The ultimate trivia question collection around all things basketball is here. How much do you know about Lebron James, James Naismith, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Magic Johnson, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat, the Golden State Warriors, the New York Knicks, the San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics and other NBA star players and teams? Do you know the rules of the game?
Table of Contents
Basketball and NBA Trivia
This set of NBA trivia questions and basketball trivia questions will test how much you know about basketball history and all things about the game of basketball, and the NBA career highlights of some of the most notable players.
Play Multiplayer Trivia Games with Your Team
Make your next meeting, team building, get-together, event, or class more fun with trivia games plus other fun and exciting team engagement tools to help build team connection!
Basketball Trivia Questions and Answers
Will you come out with the MVP award for basketball trivia? Try out this basketball trivia challenge, and let’s find out!
Click on the blurred area to reveal the answer.
Test it out. Click here to reveal the answer 👉 Awesome! You’re ready
| Questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Which basketball team did Michael Jordan play for in college? | â–¶ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Who was the shortest player ever to play in the NBA? | â–¶ Tyrone Bogues, better known as Muggsy Bogues |
| What is the regulation height for a basketball hoop? | â–¶ 10 feet (3.048 m) |
| According to NBA rules how long does a player have after catching the ball to shoot a free throw? | â–¶ 10 seconds |
| Who is the only head basketball coach to win both an NCAA national championship and an NBA title? | â–¶ Larry Brown |
| Who is the all time leading point scorer in NBA history? | â–¶ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| What NBA player was known as “The Pearl”? | â–¶ Earl Monroe |
| Who is the only basketball player to score 100 points in a single NBA game? | â–¶ Wilt Chamberlain |
| The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies formerly played in what Canadian city? | â–¶ Vancouver |
| What now retired NBA player starred in the 1996 movie Kazaam? | â–¶ Shaquille O’Neal |
| In basketball, what is the term used when a player reaches double digits in three of five statistical categories? | â–¶ Triple-double |
| Basketball great Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year career with which team? | â–¶ Los Angeles Lakers |
| In 1983, what two NBA teams set the record for the highest scoring regular-season game with a final score of 186-184? | â–¶ Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons |
| At 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), who was the shortest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association? | â–¶ Muggsy Bogues |
| Which basketball team did Michael Jordan play for in college? | â–¶ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Who was the shortest player ever to play in the NBA? | â–¶ Tyrone Bogues, better known as Muggsy Bogues |
| What is the regulation height for a basketball hoop? | â–¶ 10 feet (3.048 m) |
| According to NBA rules how long does a player have after catching the ball to shoot a free throw? | â–¶ 10 seconds |
| Who is the only head basketball coach to win both an NCAA national championship and an NBA title? | â–¶ Larry Brown |
| Who is the all time leading point scorer in NBA history? | â–¶ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| What NBA player was known as “The Pearl”? | â–¶ Earl Monroe |
| Who is the only basketball player to score 100 points in a single NBA game? | â–¶ Wilt Chamberlain |
| The NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies formerly played in what Canadian city? | â–¶ Vancouver |
| What now retired NBA player starred in the 1996 movie Kazaam? | â–¶ Shaquille O’Neal |
| In basketball, what is the term used when a player reaches double digits in three of five statistical categories? | â–¶ Triple-double |
| Basketball great Kobe Bryant played his entire 20-year career with which team? | â–¶ Los Angeles Lakers |
| In 1983, what two NBA teams set the record for the highest scoring regular-season game with a final score of 186-184? | â–¶ Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons |
| At 5 ft 3 in (1.60 m), who was the shortest player ever to play in the National Basketball Association? | â–¶ Muggsy Bogues |
| Who holds the record for the most career rebounds in NBA history? | â–¶ Wilt Chamberlain |
| Who is the shortest player in NBA history? | â–¶ Muggsy Bogues |
| Who holds the record for the most career three-pointers made in NBA history? | â–¶ Ray Allen |
| In which city were the original rules of basketball auctioned for over $4 million? | â–¶ New York City |
| Which team won the 2020 NBA championship? | â–¶ Los Angeles Lakers |
| Which player has the most career blocked shots in NBA history? | â–¶ Hakeem Olajuwon |
| How many points is a free throw worth? | â–¶ 1 |
| What is the name of the professional women’s basketball league in the United States? | â–¶ WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association) |
| What is the name of the violation when a player dribbles the ball with both hands at the same time? | â–¶ Double dribble |
| What is the term for when a player scores two points by dunking the ball through the hoop? | â–¶ Slam dunk |
| Which team holds the record for the longest winning streak in NBA history? | â–¶ Los Angeles Lakers |
| Who is the winningest coach in NCAA women’s basketball history? | â–¶ Pat Summitt |
| How many seconds can an offensive player spend in the key (lane) before a violation is called in the NBA? | â–¶ 3 seconds |
| Who is known as the “Logo” because his silhouette is featured in the NBA logo? | â–¶ Jerry West |
| How long is each quarter in an NBA game? | â–¶ 12 minutes |
| What is the name of the NBA championship trophy? | â–¶ Larry O’Brien NBA Championship Trophy |
