In the current era, basketball has become a cultural phenomenon marked by full-court sprints and high-flying actions. Its popularity is mostly predicated on how many points each team can score as players fire away at the basket throughout the game. No league better exemplifies this than the NBA, but there is plenty of action at different levels to keep participants involved and fans entertained. Let's see if you can identify some of the famous names and personalities in the world of basketball. Are you ready to shoot for a perfect score on this quiz?
This Hall of Famer played on championship teams as a member of the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls.
Dennis Rodman
Dennis Keith Rodman is an American former professional basketball player actor and unofficial US Peace Ambassador to North Korea. Known for his fierce defensive and rebounding abilities, his biography on the official NBA website states that he is “arguably the best rebounding forward in NBA history”. Nicknamed “the Worm”, he played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Head coach Jim Valvano led which school’s men’s basketball team to a surprise national title run in 1983?
NC State
Valvano had a successful coaching career with multiple schools, most notably at North Carolina State University. While the head coach at NC State, his team won the 1983 NCAA Division I men’s basketball title against improbable odds.
This player received the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for the 2016-17 season after he became the second player in league history to average a triple-double during a season.
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook III (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, he is a nine-time NBA All-Star and earned the NBA Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) for the 2016–17 season.
In 1984, which school won its only men’s basketball national championship to date?
Georgetown
Georgetown, coached by John Thompson, won the national title with an 84–75 victory in the final game over Houston, coached by Guy Lewis. Patrick Ewing of Georgetown was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
Which of these players won more NBA championships than NBA Most Valuable Player Awards during their career?
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Nicknamed “the Big Fundamental”, he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA history. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.
Which of these players has won the NBA Most Valuable Player award three times, twice with different teams?
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. April 16, 1947) is an American former professional basketball player who played 20 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers. During his career as a center, Abdul-Jabbar was a record six-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a record 19-time NBA All-Star, a 15-time All-NBA Team member, and an 11-time NBA All-Defensive Team member.
Which Miami Heat player received the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2006?
Dwyane Wade
Dwyane Tyrone Wade Jr. (born January 17, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. In his third season, Wade led the Heat to their first NBA Championship and was named the 2006 NBA Finals MVP.
Reggie Miller
Reginald Wayne Miller (born August 24, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played his entire 18-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Indiana Pacers. Miller was known for his precision three-point shooting, especially in pressure situations and most notably against the New York Knicks, for which he earned the nickname “Knick Killer.”
Which of these NBA Most Valuable Player Award winners has a son currently serving as an NBA head coach?
Bill Walton
William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national college player of the year awards (1972–1974), while leading UCLA to NCAA championships in 1972 and 1973 and an 88-game winning streak.
This Basketball Hall of Famer is known as “The Pearl.”
Earl Monroe
Vernon Earl Monroe is an American former professional basketball player. He played for two teams, the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks, during his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Both teams have retired Monroe’s number. Due to his on-court success and flashy style of play, Monroe was given the nicknames “Black Jesus” and “Earl the Pearl”. Monroe was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Yao Ming, a 2016 Hall of Fame inductee, spent his whole NBA career as a member of which team?
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets will be adding another Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame member, as former center Yao Ming is set to be inducted this year. The Houston Rockets have had a number of outstanding players wear their uniform.
Unlike Karl Malone, this Hall of Famer played for the Utah Jazz for his entire NBA career.
John Stockton
John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) as a point guard for the Utah Jazz, and the team made the playoffs in each of his 19 seasons.
Gregg Popovich has served as the head coach of each of this franchise’s five NBA championship teams.
San Antonio Spurs
During his tenure, the Spurs have had a winning record against every other NBA team. Popovich has led the Spurs to all five of their NBA titles, and is one of only five coaches in NBA history to have won five titles.
Which Basketball Hall of Famer was known as “Pistol”?
Pete Maravich
Peter Press Maravich known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player. Maravich was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, and raised in the Carolinas. Maravich starred in college at Louisiana State University’s Tigers basketball team; his father Press Maravich was the team’s head coach.
Which of these Hall of Famers helped the Washington Bullets win the 1978 NBA Finals?
Elvin Hayes
Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed “the Big E”, is an American retired professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and an inductee in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Bob Knight guided this school to three men’s basketball national championships.
Indiana
Robert Montgomery Knight is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed “the General”, Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men’s college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fifth all-time. Knight is best known as the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers from 1971 to 2000. He also coached at Texas Tech (2001–2008) and at Army (1965–1971).
This franchise, which won the 1979 NBA Finals, relocated to Oklahoma City in 2008.
Seattle SuperSonics
The Supersonics won three conference titles (1978, 1979, 1996) and the 1979 NBA championship. The team moved to Oklahoma City in 2008. The Supersonics began play in 1967 and were the first major North American sports franchise based in the Pacific Northwest.
Tony Parker, the Most Valuable Player of the 2007 NBA Finals, is a native of which country?
France
William Anthony Parker Jr. (born 17 May 1982) is a French-American former professional basketball player and majority owner of ASVEL Basket in LNB Pro A. Himself the son of a basketball pro, Parker started his career at Paris Basket Racing in the French basketball league before joining the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Who was the first member of the Phoenix Suns to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award?
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player and current television analyst. Nicknamed “Sir Charles”, “Chuck”, and “the Round Mound of Rebound”, Barkley played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three teams. He was a versatile player who had the ability to score, create plays, and defend. He was an 11-time NBA All-Star, an 11-time member of the All-NBA Team, and the 1993 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP).
This Hall of Famer was one of Michael Jordan’s college teammates.
