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It doesn't have to be March to find yourself mad for NBA trivia! Alongside football and baseball trivia questions, NBA trivia is part of the holy trinity of sports trivia questions.
Because so many people love sports with a fanatic passion, trivia about sporting events makes for some of the best ice breaker questions around. So if you're looking for fun trivia questions for your next pub trivia night or get-together around the house, look no further than this awesome list of NBA basketball trivia questions and answers!
NBA Trivia Video
Contents
8 Best NBA trivia
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Each of the questions below should be your first choice when making an NBA trivia game night. They've been specially selected to have just the right difficulty level: Not too hard, and not too easy, so everyone can get involved.
1. Which team won the very-first NBA Championship in 1950?
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Lakers
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The Lakers beat the Miami Heat 116 to 98, becoming the first champions of the newly formed sports league.
2. How many personal fouls does it take to get ejected from an NBA basketball game?
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6
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Personal fouls are also the most common type of foul in basketball, and constitute illegal physical contact with a member of the opposing team.
3. Name one of the two original NBA teams to have never moved location (just name the city)?
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Boston
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The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks are the only two teams from the original roster to have never changed name or moved.
4. How high is an NBA rim required to be?
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10 Feet
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Keeping this regulation standard, as well as the court size, is what allows professional basketball to be played in arenas across the world.
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5. What team did Larry Bird coach at the start of the 1997 NBA season?
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Indiana Pacers
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Regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Byrd became a coach after retiring as a player and won the NBA's Coach of the Year award for the 1997-1998 season.
6. What is Michael Jordan's middle name?
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Jeffrey
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Jordan played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. He is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
7. Who is the shortest player to win the Slam Dunk Contest?
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Spud Webb
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Standing just five feet seven inches tall, Webb played in 814 games throughout the course of his NBA career.
8. What is the Toronto's first basketball team?
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Toronto Huskies
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The team only lasted one year, playing the 1946-1947 season before disbanding.
4 Trivia About NBA Players and Games Kids Who Love Sports May Find Easy To Answer
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Trivia for kids really isn't all that different from trivia for adults; just adjust the difficulty a little bit, and go for more visual clues. Of all the sports available, basketball might be the best for sports trivia for kids.
9. Which basketball player's name means "Little Warrior"
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Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal
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During his playing days, Shaq stood seven feet one inch tall and weighed 325 pounds, making him one of the largest and heaviest players on the court.
10. What is the official name of the Charlotte Hornets' mascot?
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Hugo The Hornet
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Hugo was designed by Cheryl Henson, daughter of the famous puppeteer Jim Henson.
11. Where was Michael Jordan born?
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Brooklyn, NY
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Jordan was born in 1963, and is currently 57 years old. He attended high school and college in North Carolina.
12. Who passed Kobe Bryant as the leading scorer in NBA All-Star history?
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LeBron James
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At just 35 years old, James has plenty of years of playing ahead of him, and has already been compared to other basketball greats like Michael Jordan.
4 NBA Questions To Ask Teens During A Basketball Game Night
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Moving on from easier kids' trivia, NBA trivia for teens should be just as difficult as it is for adults -- but limit your questions to more recent events rather than anything further back in NBA history.
13. Stephen Curry led all rookies in which category for the 2009-10 NBA season?
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Steals
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Curry has been a six-time NBA all-star, and is credited with revolutionizing the modern playing style of the game.
14. Blake Griffin dunked over what object to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 2011?
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15. Who was named Nike Baller of the Year in 2005?
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Manu Ginobili
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The Argentinian-Italian giant played in 23 professional seasons before retiring, playing for the San Antonio Spurs throughout his entire career.
16. What was Kobe Bryant's middle name?
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Bean
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Spending his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe was the son of former NBA player Joe Bryant.
5 Easy Trivia Quizzes Based on US National Basketball Association
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Whenever you're putting together a trivia game night, make sure that you don't only use difficult questions. By mixing in some easy trivia questions too, you'll ensure that everybody can get involved and have a good time.
17. Rapper Drake is often seen courtside at which team's games?
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Toronto Raptors
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Drake was born in 1986 in Toronto, and has been an NBA fan his entire life
18. What is Michael Jordan's career high in scoring?
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69
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This was in the 1990 season, where Jordan's huge score helped the Bulls best the Cavaliers.
19. What is the nickname that has followed NBA star Kevin Garnett?
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Big Ticket
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Garnett was an amazing power forward, and had a career lasting 21 seasons in the NBA.
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20. What former NBA star hosted "Saturday Night Live" in 2018?
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Charles Barkley
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Prior to retirement, "Sir Charles" was an 11-time NBA all star.
21. What country is NBA basketball player Yao Ming originally from?
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China
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Yao played for the Houston Rockets before knee injuries led him to retire from active play.
4 Trivia About NBA Guaranteed To Make You Smile (or even Laugh Out Loud!)
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No matter how seriously fans and players might take the game, the NBA is not without its hilarious moments -- as proven by these funny trivia questions taken straight from the court.
22. Who is sometimes referred to as "The Human Victory Cigar"?
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Darko Milicic
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Darko played in the NBA from 2003 to 2013, where he was the youngest foreign player to play in the league.
23. Which NBA player was told to "Shut-up and dribble" by a Fox employee?
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LeBron James
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This was during an interview conducted by Laura Ingraham, to which James made widely publicized responses.
24. In 2011 Ron Artest legally changed his name to what?
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Metta World Peace
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As of 2020, he has once again legally changed his name, this time to Metta Sandiford-Artest.