| Who holds the record for the most career assists in NBA history? | â–¶ John Stockton |
| How long is each quarter in an NCAA men’s basketball game? | â–¶ 20 minutes (two halves) |
| Who was the first player to win the NBA MVP award? | â–¶ Bob Pettit |
| How many full timeouts does each team receive in an NCAA men’s basketball game? | â–¶ 4 |
| What is the length of an NBA regulation court? | â–¶ 94 feet |
| Which team won the first WNBA championship in 1997? | â–¶ Houston Comets |
| How long is an NBA game? | â–¶ 48 minutes |
| How many feet is the NBA three-point line from the center of the basket? | â–¶ 23 feet 9 inches (22 feet in the corners) |
| In which year was the 3-point line introduced to the NBA? | â–¶ 1979 |
| How many feet is the NCAA men’s basketball three-point line from the center of the basket? | â–¶ 22 feet 1¾ inches |
| How many teams are in the NBA? | â–¶ 30 |
| Who was the first NBA player to score a 3-pointer? | â–¶ Chris Ford |
| What is the name of the violation when a defensive player makes contact with an offensive player in a way that impedes the offensive player’s progress? | â–¶ Blocking |
| Which team won the first NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in 1939? | â–¶ Oregon |
| What is the name of the violation when an offensive player makes contact with a defensive player who has established a legal guarding position? | â–¶ Charging |
| Who is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I basketball history? | â–¶ Pete Maravich |
| Who was the first player to score 30,000 points in the NBA? | â–¶ Wilt Chamberlain |
| What is the term for when a player loses possession of the ball by hitting it on the ground and then regaining control? | â–¶ Dribbling |
| Which college coach has the most NCAA Division I men’s basketball championship titles? | â–¶ John Wooden |
| How many points is a field goal worth? | â–¶ 2 |
| In what year was the WNBA founded? | â–¶ 1996 |
| In which year was basketball invented? | â–¶ 1891 |
| In which year was the shot clock introduced to college basketball? | â–¶ 1985 |
| What college did Michael Jordan attend? | â–¶ University of North Carolina |
| Which team drafted LeBron James in 2003? | â–¶ Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Who is the tallest player in NBA history? | | â–¶ Gheorghe Muresan |
| How many points is a three-pointer worth? | â–¶ 3 |
| Where was basketball invented? | â–¶ Springfield, MA |
| Who was the first WNBA MVP? | â–¶ Cynthia Cooper |
| How long is the shot clock in the NBA? | â–¶ 24 seconds |
| How many original rules of basketball were there? | â–¶ 13 |
| Which team won the first WNBA championship? | â–¶ Houston Comets |
| How many personal fouls does a player need to commit before fouling out in college basketball? | â–¶ 5 |
| What is the diameter of an NBA basketball? | â–¶ 9.5 inches |
| What type of ball was first used to play basketball? | â–¶ Soccer ball |
| Who holds the record for the most points scored in a single WNBA game? | â–¶ Liz Cambage |
| How long is the NCAA men’s basketball shot clock? | â–¶ 30 seconds |
| How many points did Liz Cambage score in her record-breaking WNBA game? | â–¶ 53 |
| Which organization established the first professional basketball league in 1898? | â–¶ National Basketball League |
| How many timeouts are allowed per team in an NBA game? | â–¶ 7 |
| What is the record for the most points scored by a single player in an NBA game? | â–¶ 100 |
| Which college team won the most NCAA women’s basketball championships? | â–¶ University of Connecticut |
| Which team won the first NBA championship in 1947? | â–¶ Philadelphia Warriors |
| How many seconds does a team have to inbound the ball in the NBA? | â–¶ 5 seconds |
| Who is the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history? | â–¶ Kelsey Plum |
| Who was the first African American player in the NBA? | â–¶ Earl Lloyd |
| How many teams are in the WNBA? | â–¶ 12 |
| What is the name of the violation when a player takes more than two steps without dribbling the ball? | â–¶ Traveling |
| How many players are on a basketball team’s active roster in an NBA game? | â–¶ 13 |
| How many players are on the court for each team during a basketball game? | â–¶ 5 |
| How many referees officiate an NBA | â–¶ 3 |
| In which year was the NBA founded? | â–¶ 1946 |
| What are the dimensions of an NBA regulation court? | â–¶ 94×50 feet |
| What is the height of an NBA regulation hoop? | â–¶ 10 feet |
| What is the maximum number of personal fouls a player can commit in an NBA game before being disqualified? | â–¶ 6 |
| Which NBA team is known as “The Dream Team”? | â–¶ 1992 USA Olympic Team |
| Which player has the most career triple-doubles in NBA history? | â–¶ Oscar Robertson |
| Which player has the most MVP awards in NBA history? | â–¶ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Which player has the most NBA Finals MVP awards? | â–¶ Michael Jordan |
| Which team drafted Michael Jordan in the 1984 NBA Draft? | â–¶ Chicago Bulls |
| Which team has the most NBA championships? | â–¶ Boston Celtics |
| Who holds the record for the most blocked shots in a single NBA season? | â–¶ Mark Eaton |
| Who invented the game of basketball? | â–¶ James Naismith |
| Who is the all-time leading scorer in NBA history? | â–¶ Kareem Abdul-Jabbar |
| Who is the youngest player to win an NBA MVP award? | â–¶ Derrick Rose |
| Who was the first African-American head coach in NBA history? | â–¶ Bill Russell |
| Who was the first player to score 100 points in a single NBA game? | â–¶ Wilt Chamberlain |
About the Author
Tim majored in Humanities with a bachelor in English and Theatre at New York State University. He lectured on entertainment business studies for three years at Plymouth College.
Tim has been a trivia host in his current hometown of Pittsburgh for the past two years. He enjoys hanging out with people who love trivia just as much as he does.
His friends call him the Question Master.
