Hello and welcome to what will hopefully be the most challenging basketball quiz you’ll ever encounter. It consists of 100 questions: some you’ll know, some you might be able to guess, and some you won’t know, but I included a lot of links in the answers if you want more information on something you didn’t know before. My objective was to choose not a single question that is easy for everyone. I don’t what people will think of it, but I had fun, and sometimes, that’s what matters most. The answers are right below the last question, so don’t scroll too quickly to avoid spoiling the fun! Good luck!
1) Tracer Olimpia Milano won the European Champions Cup 1986–87. The team included one current NBA coach, one former NBA MVP and the father of one current NBA player. Name them all. (1pt each, 0.5pt if you can only name the third person’s son, but not his actual name)
2) When Michael Jordan went down in the 85–86 season, Orlando Woolridge led the Bulls in scoring. Which former NBA MVP is Woolridge’s cousin? (2pt)
3) Which two players share the record for the most points scored in a Game 7 with 47? (1pt each)
4) Which nation won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Men’s Basketball Tournament? (2pt)
5) Which team led the NBA in Basketball-Reference’s offensive rating for six out of 10 seasons during the 1960’s? (2pt)
6) Name all seven players the Los Angeles Clippers received from the Rockets in the Chris Paul trade. (0.5pt for 2, 1pt for 3, 1.5pt for 4, 2pt for 5, 2.5pt for 6 and 3pt for all seven)
7) Drazen Petrovic held the record for the most points scored in a Yugoslavian league game. In the game, he attempted 60 field goals, 20 three-pointers and 22 free throws. How many points did he finish with? (2pt)
8) After the 1975–76 ABA season, there were only six teams left in the league. The NBA only allowed four of them (Nuggets, Pacers, Nets and Spurs) to be part of the merger. Who were the other two teams? (1pt each)
9) Magic Johnson’s incredible performance in Game 6 of the 1980 Finals is well-known. Game 5, however, was also a very interesting game for Magic. Which (somewhat tragic) statistical feat did Magic achieve in Game 5? (2pt)
10) Name all five former or current NBA All-Stars that signed overseas during the 2011 NBA lockout (0.5pt for 2, 1pt for 3, 1.5pt for 4, 2pt for 5).
11) Which team is the only team in NBA history to field four former, future or current NBA MVP’s? The answer needs to include the season, the team and the players. (2pt)
12) Who were the first three international NBA All-Stars? Two of them have American citizenships but were born somewhere else. (1pt each)
13) Which NBA and NCAA champion played on the 1964 Olympic American Men’s Volleyball Team? (2pt)
14) Which Hall of Famer played his whole career with diminished vision in his left eye after falling eye-first into a rusty nail at age 5? (2pt)
15) Who is the youngest coach in NBA history, coaching in the league aged just 24? (2pt)
16) Walt Bellamy averaged 31.6 points per game and 19 rebounds per game in the legendary 1961–62 season, his rookie year. What was the Chicago franchise he played for that season called? (2pt)
17) In 1958, the Associated Press NCAA All-American First Team, for the first time, included four African-Americans. All of them made the Basketball Hall of Fame. Name them. (0.5pt each, bonus point if you can name the fifth first team member)
18) In a 2011-Grantland article by Jonathan Abrams, Bill Walton is quoted describing Arvydas Sabonis like this: “He could do everything. He had the skills of _______ and_________, He had the athleticism of ________, and he could shoot the 3-point shot. He could pass and run the floor, dribble.” Fill in the blanks. (1pt each)
19) After his NBA career, Dennis Rodman played in the ABA (a different one) and three international leagues. Name the three non-US countries he played in. (1pt each)
20) Name all four Hall of Famers drafted by the Portland Trailblazers (0.5pt each).
21) In the final of the 2006 U-16 European Championship 2006, Ricky Rubio put up 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists and 7 steals and hit a half-court buzzer beater to lift Spain into overtime, which they eventually won. But what rare statistical feat did the then-teenager achieve in the game prior, the semifinal against Croatia? (2pt)
22) Name all four people who made the Hall of Fame as players and coaches (0.5pt each).
