I like an NBA trivia round that gives the casual fan a few easy baskets before asking which team actually drafted the player whose jersey they own.
These 90 NBA trivia questions move from familiar names to franchise history, draft-night surprises, championship moments, and rules that are easier to argue about than remember.
Host’s tip: Award one point per answer and save the draft and history rounds for the more competitive players. Questions about an achievement name its season or year, so you are not guessing which version of an all-time leaderboard applies.
Easy NBA Trivia: Players and Nicknames
Start with the names and signature moves that make a basketball fan recognize a player before the announcer finishes talking.
- With which team did Michael Jordan win his six NBA championships?
Answer: The Chicago Bulls. - For which franchise did Kobe Bryant play his entire NBA career?
Answer: The Los Angeles Lakers. - Which player was nicknamed “The Big Fundamental”?
Answer: Tim Duncan. - For which franchise did Dirk Nowitzki play his entire NBA career?
Answer: The Dallas Mavericks. - Which team did Bill Russell represent throughout his NBA playing career?
Answer: The Boston Celtics. - With which team did Shaquille O’Neal begin his NBA career?
Answer: The Orlando Magic. - What is Magic Johnson’s given first name?
Answer: Earvin. - Which guard is known as “The Answer”?
Answer: Allen Iverson. - Which longtime Celtics star is known as “The Truth”?
Answer: Paul Pierce. - Which basketball legend is called “Dr. J”?
Answer: Julius Erving. - Which Atlanta Hawks legend earned the nickname “The Human Highlight Film”?
Answer: Dominique Wilkins. - What is the surname of the player nicknamed “Pistol Pete”?
Answer: Maravich. - Which former Timberwolves and Celtics star was called “The Big Ticket”?
Answer: Kevin Garnett. - Which center made the skyhook his signature shot?
Answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. - Which Milwaukee star is nicknamed “The Greek Freak”?
Answer: Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Teams, Cities, and Franchise History
A team’s name can tell you where it used to live rather than where it plays now, which is why I would not let anyone skip this round.
- In which city did the Lakers play before moving to Los Angeles?
Answer: Minneapolis. - In which city did the Jazz franchise begin?
Answer: New Orleans. The musical name traveled with the franchise to Utah. - In which Canadian city did the Grizzlies play before moving to Memphis?
Answer: Vancouver. - Which franchise began as the Buffalo Braves?
Answer: The Los Angeles Clippers, with a stop in San Diego before Los Angeles. - What was the Philadelphia 76ers franchise called when it played in Syracuse?
Answer: The Syracuse Nationals. - Which team relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008 and became the Thunder?
Answer: The Seattle SuperSonics. - Which country is home to the Toronto Raptors?
Answer: Canada. - Which NBA franchise is associated with Madison Square Garden?
Answer: The New York Knicks. - Which franchise moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn in 2012?
Answer: The Nets. - Which Wisconsin city is home to the Bucks?
Answer: Milwaukee. - Which team has a mascot called Benny the Bull?
Answer: The Chicago Bulls. - Which team is associated with the nickname “Rip City”?
Answer: The Portland Trail Blazers. - Which franchise was once named the Tri-Cities Blackhawks?
Answer: The Atlanta Hawks. - What longer name is shortened to “Knicks”?
Answer: Knickerbockers. - Which team became the New Orleans Pelicans in 2013?
Answer: The New Orleans Hornets. That name change is separate from Charlotte reclaiming the Hornets name.
Harder NBA Trivia: Draft-Night Surprises
For these questions, “drafted by” means the team that made the selection, not necessarily the team the player joined after a trade.
- Who was the first overall selection in the 1984 NBA Draft?
Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon, listed as Akeem at the time. - Whom did Portland select second overall in 1984, immediately before Michael Jordan?
Answer: Sam Bowie. - What overall pick was Michael Jordan in 1984?
Answer: Third. - Which team selected Charles Barkley fifth overall in 1984?
Answer: The Philadelphia 76ers. - At which college did John Stockton play before entering the 1984 draft?
Answer: Gonzaga. - Which team selected Kobe Bryant in the 1996 draft before trading him to the Lakers?
Answer: The Charlotte Hornets. - Who was the first pick in the 1996 NBA Draft?
Answer: Allen Iverson. - Which team drafted Steve Nash in 1996?
Answer: The Phoenix Suns. - Which team selected Dirk Nowitzki before his draft-night trade to Dallas in 1998?
Answer: The Milwaukee Bucks. - Which team selected Vince Carter before trading him to Toronto in 1998?
Answer: The Golden State Warriors. - Which franchise selected LeBron James first overall in 2003?
Answer: The Cleveland Cavaliers. - Which team drafted Carmelo Anthony in 2003?
Answer: The Denver Nuggets. - Which team selected Dwyane Wade fifth overall in 2003?
Answer: The Miami Heat. - Whom did the San Antonio Spurs select first overall in 1997?
Answer: Tim Duncan. - Which Chinese center was the first overall pick in 2002?
Answer: Yao Ming.
NBA Finals and Championship Moments
This round is about particular championship runs, not how many titles a team happens to have when you read the page.
- How many NBA championships did Bill Russell win as a player?
Answer: Eleven. - Who coached the Chicago Bulls during both of their 1990s three-peats?
