Basketball Trivia Questions and Answers

NBA history with the arguments left in. Finals, MVPs, the dynasties and the teams that broke them, plus enough international and college material that the pool is not only the last fifteen years. The easy end is the names that escaped the sport entirely — the ones on trainers and in films. The hard end asks which season, which series, which game, and expects you to know that those are three different questions. Scoring records date fast, so anything that would need updating every spring was written to be about the moment rather than the number.

39 questions with answers · free · no account needed

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  1. 1. Which team did LeBron James beat to bring Cleveland its first NBA title in 2016?Easy

    • Golden State Warriors ✓
    • San Antonio Spurs
    • Boston Celtics
    • Oklahoma City Thunder

  2. 2. Which team blew a 3-1 Finals lead in 2016?Hard

    • Golden State Warriors ✓
    • Cleveland Cavaliers
    • San Antonio Spurs
    • Oklahoma City Thunder

  3. 3. Which team did the Detroit Pistons upset in the 2004 NBA Finals?Hard

    • Los Angeles Lakers ✓
    • San Antonio Spurs
    • Indiana Pacers
    • New Jersey Nets

  4. 4. What number did Michael Jordan famously wear?Easy

    • 23 ✓
    • 32
    • 45
    • 8

  5. 5. Which team did Michael Jordan finish his playing career with?Medium

    • Washington Wizards ✓
    • Chicago Bulls
    • Charlotte Hornets
    • Miami Heat

  6. 6. Which player was taken second overall in 1984, ahead of Michael Jordan?Hard

    • Sam Bowie ✓
    • Hakeem Olajuwon
    • Charles Barkley
    • John Stockton

  7. 7. Which two titles did LeBron James win before returning to Cleveland?Medium

    • Two with the Miami Heat ✓
    • Two with the Lakers
    • Two with the Bulls
    • Two with the Cavaliers

  8. 8. LeBron James went to the NBA directly from which high school?Hard

    • St. Vincent-St. Mary ✓
    • Oak Hill Academy
    • Montverde Academy
    • Sierra Canyon

  9. 9. Kobe Bryant spent part of his childhood in which European country?Hard

    • Italy ✓
    • Spain
    • France
    • Greece

  10. 10. Stephen Curry became the first player to win NBA MVP by what kind of vote in 2016?Medium

    • A unanimous vote ✓
    • A tied vote
    • A players-only vote
    • A fan vote

  11. 11. Which college did Tim Duncan play for?Medium

    • Wake Forest ✓
    • Georgetown
    • Kansas
    • Louisville

  12. 12. Shaquille O'Neal played college basketball at which university?Hard

    • LSU ✓
    • Georgetown
    • Michigan
    • Arizona

  13. 13. Which Boston Celtics forward was Magic Johnson's great rival in the 1980s?Easy

    • Larry Bird ✓
    • Julius Erving
    • Kevin McHale
    • Dominique Wilkins

  14. 14. Which NBA team is based in Texas and is known as the Mavericks?Easy

    • Dallas ✓
    • Houston
    • San Antonio
    • Austin

  15. 15. Which two NBA teams swapped their nicknames in a 2013 rebrand deal?Hard

    • The Hornets and the Pelicans ✓
    • The Bulls and the Bucks
    • The Kings and the Suns
    • The Nets and the Knicks

  16. 16. A triple-double means reaching double figures in how many statistical categories?Easy

    • Three ✓
    • Two
    • Four
    • Five

  17. 17. Which Houston Rockets centre blocked more shots than anyone in NBA history?Hard

    • Hakeem Olajuwon ✓
    • Dikembe Mutombo
    • Shaquille O'Neal
    • Patrick Ewing

  18. 18. Which Chicago Bulls superstar starred for the Dream Team?Easy

    • Michael Jordan ✓
    • Isiah Thomas
    • Dominique Wilkins
    • Shaquille O'Neal

  19. 19. Which Detroit Pistons guard was famously left off the Dream Team?Medium

    • Isiah Thomas ✓
    • Joe Dumars
    • Dennis Rodman
    • Mark Aguirre

  20. 20. Which guard was the first overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft?Medium