23) Which former NBA player broke the EuroLeague single-game scoring record when he scored 49 points (15/19 FG, 10/12 3pt, 9/10 FTs) against Bayern Munich in November 2019? (2pt)
24) Which NBA champion, who attempted 6.2 threes per game over the past seven seasons and made 36.2% of them, shot 23.7% from three and 50.4% on free throws in his lone season in college? (2pt)
25) How many NBA championships did Red Auerbach win in total (as a coach and executive)? (2pt)
26) Nowadays, a team in the bonus will receive two free throws for every foul (when they miss the shot). This used to be different. What happened in these situations prior to a 1981 rule-change? (2pt)
27) It’s hard to imagine anything more difficult than playing the Dream Team. A lot of really great players struggled against them. Match each of the stat lines below to Drazen Petrovic (he actually played the Dream Team twice, but I chose the second game), Oscar Schmidt and Arvydas Sabonis. (1pt each)
A: 24 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, 8/25 FG, 5/10 3FG
B: 11 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, 4/17 FG, 1/5 3FG
C: 24 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists, 5 turnovers, 8/17 FG, 3/7 3FG
28) In 2003, Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse to the National Championship. Who did they beat in the final? (2pt)
29) Elgin Baylor holds the record for the most points scored in an NBA Finals game with 61. Which two players share second place in that ranking with 55 points scored in an NBA Finals game? (1pt each)
30) Which team managed to beat the 95–96 Bulls twice during their legendary 72–10 regular season? (2pt)
31) Who are the only two players to grab 35 or more rebounds in a single NBA game since 1973? (1pt each)
32) The 1979 NCAA Final between Michigan State and Indiana State is well-remembered for the Magic Johnson — Larry Bird duel, but there was another future Top-5 pick playing in that game. What is the name of that person, who is now an announcer for the Detroit Pistons? (2pt)
33) The ABA did not hand out a Finals MVP award. Which similar award did they have instead? (2pt)
34) Two-time ABA All-Star John Brisker disappeared in 1978 and was legally declared dead in 1985. What happened to him is unknown, but rumor is that he got involved with which infamous dictator? (2pt)
35) Which two future Los Angeles Clippers were part of the point-guard-rotation of Olympiacos Piraeus during the 2009–10 EuroLeague season? (1pt each)
36) Which two NBA franchise names fit the city/state the franchise was originally located in, but weren’t changed after relocation and don’t make sense anymore? There’s a third, less obvious answer, which I’ll accept as a bonus. (1pt each for the first two + 0.5pt for the bonus)
37) The duel between Arvydas Sabonis and David Robinson might have been the headline of the 1986 World Cup Final between the Soviet Union and the US. The top scorer of that game, however, was someone different. Which very well-known future two-time NBA champion led the US to the gold medal with 23 points? (2pt)
38) During the 1961–62 season, Elgin Baylor only played six regular season games after New Year’s Day even though he wasn’t injured. Why? (2pt)
39) What was the first thing John Wooden taught his UCLA teams at the start of each new season? (2pt)
40) Name all six players that were the NBA’s All-Time Leading Scorer for at least one season (0.5pt each).
41) Which Defensive Player of the Year only started two games? (2pt)
42) Name all three Brazilians who have played more than 600 NBA games (1pt each)
43) Which former Atlanta Hawks draft pick was voted EuroLeague’s Best Defender in 2019? (2pt)
44) Which former NBA player was traded four times in a span of six days in June 2015? (2pt)
45) Who is the highest picked European in NBA Draft history? (2pt)
46) At halftime of the 1997 All-Star Game, the NBA honored its 50 greatest players. Only 47 of them were present. Who were the three absentees? (1pt each)
47) The coach of which D1-college team wrote a letter to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1986, attempting to convince him to let Arvydas Sabonis play college ball in the US? (2pt)
48) Duncan Robinson combines the two surnames of two San Antonio Spurs legends. Between 1972 and 1974, a man played 78 games in the ABA and NBA. His name was a combination of the first name of a legendary center and the surname of another legendary center. What was his name? (2pt)
49) In 1964, Red Auerbach was asked by a state department official to put together a basketball team to tour the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania and Egypt. The team consisted of eight Hall of Famers. Four of them were Celtics, Bill Russell, Tom Heinsohn, K.C Jones and the retired Bob Cousy. The other four were Jerry Lucas, Tom Gola and two NBA MVPs. Which two MVPs did Auerbach choose for his team? (1pt each)
50) Which current NBA player started his professional career in the semi-professional second division of Luxembourg? (2pt)
51) It took until the shortening of the three-point line in 94–95 for the first NBA team to make over 500 threes in a season. In that season, eight teams broke that barrier. Which team led the league with 646 threes made? (2pt)
