Who doesn’t love a good challenge, especially when it comes to NBA trivia questions? The National Basketball Association (NBA) has a rich and storied history filled with awe-inspiring talent, memorable games, and record-breaking performances. This piece is designed to test your knowledge about the league’s past and present, and maybe even teach you a few new things about the NBA along the way.
Before we dive into the trivia, we invite you to take the interactive NBA trivia quiz from Party Game Hive. Are you ready to hit the court and see if you can be the top scorer? Lace up your sneakers, limber up your mind, and let’s see if you can slam dunk these NBA trivia questions!
Love sports? Try this NFL trivia quiz when you are done mastering the NBA trivia!
HISTORY OF THE NBA TRIVIA QUESTIONS
QUESTION 1: When was the National Basketball Association (NBA) founded?
ANSWER: The NBA was founded on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the NBA in 1949 after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL).
LEGENDARY NBA TEAMS
QUESTION 2: Which NBA team has won the most NBA championships?
ANSWER: The Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers have the most NBA Championships, each with 17 titles as of my knowledge cutoff in September 2021.
DRAFT FACTS NBA TRIVIA QUESTIONS
QUESTION 3: Who was the first player selected in the inaugural NBA draft in 1947?
ANSWER: Clifton McNeely out of Texas Wesleyan was the first player selected in the 1947 BAA (now NBA) draft by the Pittsburgh Ironmen.
LEBRON JAMES VS MICHAEL JORDAN
QUESTION 4: Who has more NBA titles, LeBron James or Michael Jordan?
ANSWER: As of 2021, Michael Jordan has more NBA titles. He won 6 championships with the Chicago Bulls while LeBron James has 4, winning two with the Miami Heat, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and one with the Los Angeles Lakers.
THE CHICAGO BULLS
QUESTION 5: Who was the head coach of the Chicago Bulls during their two three-peats in the 90s?
ANSWER: The head coach of the Chicago Bulls during their two three-peats in the 90s was Phil Jackson.
THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS
QUESTION 6: Who is the all-time leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers?
ANSWER: Kobe Bryant is the all-time leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers.
NBA FIRSTS
QUESTION 7: Who was the first NBA player to score 100 points in a single game?
ANSWER: Wilt Chamberlain was the first NBA player to score 100 points in a single game. He accomplished this feat while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors in a game against the New York Knicks on March 2, 1962.
THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
QUESTION 8: Who holds the record for the most three-pointers made in a regular season for the Golden State Warriors?
ANSWER: Stephen Curry holds the record for the most three-pointers made in a regular season for the Golden State Warriors.
NBA PERSONAL RECORDS
QUESTION 9: Who holds the NBA record for the most career points?
ANSWER: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar holds the NBA record for the most career points with 38,387.
NBA TEAM HISTORY
QUESTION 10: Which NBA team was the first to win an NBA Championship?
ANSWER: The Philadelphia Warriors won the first NBA Championship in the 1946-47 season.
BOSTON CELTICS TRIVIA
QUESTION 11: Which Boston Celtics legend has the most career assists for the franchise?
ANSWER: Larry Bird holds the record for the most career assists for the Boston Celtics.
TRY YOUR LUCK AT BASEBALL TRIVIA TOO!
NBA DRAFT FACTS
QUESTION 12: Who was the youngest player ever drafted in the NBA?
ANSWER: The youngest player ever drafted into the NBA was Andrew Bynum, who was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005 at the age of 17.
MIAMI HEAT TRIVIA
QUESTION 13: Which player led the Miami Heat to their first NBA championship in 2006?
ANSWER: Dwyane Wade led the Miami Heat to their first NBA championship in 2006.
SAN ANTONIO SPURS TRIVIA
QUESTION 14: Who is the all-time leading scorer for the San Antonio Spurs?
ANSWER: Tim Duncan is the all-time leading scorer for the San Antonio Spurs.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS TRIVIA
QUESTION 15: Who was the first player in Milwaukee Bucks history to win the NBA MVP award?
ANSWER: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) was the first player in Milwaukee Bucks history to win the NBA MVP award.
DALLAS MAVERICKS TRIVIA
QUESTION 16: Who is the only player to have his jersey number retired by the Dallas Mavericks?
ANSWER: As of 2021, the only player to have his jersey number retired by the Dallas Mavericks is Rolando Blackman (#22).
DENVER NUGGETS TRIVIA
QUESTION 17: Who was the first player in Denver Nuggets history to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame?
ANSWER: Alex English was the first player in Denver Nuggets history to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS TRIVIA
QUESTION 18: Which player led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016?
ANSWER: LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first NBA championship in 2016.
NBA TITLES TRIVIA
QUESTION 19: Which team won the first NBA championship after the BAA-NBL merger?
ANSWER: The Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers) won the first NBA championship after the BAA-NBL merger in 1950.
LARRY BIRD AND MAGIC JOHNSON
QUESTION 20: Who won more NBA titles, Larry Bird or Magic Johnson?
ANSWER: Magic Johnson won more NBA titles. He won 5 championships with the Los Angeles Lakers while Larry Bird won 3 championships with the Boston Celtics.
ALL-STAR GAME NBA TRIVIA QUESTIONS
QUESTION 21: Who was the first player to win the NBA All-Star game MVP award?
ANSWER: Ed Macauley was the first player to win the NBA All-Star game MVP award in 1951.
TALLEST AND SHORTEST PLAYERS IN NBA
QUESTION 22: Who are the tallest and shortest players ever to play in the NBA?
ANSWER: Gheorghe Mureșan and Manute Bol are the tallest players in NBA history, both measuring 7’7″. Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues, at 5’3″, is the shortest player in NBA history.
NBA TRIVIA QUESTIONS – COACHES
QUESTION 23: Who has won the most NBA Coach of the Year awards?
ANSWER: Don Nelson and Pat Riley hold the record for the most NBA Coach of the Year awards, with each winning the honor three times.
NEW YORK KNICKS TRIVIA
QUESTION 24: Who holds the record for the most points scored in a single game for the New York Knicks?
ANSWER: Willis Reed holds the record for the most points scored in a single game for the New York Knicks, scoring 53 points on November 15, 1967.
REGULAR SEASON MVP AWARDS
QUESTION 25: Who has won the most regular season NBA MVP awards?
ANSWER: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has won the most regular season NBA MVP awards, taking home the honor six times.
NBA FINALS MVP AWARDS
QUESTION 26: Who won the first NBA Finals MVP award?
ANSWER: Jerry West won the first NBA Finals MVP award in 1969.
PHOENIX SUNS TRIVIA
QUESTION 27: Who is the all-time leading scorer for the Phoenix Suns?
ANSWER: Walter Davis is the all-time leading scorer for the Phoenix Suns.
UNANIMOUS MVP
QUESTION 28: Who is the only player to have won the regular season MVP award by a unanimous vote?
ANSWER: Stephen Curry is the only player to have won the regular season MVP award by a unanimous vote in 2016.
THE FIRST TEAM IN NBA
QUESTION 29: What was the first team to join the NBA (then BAA) that is still in the league?
ANSWER: The Boston Celtics were one of the original eleven teams to join the BAA in 1946, and they are still part of the NBA today.
NBA SEASON TRIVIA
QUESTION 30: Which NBA team had the longest winning streak in a single season?
ANSWER: The 1971-1972 Los Angeles Lakers hold the record for the longest winning streak in a single season with 33 consecutive victories.
I’ll stop here for now. If you enjoyed these questions, don’t forget to check out the interactive NBA trivia quiz from Party Game Hive. It’s a great way to test your NBA knowledge and see how well you can score. Happy quizzing!
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