Here are 100 NBA quiz questions in five rounds, from the 1946 founding of the league to the 2026 Finals. Round 1 is multiple choice, and rounds 2 to 5 are typed answers, so you can mix easy and hard questions in one trivia night.
Every answer was checked in October 2026 against NBA.com, the official NBA playing rules and Basketball-Reference, and the sources are listed at the end. Records move, so the answers are accurate as at the end of the 2025-26 season.
NBA quiz at a glance
- Rounds: five rounds of 20 questions each.
- Format: 20 multiple choice, then 80 typed answers.
- Topics: history, rules, players and nicknames, records, and teams and Finals.
- Latest champions: the New York Knicks won the 2026 title, their first in 53 years, and Jalen Brunson was Finals MVP.
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Round 1: NBA history (multiple choice)
Questions 1 to 20. Pick A, B, C or D.
- What was the NBA called when it was founded in 1946? A) Basketball Association of America B) National Basketball League C) American Basketball Association D) Professional Hoops League
- Which two leagues merged in 1949 to form the NBA? A) NBL and ABA B) BAA and NBL C) ABL and BAA D) CBA and NBL
- Which team won the first BAA title in 1947? A) Boston Celtics B) Minneapolis Lakers C) New York Knicks D) Philadelphia Warriors
- In which city was the first game played, on 1 November 1946? A) New York B) Chicago C) Toronto D) Boston
- How many teams played in the first BAA season? A) 8 B) 11 C) 13 D) 16
- Who became the first Black player to play in an NBA game, in 1950? A) Chuck Cooper B) Bill Russell C) Earl Lloyd D) Wilt Chamberlain
- Which team won eight titles in a row from 1959 to 1966? A) Boston Celtics B) Minneapolis Lakers C) Philadelphia Warriors D) Syracuse Nationals
- In which season did the NBA introduce the three-point line? A) 1967-68 B) 1979-80 C) 1984-85 D) 1992-93
- In 1976 four teams joined the NBA from which league? A) ABA B) NBL C) CBA D) ABL
- In which year did Larry Bird and Magic Johnson both start their NBA careers? A) 1975 B) 1977 C) 1979 D) 1982
- Which city did the Lakers leave to move to Los Angeles in 1960? A) Minneapolis B) St. Louis C) Rochester D) Detroit
- Where was Michael Jordan picked in the 1984 draft? A) First B) Second C) Third D) Fifth
- Which city hosted the 1992 Olympics, where the original Dream Team won gold? A) Atlanta B) Barcelona C) Seoul D) Los Angeles
- Which team drafted Kobe Bryant 13th overall in 1996 before trading him to the Lakers? A) Charlotte Hornets B) Philadelphia 76ers C) Golden State Warriors D) Denver Nuggets
- Who was the first European-born player to win NBA MVP? A) Pau Gasol B) Dirk Nowitzki C) Tony Parker D) Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Which team won 72 games in 1995-96? A) Boston Celtics B) Chicago Bulls C) Golden State Warriors D) Miami Heat
- Which team came back from 3-1 down to win the 2016 Finals? A) Golden State Warriors B) Oklahoma City Thunder C) San Antonio Spurs D) Cleveland Cavaliers
- Which team became the first from outside the United States to win the NBA title, in 2019? A) Brooklyn Nets B) Miami Heat C) Toronto Raptors D) Detroit Pistons
- Who won the first NBA Cup, in 2023? A) Milwaukee Bucks B) Los Angeles Lakers C) Indiana Pacers D) Boston Celtics
- Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points against which team in 1962? A) Boston Celtics B) New York Knicks C) Los Angeles Lakers D) Chicago Bulls
Round 2: NBA rules (typed answers)
Questions 21 to 40.
- How many minutes is an NBA quarter?
- How many players per team are on the court at once?
- How many personal fouls before a player fouls out?
- How many seconds is the shot clock?
- How far is the three-point line from the basket at the top of the arc?
- How far is the three-point line in the corners?
- How high is the rim from the floor?
- How long is an overtime period?
- How long is an NBA court?
- How many free throws does a player get when fouled while shooting a three?
- What is the violation for taking too many steps without dribbling?
- How many seconds can an offensive player stay in the paint?
- How many seconds does a team have to get the ball over halfcourt?
- How many officials work an NBA game?
- How many free throws does a technical foul give the other team?
- How many players can a team have on its standard roster?
- What is it called when a defender stays in the paint for three seconds without guarding anyone?
- What is it called when a player blocks a shot on its way down to the basket?
- Which seeds play in the play-in tournament?
- How many games is a regular season?
Round 3: players and nicknames (typed answers)
Questions 41 to 60.
- Who is known as “His Airness”?
- Which player is nicknamed “The Greek Freak”?
- Which player was “The Mailman”?
- Which guard was known as “The Answer”?
- Which player was nicknamed “Black Mamba”?
- Which Serbian star is nicknamed “The Joker”?
- Who is “Dr. J”?
- Who was “The Big Fundamental”?
- Which Spurs centre was “The Admiral”?
- Which point guard was “The Glove”?
- Which high-flyer was nicknamed “Air Canada”?
- Which guard is nicknamed “The Beard”?