52) Nick Nurse went through plenty of coaching jobs before becoming the head coach of the Toronto Raptors. Among them are jobs in the NCAA and the G-League, but he also coached in two European countries. Which ones? (1pt each)
53) Who was the first player in NBA history to make over 500 free throws in a single season on at least 90% accuracy? (2pt)
54) Which team was Michael Jordan reportedly ready to sign with during the 1996 off-season if the Bulls didn’t meet his demands? (2pt)
55) Six players have scored 47 or more points in a FIBA World Cup game. You get three guesses to guess three of the six. (1pt each, 3pt maximum)
56) Who was the MVP of the 2017 EuroBasket? (2pt)
57) Which member of the 18-win 2014–15 “Process”-Sixers averaged over 35 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals per game in the PBA Governors’ Cup in the Philippines in 2019? (2pt)
58) Who’s the ABA’s all-time leader in made three-pointers? (2pt)
59) Which two NBA Hall of Famers played each other in a series of scrimmages on the playgrounds of Washington D.C. during the summer of 1957? (1pt each)
60) Who ranked 2nd and 3rd in playoff minutes (both total as well as per game) for the 2003 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs? (1pt each)
61) When the Philadelphia 76ers traded Allen Iverson (and Ivan McFarlin) to the Denver Nuggets, they received two first round picks and two players in return. Who were the two players? (1pt each)
62) The Golden State Warriors were the fifth team to own the draft pick that became Eric Paschall (41st pick in the 2019 Draft). Name all of the four previous owners of that pick. Bonus point if you can name one of the players involved in the transactions. (0.5pt per team, 1pt bonus for a player)
63) The 7-win Charlotte Bobcats waived which future NBA champion? (2pt)
64) About whom did Red Auerbach say the following sentences at that person’s Hall of Fame enshrinement? “I remember when he joined us, it was a moral victory, from 16 feet, if he hit the rim. He couldn’t shoot the ball.” (2pt)
65) How often did Jerry West finish 2nd in MVP voting? (2pt)
66) “Seattle SuperSonics, Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics” is the order of teams which 5-time NBA All-Star played for? (2pt)
67) When David Thompson led NC State to the NCAA Championship in 1974, they had to go through John Wooden’s UCLA. In which round of the tournament did they beat the Bill Walton-led team in a double-overtime thriller? (2pt)
68) Name all six future All-NBA players drafted behind Kwame Brown in the 2001 Draft? (0.5pt each)
69) Which son of a Basketball Hall of Famer was part of the US-team that won the gold medal at the 2019 FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Amsterdam? (2pt for his name, only 1pt for only his dad’s name)
70) Who won the first Sixth Man of the Year award? (2pt)
71) Which two African nations have produced more than 10 NBA players? (1pt each)
72) Which former first round pick put up this outrageous stat line in the G-League in January 2020? 45 points, 13 rebounds, 9 assists, 6 blocks and 4 threes. (2pt)
73) In which year was the NBA Draft changed to only consist of two rounds, the format that is still used today? (2pt)
74) Between 1949 and 1965, NBA teams were able to forfeit their first round pick and receive a territorial pick in exchange. Territorial picks were made before the actual draft, but the team couldn’t just pick anyone with the pick. The picks had to meet certain requirements. What were they? (2pt)
75) What was the Toronto franchise called that lost to the New York Knickerbockers in the first game in BAA (forerunner of the NBA) history in 1946? (2pt)
76) In Game 7 of the 1957 Finals, the Boston Celtics beat the St. Louis Hawks with two rookies leading the way. Bill Russell finished with 19 points and 32 rebounds, Tom Heinsohn had 37 points and 23 rebounds. The teams’ two leading scorers, Bob Cousy and Bill Sharman, didn’t show up. They attempted a combined 40 field goals, how many did they make? (2pt)
77) Angola has won 11 out of 29 FIBA African Championships, but only produced one NBA player. Which 2019 Draft pick became Angola’s first NBA player? (2pt)
78) In John Feinstein’s 2004 book, Red Auerbach is quoted saying “I knew he could shot, but I wanted to watch the rest of his game. He’s a better athlete than people think. He works on defense and he’s quicker than people give him credit for” about which (then-) college player? (2pt)
79) According to Magic Johnson’s autobiography, he didn’t have a personal relationship with Kareem during his first couple of years as a Lakers. It took until the summer after the ______ Finals, when Kareem called Magic and invited him to his house in Bel Air, for them to become friends. Fill in the blank with the correct year. (2pt)
80) “Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers again” is the career path of which 2-time All-Star of the 2000’s? (2pt)
81) In which decade of NBA basketball did teams shoot the least free throws per game? (2pt)
82) This conversation apparently occurred in a hotel room late at night during the NCAA tournament.