25. Who is the smallest NBA player of all time?
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Muggsy Bogues
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Standing just five feet three inches tall, Bogues was a point guard for 14 seasons in the NBA.
5 Challenging US Basketball Questions To Test All The Fans Worldwide
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Once it gets down to the end of a game of trivia, the gloves have to come off: It's time for the best hard trivia questions you've got!
26. Which NBA star grew up as the son of a 15 year old single mother?
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Allen Iverson
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The Answer was hugely influential on the culture and play of the game, and was the NBA's most valuable player in 2001.
27. Who was the first Turkish-born player in NBA history?
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Hedo Turkoglu
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The 6 foot 10 inch tall pro played for six teams during his 14-season career, and is now president of the Turkish Basketball Federation.
28. Which 1990's NBA great was nicknamed "the Admiral"?
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David Robinson
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He received this nickname because of his long stint in the U.S. Navy.
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29. 76ers center Joel Embiid is a native of which African country?
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Cameroon
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Embiid is known to have modeled his basketball play style after Hakeem Olujawon.
30. In 2010, which NBA player posed nude for an issue of ESPN magazine?
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Amare Stoudemire
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Stoudemire had promising athletic ability, but ultimately retired from basketball after suffering from chronic knee injuries.
6 Random Quiz Questions Regarding Famous Basketball Stars In The United States
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Mix it up a little with these random trivia questions and answers, and you'll keep all of your trivia players on their toes.
31. What was the nickname of former Boston Celtic star Cedric Maxwell?
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Cornbread
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Now in radio broadcasting, "Cornbread" played 11 seasons in the NBA, 8 of them with the Boston Celtics.
32. Which 1960s Los Angeles Laker was known as 'Fall Back Baby'?
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Dick Barnett
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Barnett was instantly recognizable for his habit of kicking both of his legs back when making a jump shot.
33. Who was the first player in NBA history to miss 5000 free throws in his career?
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Wilt Chamberlain
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Chamberlain is also one of the only players in history to score 100 or more points in a single game.
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34. What nickname is Dan Majerle known by?
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Thunder Dan
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Majerle played for 14 years in the NBA before turning his attention towards coaching instead.
35. What was Pete Maravich doing when he died in 1988?
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Playing Basketball
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Pistol Pete was an incredibly talented basketball player, and died of an undiagnosed heart condition during a pickup basketball game.
36. In the NBA, who is known by the nickname of "The Mailman"?
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Karl Malone
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Malone is also known for having played part in a professional wrestling match against friend and teammate Dennis Rodman.
5 Popular NBA Video Games Questions and Answers
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Following the early success of the Madden video game franchise, the NBA got in on their own games for every major gaming system. Because of this, there's plenty of NBA video game trivia to go around!
37. One of the cheerleaders in the game is portrayed by who?
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Kerri Hoskins
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Hoskins is best known for her portrayal of Sonya Blade in the Mortal Kombat video games.
38. What is recognized as the first coin-op arcade machine to be sports-licensed?
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NBA Jam
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Originally debuted in 1993, the game became immediately popular thanks to its larger-than-life graphics and controls.
39. Which NBA players had NBA Jam arcade machines during the game's popularity?
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Shawn Kemp & Shaquille O'Neal
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Standing at 6 feet 10 inches and 7 feet 3 inches respectively, both of the giant players could sit comfortably in a kitchen chair to play the game.
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40. How much did NBA Jam earned during its original arcade run?
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over $1 billion
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The game was available to play in arcades from 1993 to 2000, after which it became a console-only title.
41. What is the main inspiration for the game NBA Jam?
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Arch Rivals
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Arch Rivals was a full-court basketball game released by Midway in 1989, where players could punch each other and were encouraged to steal the ball aggressively.
How To Pick The Best NBA Quiz Questions
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Trying to figure out how to make a good selection of trivia questions for your next game night? It doesn't have to be hard -- just follow these three simple steps.
1. Pick Questions From Every Era of the Sport
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The NBA has been playing games since 1946, making it a rich source of trivia questions and answers. Be sure to choose questions from across the entire span of NBA history.
2. Mix It Up With Easy and Hard Questions
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If you're putting together a list of question for a trivia night, It helps to choose a good variety of easy, medium, and hard questions to answer. That way, you can be sure that everybody feels included throughout the game.
3. Choose A Few Tiebreaker Questions
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Pub trivia nights are a great place for NBA trivia, where people will play in teams to win the honor of being the most knowledgeable. But when you're keeping score, there's always the possibility of two or more teams coming to a tie -- so save a few extra-hard questions just as tiebreakers.
Downloadable List of NBA Sports Quiz
Here is a downloadable and printable jpg/pdf list of NBA sports quiz (right click the image and select Save Image As...):
via: Mantelligence
More Awesome Trivia Questions
If all of this awesome basketball trivia just isn't enough for you, you're in luck! Check out all of the amazing sports trivia on offer in the following articles:
- "America's Game" has a long-standing history, and that means you'll always be able to find interesting baseball trivia.
- Curious about pigskin and gridiron? This football trivia questions and answers list will have you covered.
- Superbowls and long-running rivalries are all on display in this list of NFL trivia questions.
- Find out the benefits of trivia questions in this cool post.
In Conclusion
That's it for this round of NBA trivia questions! Break out any of these ice breaker questions at your next party, or gather up a variety of sports trivia questions to make your own pub trivia night. Either way, these fun trivia questions will keep you and your friends guessing for weeks to come.
