outscored an entire team through three quarters. Which team, and what was the score? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Dallas Mavericks, 62-61. Kobe sat out the fourth quarter because the game was already won. - At 5’7″, Spud Webb won the 1986 Slam Dunk Contest. Which teammate did he beat in the final? ⭐⭐
Answer: Dominique Wilkins of the Atlanta Hawks. - LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring record in February 2023. Which team was he playing? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Oklahoma City Thunder. Kareem’s mark of 38,387 had stood since 1989. - In March 2024 LeBron became the first player to reach 40,000 career points. Which team did he do it against? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Denver Nuggets. - The 1971-72 Lakers won 33 games in a row. Which team ended the streak? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Milwaukee Bucks, with a young Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, winning 120-104. - Ben Wallace stood 6’9″ and went undrafted, yet he won this award four times, tied for the most ever. Which award? ⭐⭐
Answer: Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006). - Stephen Curry made 402 threes in 2015-16, the first time anyone passed 400. Whose record of 286 did he break? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: His own, from 2012-13. - Curry holds the record for most threes in a Finals game. How many? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Nine, in Game 2 of the 2018 Finals against Cleveland. - Michael Jordan scored a playoff-record 63 points in a 1986 double-overtime loss. Which team was he playing? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Boston Celtics. Larry Bird said afterwards that it was “God disguised as Michael Jordan.” - Klay Thompson made 14 threes in a single game in October 2018. Which team did he do it against? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Chicago Bulls.
Draft night and the picks that got away
- Portland took Sam Bowie second in 1984, one pick before the Bulls took Michael Jordan. Which Hall of Fame guard already on Portland’s roster made them look elsewhere? ⭐⭐
Answer: Clyde Drexler. They wanted a centre. - Greg Oden went first in 2007. Which team drafted Kevin Durant second? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Seattle SuperSonics, who moved to Oklahoma City a year later. - Kobe Bryant was drafted 13th by Charlotte in 1996 and immediately traded. Who did the Lakers give up for him? ⭐⭐
Answer: Vlade Divac. - Dallas got Dirk Nowitzki by trading for him on draft night. Which Bucks-drafted big man went the other way? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Robert “Tractor” Traylor, the sixth pick. - Nikola Jokić was picked 41st in 2014, and the pick was announced during a commercial break. Whose ad was it? ⭐⭐
Answer: Taco Bell. - Manu Ginóbili, four-time champion and Hall of Famer, went in the 1999 draft at what position? ⭐⭐
Answer: 57th, one of the last picks in the draft. - Tim Duncan trained as a competitive swimmer as a kid in the US Virgin Islands. What made him quit the pool? ⭐⭐
Answer: Hurricane Hugo destroyed the island’s only Olympic-size pool in 1989. He switched to basketball at 14. - Steve Nash was drafted 15th in 1996 by which team, which later traded him away and then got him back in 2004? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Phoenix Suns. He won his two MVPs after returning. - Everyone says Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team. What actually happened? ⭐⭐
Answer: He didn’t make varsity as a sophomore and was placed on JV instead. He wasn’t cut outright. - In 2003 the Pistons took Darko Milićić second overall. Name the three players taken right after him. ⭐⭐
Answer: Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. - The 1985 draft lottery gave the Knicks Patrick Ewing, and conspiracy theorists still claim one of the envelopes was frozen. What were the theorists claiming? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: That the Knicks’ envelope was chilled so it could be picked out by feel. - John Stockton, the all-time assists leader, was picked 16th in 1984. Which future Hall of Famer went fifth that same year? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Charles Barkley. - Victor Wembanyama was the first pick in 2023. Which team took him, and did he win Rookie of the Year unanimously? ⭐⭐
Answer: San Antonio Spurs, and yes. He received every first-place vote. - Giannis Antetokounmpo was drafted 15th in 2013. Which team made the pick? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Milwaukee Bucks. - The 1996 draft class produced three future league MVPs. Name them. ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash.