A: “Stay for a while”
B: “What about your game tomorrow?”
A: “No competition. I don’t need that much rest. I’m not putting down the other team. I just don’t worry about them. They have a problem — they’re playing against me.”
Person B is Elgin Baylor, who is Person A? (2pt)
83) Which team drafted J.R. Smith 18th in the 2004 NBA Draft? (2pt)
84) The Phoenix Suns won 62 games in 2004–05, the first year after Steve Nash’s return. How many games did they win the year prior? (2pt)
85) Toni Kukoc finished his career with which team? (2pt)
86) Which current EuroLeague player scored 33 points to lead Stephen F. Austin to an upset over third-seeded West Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016? (2pt)
87) Name all six non-European, non-US nations that have won at least one medal at the Men’s Olympic Basketball tournament? (0.5pt each)
88) Who is the only player to score 50 points in an NBA Finals closeout game? (2pt)
89) Name all five players who have officially (so no Wilt) put up at least 6 steals AND 6 blocks in a single NBA game. (0.5pt for 2, 1pt for 3, 1.5 pt for 4 and 2pt for all 5)
90) Name all three Dallas Mavericks who have put up at least 22 points and 22 rebounds in a single game. (1pt each)
91) Which G-League team ran “The System” during the 2014–15 season? “The System” was conceived at D-III school Grinnell, and it’s based on nonstop defensive pressure, taking a ton of threes, extremely high pace, four players crashing the offensive glass and maximum effort at all times (involves switching their whole five-man lineup every one or two minutes). (2pt)
92) The pick that became Charles Barkley originally belonged to someone else. Which franchise traded the 1984-pick to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future All-Star scoring guard back in 1978? (2pt)
93) When Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retired after the 1989 Finals, how many years had passed since he led Power Memorial to the State Championship in his senior year of high school? (2pt)
94) Name all five double-digit scorers (PPG) of the ’00 Trail Blazers team that took the Lakers to Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals. (0.5pt each)
95) Which member of the record-breaking ’67 Philadelphia 76ers spent his post-playing career teaching in schools, doing basketball clinics, working with underprivileged kids, and even writing a book called Black Champions Challenge American Sports among other remarkable communal work? (2pt)
96) Who did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar describe as the toughest defender he ever faced? (2pt)
97) The 1994–95 Spurs had three NBA MVPs on their payroll, two as players, one as an assistant coach. Name them all. (1pt each)
98) How many of Steve Novak’s regular season field goal attempts in the NBA were three-pointers? (2pt if you’re within 5%)
99) The three-point shot originated in which league? (2pt)
100) Name all 12 players drafted ahead of Kobe Bryant (0.5pt each)
⚠️ Answers Below!
Total Points Possible: 217.5
Bonus Points Possible: 2.5
1) Mike D’Antoni, Bob McAdoo and Vittorio Gallinari.
2) Willis Reed
3) Sam Jones and Dominique Wilkins
4) Italy
5) Cincinnati Royals
6) Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Sam Dekker, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins and Kyle Wiltjer
7) 112 (40/60 FG, 10/20 3FG, 22/22 FT)
8) Kentucky Colonels and St. Louis Spirits
9) Quadruple-Double with turnovers (2pt), 10 turnovers (1pt)
10) Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur, Kenyon Martin, Andrei Kirilenko and Tony Parker
11) 85–86 Philadelphia 76ers: Charles Barkley, Bob McAdoo, Moses Malone and Julius Erving
12) Rolando Blackman, Detlef Schrempf, Hakeem Olajuwon
13) Keith Erickson
14) Dave Bing
15) Dave DeBusschere
16) Chicago Packers (they became the Chicago Zephyrs the next year and the Baltimore Bullets the year after)
17) Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson and Guy Rodgers (bonus point: Don Hennon)
18) Skills of Larry Bird and Pete Maravich, Athleticism of Kareem
19) Mexico, Finland, Great Britain/England
20) Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Arvydas Sabonis and Drazen Petrovic
21) Quadruple-Double (19 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 11 steals)
22) John Wooden, Bill Sharman, Tom Heinsohn and Lenny Wilkens
23) Shane Larkin
24) Trevor Ariza
25) 16 (1957, 1959–1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986)
26) The team that was fouled received three chances (free throws) to score two points.
