Random Basketball Trivia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal was the first overall pick in the 1992 NBA draft, beginning his career with the Orlando Magic. He won Rookie of the Year and helped the Magic make it to the finals in the 1995 playoffs (they didn't win) before signing with the Los Angeles Lakers. There, he won three championships (2001-02-03) before being traded to the Miami Heat, where he earned a fourth championship (2006). In the last few years of his career, 'Shaq' played with the Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics, finally retiring at the end of the 2010-11 season.

As dominant a player as Shaquille O'Neal was, shooting from afar was not one of his strengths. He only made 22 attempts at a 3-point field goal over his career, and only potted one of them (Feb. 16th, 1995 vs the Milwaukee Bucks).

Amazingly, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had the same stat, only hitting one 3-pointer in his career, although to be fair, they didn't introduce the 3-point shot in the rules until halfway through his career (1979).

The visual clue: a shack (shortened name 'Shaq')

Answer: Charlotte Hornets

'Muggsy' Bogues was drafted in the first round (at #12) by the Washington Bullets, where he spent his rookie year playing on the same court as a record-holder for the tallest player in NBA (Manute Bol - 7'7" (213 cm)). After one year he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets, where he spent nearly a decade. Early into his 10th year with the team, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors, where he played for the bulk of two years, before signing as a free agent with the Toronto Raptors in 1999. After two years with the Raptors, Bogues retired.

How could a 5'3" player block shots of some very-much-taller opponents? He reportedly had a 44-inch (110 cm) vertical jump.

The visual clue: an F-18 Hornet

Answer: Toronto Huskies

The Toronto Huskies were not as successful in the NBA as their successors, the Toronto Raptors. The Huskies were one of the original 11 teams of the BAA, but most certainly not the strongest. They only lasted one season, and managed to put up a 22-38 win/loss record, finishing tied for last place in the Eastern Division with the Boston Celtics.

When Toronto was granted an expansion franchise in 1993, there was a campaign to "Bring back the Huskies", but management thought that they would be too similar to the Minnesota Timberwolves, so the Raptors name was chosen instead.

The visual clue: a dogsled pulled by huskies

Answer: Wilt Chamberlain

Wilt Chamberlain began his professional career with the Harlem Globetrotters in 1958 before joining the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959. With the Warriors he achieved the 4,029-point record that stood the test of time, doing so with a 50.4 point-per-game average! In that season he also became the first player to score 100 points in a game (against the New York Knicks on March 2nd, 1962).

Wilt had a few nicknames, but he did not like the ones that referred to his 7'1" (216 cm) height, like 'Wilt the stilt' or 'Goliath'. He preferred 'The Big Dipper' referring to having to duck through doorways.

The visual clue: a black-winged stilt (Wilt the stilt)

Answer: Walt Bellamy

Walt Bellamy was drafted by the Chicago Packers in 1961 and played his first four years with that franchise (that became the Chicago Zephyrs and the Baltimore Bullets in that time) before being traded to the New York Knicks in 1965. It was during the 1968-69 season that he managed to amass 88 games in that season. He started with 35 games for the Knicks and was traded to the Detroit Pistons (on an offset schedule), with whom he played 53 games to play out the season. He went on to complete his 14-year career with the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Jazz.

The visual clue: bells (his nickname was 'Bells')

Answer: Providence Steamrollers

The Providence Steamrollers only lasted three seasons and they did not put up very exciting numbers:

1946-47 - 28W-32L
1947-48 - 6W-42L
1948-49 - 12W-48L

Perhaps it is a saving grace that their second-season record was not actually the worst win percentage on record. Their 0.125 was beaten by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers (0.110 win percentage and a 9W-73L record), and then even that was eclipsed by the 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats, who managed a 0.106 win percentage (7W-59L) in a dismal shortened lockout season.

The visual clue: a steam engine

Answer: Milwaukee Bucks

The NBA draft system has changed over the years:

From 1947 to 1965, teams would simply get their choice based on their rankings. Worst record, first pick. But there was one caveat: a team had the option of forfeiting their first-round pick to choose any player that lived in the local area. Players such as Wilt Chamberlain and Oscar Robertson were chosen in this manner.

From 1966 to 1984, the team with the worst record in each conference would flip a coin to see who got first and second choice. The rest of the teams went in order, worst record to best. Who got the favourite was by chance. This was the situation which saw Lew Alcindor's fate be decided between the Phoenix Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks.

From 1985 to 1986, the names of all the teams that didn't make the playoffs were put into envelopes and one was randomly chosen to earn the first pick and every subsequent pick. Then the teams that had made the playoffs got their picks based on their standings.

From 1987 to 1989, the same early lottery system was used, but the random pick was only for the three worst records, and after that it went by the team's win-loss record, worst to best.

Since 1990, the NBA has used the weighted lottery system, where (non-playoff) teams with lower standing have a higher percentage to win the first and subsequent picks, but they all still have a chance. In 1993, with only one chance in 66 to win the first pick, the Orlando Magic managed to do just that.

The visual clue: a buck (not the lake)

Answer: Jerry West

At the time that the logo was developed, the NBA was getting fierce competition from the relatively new American Basketball Association. Alan Siegel of the branding firm Siegel+Gale was tasked with the rebranding.

He found a picture of the Los Angeles Lakers' (point guard and shooting guard) Jerry West while searching through various sports magazines, and it truly captured the fast-paced, fluid nature of the game.

West garnered the nickname 'The Logo' because of the selection of his photograph, in addition to his other nicknames 'Mr. Clutch' and 'Zeke from Cabin Creek'. He spent his entire 14-year career with the Lakers.

The visual clue: a wind vane pointing west

Answer: Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was drafted (at #13) by the Charlotte Hornets and immediately included in a trade to the L.A. Lakers. Because he was 17 at the time, his parents had to sign his rookie contract on his behalf. He spent his full 20-year career with the Lakers, earning the accolades mentioned in the question, in addition to many other accomplishments and records.

Tragically, Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash in January 2020.

The visual clue: kobe beef (from Japan) - Kobe Bryant is actually named after it (according to Tetsunori Tanimoto, director of the Kobe Beef Marketing and Distribution Promotion Association)

Answer: New Orleans Jazz

Lusia Harris attended Delta State University (Mississippi) from 1973 to 1977, leading the Lady Statesmen for a college career record of 109W-6L. In the 1977 NBA draft, she was selected in the seventh round (#137 overall), but declined to attend training camp, and never played with the men of the NBA. It was later revealed that she was pregnant at the time, and would legitimately have been unable to attend the training camp, for physical reasons.

Lusia was not actually the first woman ever selected in an NBA draft. The San Francisco Warriors selected Denise Long Rife in the 1969 draft, but her selection was voided by the Commissioner on grounds that the league did not draft players straight from high school, nor did it draft women.

The visual clue: a saxophone, known for being a jazz instrument