Shots, series and the moments nobody forgot
- “The Shot” in 1989 ended a first-round series. Which defender was Michael Jordan hanging in the air over? ⭐⭐
Answer: Craig Ehlo of the Cleveland Cavaliers. - In Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference semis, Reggie Miller scored 8 points in how many seconds against the Knicks? ⭐⭐
Answer: 8.9 seconds. - Ray Allen’s corner three in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals tied the game with 5.2 seconds left. Which Heat teammate grabbed the rebound that set it up? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Chris Bosh. - LeBron’s chase-down block in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals stopped which Warriors player? ⭐⭐
Answer: Andre Iguodala. - In Game 7 of the 2019 Eastern semis, Kawhi Leonard’s buzzer-beater over the Sixers bounced how many times on the rim before dropping? ⭐⭐
Answer: Four. - Robert Horry won seven championships without ever being an All-Star. Which three franchises did he win them with? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Houston (2), the Lakers (3) and San Antonio (2). - Willis Reed limped out for Game 7 of the 1970 Finals on a torn thigh muscle. How many points did he score? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Four, on his first two shots. The Knicks won anyway. - The 1965 Eastern Conference Finals produced the call “Havlicek stole the ball.” Which two teams were playing? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Celtics and the 76ers. - In Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, the Lakers trailed by 15 in the fourth quarter. Who threw the alley-oop that sealed it, and who caught it? ⭐⭐
Answer: Kobe Bryant to Shaquille O’Neal, against Portland. - Michael Jordan scored 38 in the “Flu Game” during the 1997 Finals. Years later, what did the team’s trainer say had probably made him sick? ⭐⭐
Answer: Pizza. Late-night delivery in Park City, Utah. - Damian Lillard ended the 2019 first-round series against Oklahoma City with a shot from roughly how far out? ⭐⭐
Answer: About 37 feet, followed by a wave goodbye to Paul George. - Derek Fisher won Game 5 of the 2004 Western semis with how much time left on the clock? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 0.4 seconds, after Tim Duncan had put the Spurs ahead with 0.4 seconds left. - In the 2011 Finals, Dirk Nowitzki played Game 4 sick and still hit the go-ahead layup late. What was he suffering from? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: A sinus infection and a fever of about 101. - Game 7 of the 1969 Finals at the Forum had balloons hung in the rafters, waiting to be dropped on the Lakers’ celebration. Who won instead? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Celtics, 108-106. - In Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, Kyrie Irving hit a stepback three over which defender with under a minute to play? ⭐⭐
Answer: Stephen Curry.
Nicknames and where they came from
- The Lakers are named after Minnesota’s lakes. The Utah Jazz began in which city? ⭐⭐
Answer: New Orleans. - The Golden State Warriors started life in which city in 1946? ⭐⭐
Answer: Philadelphia. They moved to San Francisco in 1962. - David Robinson was nicknamed “The Admiral.” Why? ⭐⭐
Answer: He graduated from the US Naval Academy and served in the Navy before joining the Spurs. - Whose silhouette is supposed to be the NBA logo, even though the league has never officially confirmed it? ⭐⭐
Answer: Jerry West. - The Bucks got their name through what process in 1968? ⭐⭐
Answer: A name-the-team contest for fans. - The Toronto Raptors took their name from which 1993 film? ⭐⭐
Answer: Jurassic Park. - Earvin Johnson earned the nickname “Magic” at 15. What did he do to earn it? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: A high school triple-double of 36 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists, after which a local sportswriter gave him the name. - Which Spurs great was nicknamed “The Big Fundamental” by Shaquille O’Neal? ⭐⭐
Answer: Tim Duncan. - Dennis Rodman’s nickname “The Worm” came from his habit of doing what at pinball machines? ⭐⭐
Answer: Squirming and twisting his body around the machine. - Julius Erving picked up “Doctor” from a childhood friend, who he called what in return? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: “The Professor.” - Who gave Darryl Dawkins the nickname “Chocolate Thunder”? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Stevie Wonder. - Walt “Clyde” Frazier borrowed his nickname from which film? ⭐⭐
Answer: Bonnie and Clyde, because his hat resembled the one worn in the movie. - “Pistol Pete” Maravich got his nickname from what? ⭐⭐
Answer: The way he shot, launching the ball from his hip like a pistol. - “The Round Mound of Rebound” was the college nickname of which Hall of Famer? ⭐⭐
Answer: Charles Barkley, at Auburn. - After a 42-point night against the Lakers in 2001, Shaquille O’Neal declared which player “The Truth”? ⭐⭐
Answer: Paul Pierce.
