40 NBA and basketball trivia questions with answers

Basketball questions in four rounds: the basics of the game, the NBA, the game beyond the NBA (college, the Olympics, the WNBA and the Globetrotters), and the legends. Easy ones suit a casual fan or a young player; the hard ones are for the person who knows every record. Every answer links to its source.

40 questions · NBA and basketball trivia questions with answers · answers included

The basics

1
How many players does each team have on the court at one time?

easy

Answer
Five.
Substitutes wait on the bench and can come on during the game.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball?oldid=1379108314
2
Who invented basketball, in 1891?

easy

Answer
James Naismith.
He was a gym teacher, born in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball?oldid=1379108314
3
In which US state was basketball invented?

medium

Answer
Massachusetts, in Springfield.
James Naismith designed it at the YMCA Training School there.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith?oldid=1377449772
4
What did James Naismith nail up as the very first basket?

medium

Answer
A peach basket.
The basket still had its bottom, so someone had to take the ball out by hand after every score.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball?oldid=1379108314
5
How high is the top of the rim above the floor?

easy

Answer
10 feet.
That is 3.05 meters.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball?oldid=1379108314
6
How many points is a free throw worth?

easy

Answer
One point.
A basket from inside the three-point line is worth two.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_throw?oldid=1377849588
7
How many points is a basket from behind the arc worth?

easy

Answer
Three points.
The arc is the three-point line.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_field_goal?oldid=1381963743
8
What is bouncing the ball on the floor with one hand while you move called?

easy

Answer
Dribbling.
A player who stops dribbling cannot start again until someone else touches the ball.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dribbling?oldid=1376285589
9
What is it called when a player jumps up and shoves the ball straight down through the hoop?

easy

Answer
A slam dunk.
It is also called simply a dunk.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slam_dunk?oldid=1381849487
10
What are most indoor basketball courts made of?

medium

Answer
Polished wood, usually maple.
Outdoor courts are usually asphalt or concrete.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_court?oldid=1381191109
11
After the number of seconds a team has to shoot, what is the NBA's shot clock often called?

medium

Answer
The 24-second clock.
It was brought in to stop teams from stalling and to raise scoring.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_clock?oldid=1382006937
12
In which year did the NBA introduce the shot clock?

hard

Answer
1954.
Before it, a team in the lead could hold the ball for minutes.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_clock?oldid=1382006937
13
How big is an NBA court?

medium

Answer
94 by 50 feet.
That is about 28.7 by 15.2 meters.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_court?oldid=1381191109
14
How many rules did James Naismith write for his new game?

hard

Answer
13 rules.
He pinned them on a bulletin board in the gym. Today the NBA rule book runs to 66 pages.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Naismith?oldid=1377449772

The NBA

15
How many teams play in the NBA?

easy

Answer
30 teams.
29 are in the United States and one is in Canada.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association?oldid=1381600634
16
Which team is the only Canadian team in the NBA?

medium

Answer
The Raptors, from Toronto.
The Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2001.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toronto_Raptors?oldid=1381818281
17
In which city was the first game in NBA history played, in 1946?

hard

Answer
Toronto.
The Toronto Huskies played the New York Knickerbockers.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association?oldid=1381600634
18
Through 2026, which team had won the most NBA championships?

medium

Answer
The Boston Celtics, with 18.
The Los Angeles Lakers are next, with 17 NBA titles.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Basketball_Association?oldid=1381600634
19
The NBA championship trophy is named after whom?

medium

Answer
Larry O'Brien.
He was the NBA's commissioner from 1975 to 1984.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_O%27Brien_Championship_Trophy?oldid=1381429673
20
Before they moved to Los Angeles, in which city did the Lakers play?

hard

Answer
Minneapolis.
The name fits Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes. The team moved to Los Angeles in 1960.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Lakers?oldid=1379134823
21
In which season did the NBA first use the three-point line?

medium

Answer
1979–80.
Many people at first called it a gimmick.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_field_goal?oldid=1381963743
22
Which rival league brought in the three-point shot in its first season, 1967–68?

hard

Answer
The American Basketball Association, the ABA.
The NBA followed in 1979.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_field_goal?oldid=1381963743
23
What is the yearly event that decides which teams pick first in the NBA draft?

medium

Answer
The draft lottery.
Only teams that missed the playoffs take part.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_draft?oldid=1378814931
24
In which city is the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame?

medium

Answer
Springfield, Massachusetts.
It stands in the city where the game was invented.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naismith_Memorial_Basketball_Hall_of_Fame?oldid=1363331980
25
Which Boston Celtics player made the first three-point shot in NBA history, in 1979?

hard

Answer
Chris Ford.
He made it on October 12, 1979, the first season of the line.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-point_field_goal?oldid=1381963743

Beyond the NBA

26
What kind of team are the Harlem Globetrotters?

easy

Answer
An exhibition basketball team.
They have played more than 26,000 games in 124 countries and territories, often against the Washington Generals.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Globetrotters?oldid=1375254980
27
What is the nickname of the big college basketball tournament played mostly in March?

medium

Answer
March Madness.
It is also called the Big Dance, and every game is single elimination: lose once and you are out.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NCAA_Division_I_men%27s_basketball_tournament?oldid=1381514894
28
What was the 1992 US Olympic basketball team, the first with NBA players, nicknamed?

medium

Answer
The Dream Team.
It won the gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team?oldid=1381696207
29
In which city did the Dream Team win Olympic gold in 1992?

hard

Answer
Barcelona, Spain.
Other countries sent the best players from their own leagues.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_United_States_men%27s_Olympic_basketball_team?oldid=1381696207
30
In which year did the WNBA play its first season?

medium

Answer
1997.
The league was founded in April 1996.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_National_Basketball_Association?oldid=1381848878

Legends

31
With which team did Michael Jordan win six NBA championships?

easy

Answer
The Chicago Bulls.
He played 15 NBA seasons, from 1984 to 2003.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan?oldid=1381731633
32
Which nickname did Michael Jordan's leaping earn him?

easy

Answer
Air Jordan, or His Airness.
He dunked from the free-throw line in slam dunk contests.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan?oldid=1381731633
33
How many NBA Finals MVP awards did Michael Jordan win, a record?

hard

Answer
Six.
One for each of his six championships.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan?oldid=1381731633
34
Wilt Chamberlain is the only player to score how many points in one NBA game?

medium

Answer
100 points.
He did it in 1962.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilt_Chamberlain?oldid=1380835841
35
What was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's trademark shot?

medium

Answer
The skyhook.
He hooked the ball up and over his head with one arm, out of reach of the defenders.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kareem_Abdul-Jabbar?oldid=1380836031
36
LeBron James, nicknamed "King James", holds which NBA career record?

easy

Answer
All-time leading scorer.
He has scored more points than anyone in NBA history.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James?oldid=1381352021
37
How many NBA championships did Bill Russell win with the Boston Celtics?

medium

Answer
Eleven.
He won them in thirteen seasons, two of them as player and coach at once.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell?oldid=1381748391
38
Stephen Curry is credited with making which shot popular at every level of the game?

medium

Answer
The three-point shot.
In college, at Davidson, he set the record for three-pointers in a season: 162.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Curry?oldid=1381099564
39
What was Kobe Bryant's nickname?

medium

Answer
The Black Mamba.
He played all 20 of his seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant?oldid=1381997443
40
How many points did Kobe Bryant score in one game in January 2006?

hard

Answer
81 points.
It is the third-highest score in a single NBA game; Wilt Chamberlain's 100 is the highest.
Source: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kobe_Bryant?oldid=1381997443

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