    • Allen Iverson ✓
    • Kobe Bryant
    • Ray Allen
    • Steve Nash

  21. 21. Which point guard was taken 15th overall in the 1996 draft and later won two MVPs?Hard

    • Steve Nash ✓
    • Jason Kidd
    • Tony Parker
    • Baron Davis

  22. 22. Which Toronto Raptors star put on a legendary dunk contest display in 2000?Easy

    • Vince Carter ✓
    • Tracy McGrady
    • Jason Richardson
    • Dominique Wilkins

  23. 23. The All-Star Game MVP award is now named after which player?Hard

    • Kobe Bryant ✓
    • Michael Jordan
    • Bill Russell
    • Magic Johnson

  24. 24. How many titles did the Chicago Bulls win in the 1990s?Easy

    • Six ✓
    • Three
    • Four
    • Eight

  25. 25. What is the term for a team winning three consecutive championships?Medium

    • A three-peat ✓
    • A hat-trick
    • A treble
    • A triple crown

  26. 26. Which Spurs trio won titles together across more than a decade?Hard

    • Duncan, Parker and Ginobili ✓
    • Duncan, Robinson and Elliott
    • Parker, Leonard and Aldridge
    • Duncan, Nash and Ginobili

  27. 27. Which coach led the San Antonio Spurs for more than two decades?Easy

    • Gregg Popovich ✓
    • Rick Carlisle
    • Doc Rivers
    • Jeff Van Gundy

  28. 28. Which coach guided the Miami Heat to titles with LeBron James?Easy

    • Erik Spoelstra ✓
    • Pat Riley
    • Doc Rivers
    • Stan Van Gundy

  29. 29. Which nickname is Nikola Jokic known by?Medium

    • The Joker ✓
    • The Greek Freak
    • The Beard
    • The Brow

  30. 30. Which Argentinian guard won four titles as a Spurs sixth man?Medium

    • Manu Ginobili ✓
    • Luis Scola
    • Carlos Delfino
    • Andres Nocioni

  31. 31. Which Spanish big man won two titles playing alongside Kobe Bryant?Medium

    • Pau Gasol ✓
    • Marc Gasol
    • Ricky Rubio
    • Jose Calderon

  32. 32. Which superstar forced a trade from Minnesota to Boston in 2007, winning a title?Medium

    • Kevin Garnett ✓
    • Paul Pierce
    • Ray Allen
    • Rasheed Wallace

  33. 33. Which player was the first to dunk in a WNBA game?Medium

    • Lisa Leslie ✓
    • Brittney Griner
    • Candace Parker
    • Sylvia Fowles

  34. 34. Which New York arena is billed as the world's most famous arena?Easy

    • Madison Square Garden ✓
    • Barclays Center
    • TD Garden
    • United Center

  35. 35. Which player was known as Dr. J?Easy

    • Julius Erving ✓
    • Elgin Baylor
    • George Gervin
    • Connie Hawkins

  36. 36. Which Philadelphia guard was nicknamed The Answer?Easy

    • Allen Iverson ✓
    • Andre Iguodala
    • Jrue Holiday
    • Ben Simmons

  37. 37. Which Spurs centre was known as The Admiral for his navy service?Medium

    • David Robinson ✓
    • Tim Duncan
    • Patrick Ewing
    • Alonzo Mourning

  38. 38. Which forward was nicknamed the Round Mound of Rebound in college?Hard

    • Charles Barkley ✓
    • Shaquille O'Neal
    • Karl Malone
    • Zion Williamson

  39. 39. Which trophy is awarded to the NBA's regular season Most Valuable Player?Hard

    • The Michael Jordan Trophy ✓
    • The Larry O'Brien Trophy
    • The Bill Russell Trophy
    • The Red Auerbach Trophy

How to play these as a game

Trivia Tavern runs these as a live round: one person opens a room, everyone else joins with a five-character code, and answers are locked in on each player’s own phone with a clock running. Faster correct answers score more, and a match draws from the full basketball pool — around two hundred questions, of which the 39 above are a sample.

Two to eight players, about fifteen minutes for three rounds, and nobody needs to make an account to sit down.

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