Rules, rims and the things the league changed
- The 24-second shot clock was created by Danny Biasone. What maths did he use to land on 24? ⭐⭐
Answer: He divided the 2,880 seconds in a game by 120 shots, the number he thought made for a good game. - Who hit the first three-pointer in NBA history on October 12, 1979? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Chris Ford of the Celtics. - How far is the NBA three-point line at the top of the arc, and how far in the corners? ⭐⭐
Answer: 23 feet 9 inches and 22 feet. - The NCAA banned dunking from 1967 to 1976, largely aimed at one player. Who? ⭐⭐
Answer: Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. - Darryl Dawkins shattered backboards in 1979. What did the league eventually introduce to stop it? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Breakaway rims, in 1981. - The NBA reportedly fined Michael Jordan $5,000 per game for wearing his red and black shoes. Who paid the fines? ⭐⭐
Answer: Nike. - “Hack-a-Shaq,” the tactic of fouling a poor free-throw shooter on purpose, was popularised by which coach? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Don Nelson. - The Celtics’ famous parquet floor was built from what kind of materials, and why? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Leftover oak, because postwar supplies of long planks were scarce. - Which company replaced Spalding as the NBA’s official ball supplier in 2021? ⭐⭐
Answer: Wilson. - Who won the first NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1984? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Larry Nance. - The “Larry Bird exception” lets teams exceed the salary cap to do what? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Re-sign their own players. - The NBA play-in tournament involves which seeds in each conference? ⭐⭐
Answer: The 7th to 10th seeds. - In 2022 the NBA retired one jersey number league-wide, in honour of Bill Russell. Which number? ⭐⭐
Answer: 6. - In 1976 the NBA merged with the ABA. Name the four ABA teams that joined. ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Nets, Nuggets, Pacers and Spurs. - What colours was the ABA’s famous basketball? ⭐⭐
Answer: Red, white and blue.
Franchise history and identity crises
- In the first BAA game on November 1, 1946, the Knicks beat the Toronto Huskies 68-66. In which city was it played? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Toronto, at Maple Leaf Gardens. - The Clippers began in 1970 as which team? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Buffalo Braves. They became the San Diego Clippers in 1978 and moved to Los Angeles in 1984. - The Sacramento Kings started out as which team in 1945? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Rochester Royals. - The Lakers won how many championships while based in Minneapolis? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Five. - The Celtics won eight straight titles between 1959 and 1966. How many of those were with Bill Russell as coach and player? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Two, in 1968 and 1969 (the eight straight all came before that, under Red Auerbach). - The Spurs made the playoffs how many years in a row, the longest streak in NBA history? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 22, from 1998 to 2019. - What was the 76ers’ record in their infamous 1972-73 season? ⭐⭐
Answer: 9-73. - What was the Charlotte Bobcats’ record in the 2011-12 season, the worst winning percentage ever? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 7-59. - Two Canadian teams joined the NBA in 1995. Name them, and which one later moved to Memphis. ⭐⭐
Answer: The Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies. The Grizzlies moved in 2001. - The Charlotte Hornets regained the franchise history from 1988 to 2002 in 2014. Which team had it been attached to? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The New Orleans Pelicans, who had been the Hornets in between. - Julius Erving was sold to Philadelphia in 1976 as part of the ABA-NBA merger fallout. Roughly how much did the Nets sell him for? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: About $3 million. - The Seattle SuperSonics won one NBA title. In which year, and who did they beat? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 1979, against the Washington Bullets. - The Washington Bullets became the Wizards in 1997 because owner Abe Pollin was disturbed by what? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Gun violence, especially after the assassination of his friend Yitzhak Rabin. - The Detroit Pistons began life in which Indiana city? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Fort Wayne, as the Zollner Pistons. - The Atlanta Hawks won their only championship in St. Louis. In which year? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 1958, led by Bob Pettit.