Answer: Phil Jackson. - Which team won consecutive championships in 1994 and 1995?
Answer: The Houston Rockets. - In which two years did Orlando reach the Finals with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwight Howard, respectively?
Answer: 1995 and 2009. - Which team overcame a 3–1 Finals deficit to win the title in 2016?
Answer: The Cleveland Cavaliers. - Who hit Cleveland’s late go-ahead three-pointer in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals?
Answer: Kyrie Irving. - Whose layup did LeBron James famously block late in that Game 7?
Answer: Andre Iguodala’s. - Which team did Dallas defeat in the 2011 Finals?
Answer: The Miami Heat. - Who won Finals MVP for Dallas in 2011?
Answer: Dirk Nowitzki. - Which team did San Antonio defeat in the 2014 Finals?
Answer: The Miami Heat. - Who was the 2014 Finals MVP?
Answer: Kawhi Leonard. - Which team did Toronto beat to win its first championship in 2019?
Answer: The Golden State Warriors. - Which team did Milwaukee defeat in the 2021 Finals?
Answer: The Phoenix Suns. - How many points did Giannis Antetokounmpo score in the championship-clinching Game 6 in 2021?
Answer: Fifty. - Which team did Denver beat in the 2023 Finals?
Answer: The Miami Heat.
History, Milestones, and Big Nights
Some numbers are unforgettable, but league firsts need a little care: being drafted first is different from being the first player to appear in a game.
- Who scored 100 points in an NBA game in 1962?
Answer: Wilt Chamberlain. - Which player averaged 50.4 points per game in the 1961–62 season?
Answer: Wilt Chamberlain. - Against which team did Kobe Bryant score 81 points in January 2006?
Answer: The Toronto Raptors. - Who made 402 three-pointers during the 2015–16 regular season?
Answer: Stephen Curry. - Who first averaged a triple-double across an NBA season, in 1961–62?
Answer: Oscar Robertson. - Which Oklahoma City guard averaged a triple-double in 2016–17?
Answer: Russell Westbrook. - Who recorded the NBA’s first official quadruple-double in October 1974?
Answer: Nate Thurmond. - Who became the first Black player to appear in an NBA game in 1950?
Answer: Earl Lloyd. - Who became the first Black player selected in an NBA draft, also in 1950?
Answer: Chuck Cooper. His milestone concerns the draft, whereas Lloyd’s concerns playing in a game. - What was the name of the league founded in 1946 that became part of the NBA’s history?
Answer: The Basketball Association of America, or BAA. - In what year did the NBA introduce its 24-second shot clock?
Answer: 1954. - In which season did the NBA introduce the three-point line?
Answer: 1979–80. - In what year did four ABA teams join the NBA?
Answer: 1976. - How many regular-season games did the Golden State Warriors win in 2015–16?
Answer: Seventy-three, finishing 73–9. - How many consecutive games did the Lakers win during their famous 1971–72 streak?
Answer: Thirty-three.
Rules and Court Details
Use NBA rules for this round, not college or international rules; familiar-looking basketball does not always use the same timing or dimensions.
- How many players from each team normally play on the court?
Answer: Five. - How many minutes are in an NBA regulation quarter?
Answer: Twelve. - How many quarters make up regulation play?
Answer: Four. - How many minutes are in an NBA overtime period?
Answer: Five. - What is the standard full shot-clock length?
Answer: Twenty-four seconds. - To how many seconds does the shot clock reset after an offensive rebound of a shot that hits the rim?
Answer: Fourteen seconds. - How many points is a successful free throw worth?
Answer: One. - How many points is a successful field goal worth when released from beyond the three-point line?
Answer: Three. - What color must the NBA basket ring be painted under the equipment rules?
Answer: Orange. - How wide is an NBA backboard?
Answer: Six feet. - How high is the upper edge of the rim above the floor?
Answer: Ten feet. - What is the inside diameter of the basket ring?
Answer: Eighteen inches. - How far is the free-throw line from the plane of the backboard’s front face?
Answer: Fifteen feet. Measuring from the rim gives a different distance. - How many personal fouls normally disqualify an NBA player?
Answer: Six. The rulebook includes a special procedure when a team has no eligible substitutes. - What is a triple-double?
Answer: Reaching double figures in three statistical categories in one game.
Sources and Scoring Notes
The Basketball Hall of Fame’s profiles of Michael Jordan, Nate Thurmond, Earl Lloyd, and Chuck Cooper help distinguish career achievements and different kinds of historical firsts.
For the final round, use the NBA’s own rules on scoring and timing, the shot clock, and court equipment. Draft-day selections and trades are separate events, which is why the draft questions specify which one is being asked.
Found a disputed answer? Please report a correction with the question number and the relevant season, game, or rule. A scoped historical question should not change simply because a player adds to a career total.
Build Another Sports Round
Try sports trivia for a broader mix, NFL trivia for the football fans, or bar trivia for a mixed table.
Ellie Simons creates and edits Random Trivia. She researches trivia using primary and authoritative sources whenever possible and is currently reviewing the site's older trivia library for accuracy, clarity, and playability. Read more on the About page.
About this quiz
Site editor: Ellie Simons. Read our Trivia Methodology to learn how questions are researched and updated. Page last updated: . Report an error.