38 NBA Trivia Questions and Answers
NBA trivia covering the invention of basketball, the founding of the league, and its great players, coaches and teams from Bill Russell's Celtics to Michael Jordan's Bulls, with a few questions on the rules. All of it is history, so nothing here depends on this season's results. Answers are shown under each question.
There are 38 questions on this page. They are free to use for quiz nights, classrooms and pub quizzes, and each one links to its own page.
Related lists: NFL trivia questions, Hockey trivia questions, Baseball trivia questions, Olympics trivia questions, 90s trivia questions.
1.Who invented the game of basketball in 1891?
Answer: James Naismith
Open this question2.In which Massachusetts city was basketball invented in 1891?
Answer: Springfield
Open this question3.What kind of fruit basket did James Naismith nail up as the goal for his new game of basketball?
Answer: Peach baskets
Open this question4.Under what name was the league that became the NBA founded in 1946?
Answer: Basketball Association of America (BAA)
Open this question5.In which year did the Basketball Association of America merge with the National Basketball League and take the name NBA?
Answer: 1949
Open this question6.For which team was Wilt Chamberlain playing when he scored 100 points in a single game in 1962?
Answer: Philadelphia Warriors
Open this question7.Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game in 1962 was played in which Pennsylvania town, better known for chocolate?
Answer: Hershey
Open this question8.Which center won eleven NBA championships in thirteen seasons with the Boston Celtics?
Answer: Bill Russell
Open this question9.Which cigar-smoking coach led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA championships, eight of them in a row?
Answer: Red Auerbach
Open this question10.With which team did Michael Jordan win six NBA championships in the 1990s?
Answer: Chicago Bulls
Open this question11.Which coach led the Chicago Bulls to their six NBA championships in the 1990s?
Answer: Phil Jackson
Open this question12.In basketball, how many feet above the floor is the rim of the basket?
Answer: Ten feet
Open this question13.The NBA adopted a shot clock in 1954. How many seconds does it give a team to shoot?
Answer: 24
Open this question14.In which year did the NBA adopt the three-point line?
Answer: 1979
Open this question15.Which rival league, known for its red, white and blue ball, merged with the NBA in 1976?
Answer: American Basketball Association (ABA)
Open this question16.Four ABA teams joined the NBA in 1976. Three were the Denver Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs. Which was the fourth?
Answer: New York Nets
Open this question17.Which basketball player is commonly known by the nickname "Dr. J"?
Answer: Julius Erving
Open this question18.Under what name was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar born?
Answer: Lew Alcindor (Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr.)
Open this question19.What name is given to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's trademark shot?
Answer: The skyhook
Open this question20.By what nickname was the United States men's basketball team at the 1992 Olympics known?
Answer: The Dream Team
Open this question21.With which team did Magic Johnson play his entire NBA career?
Answer: Los Angeles Lakers
Open this question22.With which team did Larry Bird play his entire NBA career?
Answer: Boston Celtics
Open this question23.For which university did Larry Bird play college basketball?
Answer: Indiana State
Open this question24.Which player is nicknamed "the Logo" because his silhouette is the basis of the NBA logo?
Answer: Jerry West
Open this question25.Who was the first African American to play in a game in the NBA?
Answer: Earl Lloyd
Open this question26.Which exhibition basketball team originated on the South Side of Chicago in 1926?
Answer: Harlem Globetrotters
Open this question27.The NBA championship trophy is named after which former commissioner of the league?
Answer: Larry O'Brien
Open this question28.Which coach led the "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers to four NBA championships in the 1980s?
Answer: Pat Riley
Open this question29.What nickname did the Detroit Pistons earn for their physical, defense-oriented style of play?
Answer: The Bad Boys
Open this question30.Which Utah Jazz forward was nicknamed "The Mailman"?
Answer: Karl Malone
Open this question31.Which basketball player was known by the nickname "Pistol Pete"?
Answer: Pete Maravich
Open this question32.Which San Antonio Spurs center was nicknamed "the Admiral" for his service in the US Navy?
Answer: David Robinson
Open this question33.Which NBA team moved from Minneapolis to Los Angeles in 1960?
Answer: The Lakers
Open this question34.The first game of the league that became the NBA was played on November 1, 1946, in which Canadian city?
Answer: Toronto
Open this question35.Which center did the Orlando Magic choose with the first pick of the 1992 NBA draft?
Answer: Shaquille O'Neal
Open this question36.Who was named Finals MVP in both 1994 and 1995 for leading the Houston Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships?
Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon
Open this question37.Who was the first president of the NBA, after whom the league's Most Valuable Player trophy was originally named?
Answer: Maurice Podoloff
Open this question38.Which coach, known as the "Wizard of Westwood", won ten NCAA championships in twelve years with UCLA?
Answer: John Wooden
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