Player stories too strange to invent
- Hakeem Olajuwon didn’t play organised basketball until roughly what age? ⭐⭐
Answer: About 15. He grew up playing soccer and handball in Nigeria. - Dikembe Mutombo went to Georgetown planning to become what? ⭐⭐
Answer: A doctor. - Manute Bol claimed to have killed a lion with what weapon? ⭐⭐
Answer: A spear. - Manute Bol, at 7’7″, and Muggsy Bogues, at 5’3″, were teammates. On which team, and in which season? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Washington Bullets, 1987-88. - Michael Jordan tried professional baseball in 1994. Which minor league team did he play for, and what did he hit? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Birmingham Barons, batting .202. - Why did Jordan choose the number 23? ⭐⭐
Answer: He wanted half of his older brother Larry’s number, 45. - Steve Kerr holds the NBA record for career three-point percentage. What is it? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 45.4 percent. - Stephen Curry passed Ray Allen as the all-time leader in career threes in December 2021. Where? ⭐⭐
Answer: Madison Square Garden, against the Knicks. - Larry Bird was drafted in 1978 but didn’t sign with the Celtics until 1979. Why? ⭐⭐
Answer: He went back to Indiana State for his senior season. - During Linsanity in 2012, Jeremy Lin dropped 38 points on which star-studded opponent? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Lakers, including Kobe Bryant. - Kevin Garnett was the first player in 20 years to go straight from high school to the NBA. In which year? ⭐⭐
Answer: 1995. - Shaquille O’Neal earned a doctorate in 2012. In what field? ⭐⭐
Answer: Education, from Barry University. - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had a cameo in a famous comedy. Which one? ⭐⭐
Answer: Airplane! (1980), as a co-pilot. - Michael Jordan became the majority owner of which NBA team in 2010? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Charlotte Bobcats, later renamed the Hornets. He sold it in 2023. - Steve Nash grew up in Victoria, Canada, playing which other sport heavily? ⭐⭐
Answer: Soccer.
Coaches, owners and the people behind the scenes
- Phil Jackson won 11 titles as head coach. How many with the Bulls and how many with the Lakers? ⭐⭐
Answer: Six with Chicago, five with Los Angeles. - What did Red Auerbach famously do on the bench when he felt a game was won? ⭐⭐
Answer: Lit a victory cigar. - Who became the first Black head coach in NBA history? ⭐⭐
Answer: Bill Russell, as a player-coach for the Celtics in 1966. - In March 2022 Gregg Popovich passed which coach to become the winningest in NBA history? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Don Nelson. - Pat Riley trademarked what word after his Lakers chased a third straight title? ⭐⭐
Answer: “Three-peat.” - Steve Kerr won five titles as a player. Which two teams did he win them with? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Bulls (three) and the Spurs (two). - Larry Brown is the only coach to win an NCAA championship and an NBA title. Which two teams? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Kansas in 1988 and the Pistons in 2004. - Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo Suns were known as “Seven Seconds or Less.” Which point guard won two MVPs running them? ⭐⭐
Answer: Steve Nash. - Who was the first commissioner of the league that became the NBA? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Maurice Podoloff. - After his ban in 2014, Donald Sterling sold the Clippers to Steve Ballmer for how much? ⭐⭐
Answer: $2 billion. - Mark Cuban bought the Mavericks in 2000 for roughly how much? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: $285 million. - Jerry Buss bought the Lakers in 1979 for how much, including the Forum? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: About $67.5 million. - Bulls general manager Jerry Krause once said that “organizations win championships.” Which player took huge offence to it? ⭐⭐
Answer: Michael Jordan. - Who coached the 1992 Dream Team? ⭐⭐
Answer: Chuck Daly. - Which assistant coach is credited with developing the triangle offense that Phil Jackson used? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Tex Winter.