James Worthy
James Ager Worthy (born February 27, 1961) is an American sports commentator, television host, analyst, and former professional basketball player. Nicknamed “Big Game James”, he played his entire pro career with the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Worthy was a seven-time NBA All-Star who won three NBA championships and was voted the NBA Finals MVP in 1988.
Which of these Basketball Hall of Famers played on multiple NBA championship teams with Dennis Rodman, Joe Dumars, and Bill Laimbeer?
Isiah Thomas
Isiah Lord Thomas III (born April 30, 1961) is an American former professional basketball player, coach and executive who is an analyst for NBA TV. A point guard, the 12-time NBA All-Star was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History as well as the 75 Greatest Players, and inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He played his entire professional career for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Nolan Richardson served as this school’s head men’s basketball coach from 1985-2002.
Arkansas
Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament and led the Razorbacks to three Final Fours.
Which of these Hall of Famers received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award twice during his career?
Kevin McHale
Kevin Edward McHale (born December 19, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player, coach and analyst who played his entire professional career for the Boston Celtics. He is a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and is regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time.
Which Hall of Famer is known as “The Iceman”?
George Gervin
George Gervin (born April 27, 1952), nicknamed “the Iceman”, is an American retired professional basketball player who played in both the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Virginia Squires, San Antonio Spurs, and Chicago Bulls. Gervin averaged at least 14 points per game in all 14 of his ABA and NBA seasons, and finished with an NBA career average of 26.2 points per game.
Other than Tim Duncan, who is the only San Antonio Spur to win the NBA Most Valuable Player Award?
David Robinson
David Maurice Robinson is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed “the Admiral” for his service with the U.S. Navy, Robinson was a 10-time NBA All-Star, the 1995 NBA MVP, a two-time NBA champion (1999 and 2003), a two-time Olympic Gold Medal winner (1992, 1996), a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, and a two-time U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame inductee (2008 individually, 2009 as a member of the 1992 Olympic team).
Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is known by which nickname?
Tiny
Nathaniel “Tiny” Archibald (born September 2, 1948) is an American retired professional basketball player. He spent 14 years playing in the National Basketball Association (NBA), most notably with the Cincinnati Royals, Kansas City–Omaha Kings and Boston Celtics. In 1991, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
The Toronto Raptors drafted this Hall of Famer in 1997.
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001. McGrady entered the NBA straight out of high school and was selected as the ninth overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA draft.
Which of these Basketball Hall of Famers wore the jersey number 00 during his career?
Robert Parish
Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player who played 21 seasons as a center in the National Basketball Association (NBA), tied for second most in league history. He played an NBA-record 1,611 games in his career. It was at this time that Parish started wearing his uniform No. 00; on the day they passed out the uniforms in junior high school, it was the only jersey left.
In 2011, Dirk Nowitzki became the first player from which country to receive the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award?
Germany
Dirk Werner Nowitzki (born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m), he is widely regarded as one of the greatest power forwards of all time and is considered by many to be the greatest European player of all time.
This Hall of Famer is known as “The Glove.”
Gary Payton
Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. (born July 23, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who played the point guard position. Widely considered one of the greatest point guards of all time, he is best known for his 13-year tenure with the Seattle SuperSonics, and holds Seattle franchise records in points, assists, and steals. Nicknamed “the Glove” for his defensive abilities, Payton was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013.
Which of these Hall of Famers won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award multiple times during their career?
Alonzo Mourning
Alonzo Harding Mourning Jr. (born February 8, 1970) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. Mourning played most of his 15-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career for the Miami Heat. Since June 2009, Mourning has served as vice president of player programs and development for the Heat.
Which of these NBA Most Valuable Player Award winners isn’t a current member of the franchise with which he received the award for the first time?
Kevin Durant
Kevin Wayne Durant (born September 29, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas Longhorns, and was selected as the second overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2007 NBA draft.
Michael Jordan played on how many teams that won the NBA title during his career?
Six
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
Which of these teams last won an NBA title in 2004?
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association as a member of the league’s Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Little Caesars Arena, located in Midtown.
Jack Ramsay was this franchise’s head coach when it won its first NBA title in 1977.
Portland Trail Blazers
Ramsay spent 20 years coaching in the NBA, finishing with an 864-783 record. He coached the 76ers, Buffalo Braves, Indiana Pacers, and most notably the Portland Trail Blazers, where he would win an NBA title in 1977. He was also coach of St.
Which of these Hall of Famers played for multiple teams during his NBA career?
Dominique Wilkins
Jacques Dominique Wilkins (born January 12, 1960) is an American former professional basketball player who primarily played for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Wilkins was a nine-time NBA All-Star and is widely viewed as one of the most acrobatic slam dunkers in NBA history, earning the nickname “the Human Highlight Film”.
Which of these Hall of Famers played on “The Dream Team”?
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin Drexler (born June 22, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player and the commissioner of the Big3 3-on-3 basketball league. Drexler won an NBA championship with Houston in 1995, and earned a gold medal on the 1992 United States Olympic team known as “The Dream Team”.
Which of these San Antonio Spurs is the only player to play on each of the franchise’s five NBA title teams?
Tim Duncan
Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Nicknamed “the Big Fundamental”, he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA history. He spent his entire 19-year playing career with the San Antonio Spurs.
Moses Malone won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award as a member of which two franchises?
Houston Rockets and New York Knicks
Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers
Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers
Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls
Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers
Malone won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award as a member of the Rockets for the 1978-79 and the 1981-82 seasons and as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers for the 1982-83 season.
Who was the first foreign-born player to receive the NBA Most Valuable Player Award?
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born January 21, 1963), nicknamed “the Dream”, is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Houston Rockets and eventually the Toronto Raptors.
Just like in basketball…
We lose or fail
You’re score is an average…
Do you think you can do better the 2nd time around?
You’re a real MVP!!!
Nice game…
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