27) A: Oscar Schmidt, B: Arvydas Sabonis, C: Drazen Petrovic (the best performance against the Dream Team arguably belongs to Andrés Jiménez Fernández from Spain, who had 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists according to the boxscore in FIBA’s archive.
28) Kansas
29) Rick Barry and Michael Jordan
30) Indiana Pacers
31) Moses Malone and Charles Oakley
32) Greg Kelser
33) They awarded a Playoff MVP award.
34) Idi Amin
35) Milos Teodosic and Patrick Beverley
36) Los Angeles Lakers (originally the Minneapolis Lakers. Minneapolis is in Minnesota, which is often referred to as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”) and the Utah Jazz (originally the New Orleans Jazz. New Orleans is much more related to the history of Jazz than Utah). (Bonus: Memphis Grizzlies (originally the Vancouver Grizzlies. Grizzlies are much more common in Vancouver than in Memphis)
37) Kenny “The Jet” Smith
38) Baylor was serving his time in the military. During the six games he was allowed to play, he averaged 38.8 points per game as well as 22.3 rebounds per game and led the Lakers to a 6–0 record.
39) He taught them how to tie their shoes properly (source: Kareem’s book “Coach Wooden and Me”)
40) Joe Fulks, George Mikan, Dolph Schayes, Bob Pettit, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
41) Michael Cooper
42) Nene, Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao
43) Walter “Edy” Tavares
44) Luke Ridnour
45) Andrea Bargnani (1st pick)
46) Pete Maravich, Shaquille O’Neal and Jerry West
47) Louisiana State University
48) Bill Chamberlain
49) Oscar Robertson and Bob Pettit. Article by Oscar and a series of pictures by Radiša Mladenović
50) Alfonzo McKinnie
51) Houston Rockets
53) Dolph Schayes (1956–57: 625–691 FTs (90.4%))
56) Goran Dragic
57) K.J. McDaniels
58) Louie Dampier
59) Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor
60) Tony Parker and Stephen Jackson
61) Andre Miller and Joe Smith
62) The pick went from the Lakers to the Pacers to the Cavaliers to the Hawks, before being sold to the Warriors. Players involved in these transactions were Roy Hibbert, Rakeem Christmas, Kay Felder, Richard Jefferson, Dimitrios Agravanis and Sergiy Gladyr.
63) Boris Diaw
64) K.C. Jones
65) Four times
66) Dennis Johnson
67) Semifinal/Final Four
68) Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Joe Johnson, Zach Randolph, Tony Parker and Gilbert Arenas
69) 2pt for Canyon Barry (1pt for only naming Rick Barry)
72) Justin Patton
73) 1989
74) Players picked with a territorial pick must have attended a college within a 50-mile radius of the home arena of the team that picked them.
75) Toronto Huskies
76) 5 (Cousy shot 2/20, Sharman 3/20)
77) Bruno Fernando
78) J.J. Redick
79) 1984
80) Elton Brand
81) The 2010’s
82) Bill Russell (Source: Elgin Baylor’s autobiography “Hang Time”)
83) The New Orleans Hornets
84) 29
85) The Milwaukee Bucks
86) Thomas Walkup
87) Argentina (1x Gold, 1x Bronze), Canada (1x Silver), Brazil (3x Bronze), Uruguay (2x Bronze), Cuba (1x Bronze) and Mexico (1x Bronze)
88) Bob Pettit
89) Hakeem Olajuwon, Anthony Davis, Elvin Hayes, David Robinson, Andrei Kirilenko
91) 2pt for Reno Bighorns, 1pt for “only” knowing that they are the affiliate of the Sacramento Kings.
92) The Clippers, at the time of San Diego
93) 24. Kareem played his final year of high school in 1965.
94) Rasheed Wallace, Scottie Pippen, Steve Smith, Damon Stoudamire and Arvydas Sabonis
95) Wali Jones
96) Nate Thurmond
97) Players: David Robinson and Moses Malone, Assistant Coach: Dave Cowens
98) 77.9% of his FGA were three-pointers.
99) The ABL (American Basketball League) was the first league to institute the line, after there had been some experiments with it in college basketball. Founded and commisiond by Globetrotters owner Abe Saperstein, the ABL was supposed to rival the NBA, but only lasted from 1961 to 1963. The league started with a 25ft three-point shot, but eventually shortened the corner three to 22ft. Tony Jackson led the league with 141 made threes (36.8%) in its inaugural season.
100) Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Antoine Walker, Lorenzen Wright, Kerry Kittles, Samaki Walker, Erick Dampier, Todd Fuller, Vitaly Potapenko