The Finals
- Who is the only player to win Finals MVP on the losing team? ⭐⭐
Answer: Jerry West, in 1969. - The Larry O’Brien Trophy is named after a commissioner who had earlier held which government post? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: US Postmaster General. - The Finals MVP award was renamed after Bill Russell in which year? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 2009. - In his last shot as a Bull in 1998, Jordan got past which Utah defender? ⭐⭐
Answer: Bryon Russell. - In Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, Kobe Bryant shot 6-for-24. What happened? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The Lakers still beat the Celtics 83-79. - In Game 6 of the 1980 Finals, a rookie played centre for the injured Kareem and scored 42. Who? ⭐⭐
Answer: Magic Johnson. - Andre Iguodala won 2015 Finals MVP after starting how many regular-season games that year? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Zero. - Michael Jordan averaged what in the 1993 Finals against Phoenix? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 41.0 points per game, a record. - In 2006 the Heat came back from 0-2 down in the Finals. Which team did they beat? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Dallas Mavericks. - In Game 1 of the 1995 Finals, Nick Anderson missed four straight what? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Free throws, which helped the Rockets steal the game and the series. - The 2004 Pistons beat a Lakers team with Kobe, Shaq, Karl Malone and Gary Payton. Who was Finals MVP? ⭐⭐
Answer: Chauncey Billups. - In 2019, which team became the first from outside the US to win the title? ⭐
Answer: The Toronto Raptors. - In 2016, LeBron James led both teams in which five categories? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. - Game 5 of the 1976 Finals went how many overtimes? ⭐⭐
Answer: Three. Boston beat Phoenix 128-126. - Which team did Dirk Nowitzki’s Mavericks beat in 2011 to avenge their 2006 loss? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Miami Heat.
Aussies and the rest of the world
- Luc Longley was the first Australian NBA star. How many championships did he win with the Bulls? ⭐⭐
Answer: Three, from 1996 to 1998. He was picked seventh overall in 1991. - Andrew Bogut went first overall in 2005. Which team drafted him, and which team did he win a title with in 2015? ⭐⭐
Answer: The Milwaukee Bucks drafted him, and he won with the Golden State Warriors. - Patty Mills scored how many points in Australia’s bronze medal game at Tokyo 2020? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: 42, against Slovenia. - Patty Mills won a championship with which team in 2014? ⭐
Answer: The San Antonio Spurs. - Ben Simmons, born in Melbourne, went first overall in 2016. He won Rookie of the Year in 2018 even though he’d missed what? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The entire 2016-17 season with a foot injury. - Dante Exum went fifth in 2014 without playing which type of basketball beforehand? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: US college basketball. - Andrew Gaze played in how many Olympics for the Boomers? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: Five, from 1984 to 2000. - In Tokyo 2020 the Boomers won bronze, the first Olympic medal ever for which Australian team? ⭐⭐
Answer: The men’s basketball team. - Josh Giddey became the youngest player in NBA history to record what? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: A triple-double, at 19 years and 84 days. - Lauren Jackson won how many WNBA MVP awards? ⭐⭐
Answer: Three. - Which NBA superstar was born in Melbourne, Australia? ⭐⭐
Answer: Kyrie Irving. - Dirk Nowitzki became the first European-born player to win MVP. In which year? ⭐⭐
Answer: 2007. - Toni Kukoč led Croatia against the Dream Team in 1992. Which Bulls stars took the game very personally? ⭐⭐
Answer: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, who were annoyed at their GM’s affection for Kukoč. - Giannis Antetokounmpo scored how many points in the title-clinching Game 6 of the 2021 Finals? ⭐⭐
Answer: 50. - Yao Ming was the first pick in 2002. What made him the first of his kind? ⭐⭐⭐
Answer: The first international player taken first overall without any US college experience.