- Which forward is nicknamed “The Slim Reaper”?
- Which centre was known as “The Dream”?
- Which guard is nicknamed “Chef Curry”?
- What is Magic Johnson’s real first name?
- Which French player was the first pick in the 2023 draft?
- Which Slovenian star was traded from the Mavericks to the Lakers in February 2025?
- Who won MVP in both 2025 and 2026?
- Who was the 2026 Finals MVP?
Round 4: records and stats (typed answers)
Questions 61 to 80. Records are as at the end of the 2025-26 season.
- Who scored a record 100 points in one game?
- Who is the NBA’s all-time leading scorer?
- Who holds the career assists record?
- Who has made the most career three-pointers?
- Who holds the career rebounds record?
- Which player won the most titles, with 11?
- How many Finals MVP awards did Michael Jordan win?
- Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against which team?
- Who hit a record 14 threes in one game?
- Who was the first player to average a triple-double over a full season?
- Which Bulls guard became the youngest MVP in 2011?
- Who has the most career blocks?
- What was Wilt Chamberlain’s scoring average in 1961-62?
- How many wins did the 2015-16 Warriors record?
- How long was the Lakers’ record winning streak in 1971-72?
- Which franchise has the most championships, with 18?
- Who has won the most MVP awards, with six?
- Who has the highest career scoring average, 30.1 points per game?
- Who holds the playoff single-game record of 63 points?
- Who was the first unanimous MVP, in 2016?
Round 5: teams and Finals (typed answers)
Questions 81 to 100.
- Who won the 2026 NBA Finals?
- Which team did the Knicks beat in the 2026 Finals?
- Who won the 2025 title?
- Who won the 2024 title?
- Who won the 2023 title, their first?
- Who won the 2022 title?
- Who won the 2021 title?
- Who won the 2020 title in the Orlando bubble?
- Which is the only Canadian team in the NBA?
- Which team used to be the Seattle SuperSonics?
- Which team moved from Vancouver to Memphis in 2001?
- Which team plays at Madison Square Garden?
- Which team plays at TD Garden?
- Which team’s mascot is Rumble the Bison?
- Which team were the “Bad Boys” of the late 1980s?
- Which team’s 1980s era was called “Showtime”?
- Which team signed LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010?
- Which team moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City and kept the name?
- From which state did the Nets move in 2012 to become the Brooklyn Nets?
- Tim Duncan won five titles with which team?
NBA quiz answers
Round 1 (1 to 20)
- A) Basketball Association of America
- B) BAA and NBL
- D) Philadelphia Warriors
- C) Toronto
- B) 11
- C) Earl Lloyd
- A) Boston Celtics
- B) 1979-80
- A) ABA
- C) 1979
- A) Minneapolis
- C) Third
- B) Barcelona
- A) Charlotte Hornets
- B) Dirk Nowitzki
- B) Chicago Bulls
- D) Cleveland Cavaliers
- C) Toronto Raptors
- B) Los Angeles Lakers
- B) New York Knicks
Round 2 (21 to 40)
- 12
- 5
- 6
- 24
- 23 feet 9 inches (7.24 m)
- 22 feet (6.71 m)
- 10 feet (3.05 m)
- 5 minutes
- 94 feet (28.65 m)
- 3
- Travelling
- 3
- 8
- 3
- 1
- 15
- Defensive three seconds
- Goaltending
- Seeds 7 to 10 in each conference
- 82
Round 3 (41 to 60)
- Michael Jordan
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Karl Malone
- Allen Iverson
- Kobe Bryant
- Nikola Jokić
- Julius Erving
- Tim Duncan
- David Robinson
- Gary Payton
- Vince Carter
- James Harden
- Kevin Durant
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- Stephen Curry
- Earvin
- Victor Wembanyama
- Luka Dončić
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
- Jalen Brunson
Round 4 (61 to 80)
- Wilt Chamberlain
- LeBron James
- John Stockton
- Stephen Curry
- Wilt Chamberlain
- Bill Russell
- 6
- Toronto Raptors
- Klay Thompson
- Oscar Robertson
- Derrick Rose
- Hakeem Olajuwon
- 50.4 points per game
- 73
- 33 games
- Boston Celtics
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Michael Jordan
- Michael Jordan
- Stephen Curry
Round 5 (81 to 100)
- New York Knicks
- San Antonio Spurs
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Boston Celtics
- Denver Nuggets
- Golden State Warriors
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Toronto Raptors
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Grizzlies
- New York Knicks
- Boston Celtics
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Detroit Pistons
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Miami Heat
- Utah Jazz
- New Jersey
- San Antonio Spurs
Sources
- NBA.com: the first NBA game, 1 November 1946
- NBA.com: the Warriors win the first title, 1947
- NBA.com: Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Nat Clifton
- Official NBA playing rules
- NBA.com: Michael Jordan’s 63-point playoff game
- NBA.com: Klay Thompson’s 14 threes
- NBA.com: Stephen Curry, unanimous MVP
- NBA.com: MVP award winners
- NBA.com: Jalen Brunson, 2026 Finals MVP
- Basketball-Reference: NBA and ABA leaders and records
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