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Strange but true: basketball quiz

7 October 2026 · A father against his son, a four-point play in a derby and eight more stories that sound made up but are true.

Quiz questions

  1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is forever linked with the Showtime Lakers, but his first NBA title came earlier, in 1971, when he was still called Lew Alcindor. His team swept Baltimore 4-0 in the Finals. Which team was it?

    • Los Angeles Lakers
    • Milwaukee Bucks
    • Boston Celtics
    • New York Knicks
    Answer

    Alcindor was Finals MVP, and with Oscar Robertson alongside him Milwaukee won the first title in club history. He started using the name Kareem Abdul-Jabbar publicly later that year.

  2. Spain came to EuroBasket 2022 without most of their famous names and won it anyway, beating France 88-76 in the Berlin final. Two brothers were key: one scored 27 points in the final, the other was named tournament MVP. Who was the MVP?

    • Juancho Hernangómez
    • Lorenzo Brown
    • Willy Hernangómez
    • Rudy Fernández
    Answer

    Willy Hernangómez was MVP, and his younger brother Juancho scored 27 in the final. Point guard Lorenzo Brown, who got his Spanish passport that summer, made the All-Tournament Team.

  3. Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, Alonzo Mourning and Hakeem Olajuwon were some of the most feared defensive centers of the 1990s. Three of them came out of the same university. Which one did not?

    • Patrick Ewing
    • Dikembe Mutombo
    • Alonzo Mourning
    • Hakeem Olajuwon
    Answer

    Hakeem Olajuwon. Ewing, Mutombo and Mourning all played at Georgetown under John Thompson. Olajuwon played at Houston, in the 'Phi Slama Jama' team with Clyde Drexler.

  4. In the early 1990s Italian league fans saw something unique: a center in his forties playing against his own son. The father had won the European Cup seven times, more than any other player. Who was he?

    • Dino Meneghin
    • Pierluigi Marzorati
    • Renato Villalta
    • Aldo Ossola
    Answer

    Dino Meneghin, then playing for Trieste, faced his son Andrea's Varese. Dino won five European Cups with Varese and two with Olimpia Milano, and Andrea went on to win EuroBasket 1999 with Italy.

  5. Name the player from his clubs.

    • Nemanja Bjelica
    • Nikola Mirotić
    • Ante Tomić
    • Kostas Papanikolaou
    Answer

    Nikola Mirotić, born in Podgorica, played for Spain and was EuroLeague MVP with Barcelona in 2022. He joined Monaco in 2025 and signed with Valencia in September 2026.

  6. The New Jersey Nets drafted Brazil's Oscar Schmidt in 1984, but he never played a single NBA game. Why did he turn the NBA down?

    • His Italian club demanded a buyout the Nets refused to pay
    • He failed the Nets' medical because of a knee problem
    • At the time, NBA players could not play for their national teams
    • Brazil's federation banned players who moved to the United States
    Answer

    At the time, NBA players could not play for their national teams. FIBA only opened its tournaments to NBA players in 1989. Oscar scored 1,093 points over five Olympics, from 1980 to 1996, more than anyone in history.

  7. Game 6 of the 2013 Finals. Miami trail San Antonio by three, and the ropes for the trophy ceremony are already coming out. Chris Bosh grabs an offensive rebound and kicks it to the corner, where a sharpshooter backpedals and ties the game with 5.2 seconds left. Who?

    • Ray Allen
    • Mike Miller
    • Shane Battier
    • Mario Chalmers
    Answer

    Ray Allen's three forced overtime, Miami won 103-100 and then took Game 7 as well. Allen retired as the NBA's career leader in made threes, a record Stephen Curry later broke.

  8. Bologna, 31 May 1998, Game 5 of the Italian league final and a city derby. Kinder trail Teamsystem by four with less than half a minute left. A Kinder guard hits a three while being fouled by a former NBA superstar, makes the free throw, and Kinder win in overtime. Who scored the four-point play?

    • Antoine Rigaudeau
    • Alessandro Abbio
    • Hugo Sconochini
    • Predrag Danilović
    Answer

    Predrag Danilović was fouled by Dominique Wilkins, who years later admitted it really was a foul. Kinder won 86-77 after overtime. That season the club also won its first EuroLeague.

  9. In 1991 and 1992 the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year was the same European player, coming off the bench for the Indiana Pacers. Who was he?

    • Toni Kukoč
    • Detlef Schrempf
    • Šarūnas Marčiulionis
    • Rik Smits
    Answer

    Detlef Schrempf won the award two years running and later became a three-time All-Star. Toni Kukoč won it in 1996 with the Bulls.

  10. Portland's only NBA title came in 1977, even though they lost the first two games of the Finals to Julius Erving's 76ers. Then came four straight wins, and the Finals MVP averaged these numbers. Who was he?

    • Bill Walton
    • Maurice Lucas
    • Lionel Hollins
    • Bob Gross
    Answer

    Bill Walton clinched it with 20 points, 23 rebounds, 7 assists and 8 blocks in Game 6, a 109-107 win. Injuries soon cut his Portland career short.

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