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Before they were stars: basketball quiz

8 October 2026 · A street seller in Athens, an equipment manager in Arkansas and eight more stories about where great careers began.

Quiz questions

  1. As a teenager in Athens he sold watches, sunglasses and toys on the streets with his brothers to help the family. A few years later he was a two-time NBA MVP. Who is he?

    • Nikola Jokić
    • Joel Embiid
    • Giannis Antetokounmpo
    • Thanasis Antetokounmpo
    Answer

    Giannis Antetokounmpo, born in Athens to Nigerian parents, sold goods on the streets with his brother Thanasis. Milwaukee drafted him 15th in 2013, and he was MVP in 2019 and 2020 before winning the 2021 title.

  2. He made his Real Madrid debut on 30 April 2015 against Unicaja, aged 16, and hit a three on his very first possession. Three years later he was EuroLeague MVP. Who is he?

    • Luka Dončić
    • Ricky Rubio
    • Usman Garuba
    • Nikola Mirotić
    Answer

    Luka Dončić came to Madrid from the Olimpija Ljubljana youth teams at 13. In 2018 he was both regular-season and Final Four MVP, and that summer he left for the NBA.

  3. Real Madrid signed this Argentine point guard in 2014, then loaned him to UCAM Murcia for two seasons. Back in Madrid he won the 2018 EuroLeague, and in 2020 he moved to the Denver Nuggets. Who is he?

    • Nicolás Laprovíttola
    • Luis Scola
    • Pablo Prigioni
    • Facundo Campazzo
    Answer

    Facundo Campazzo started out at Peñarol in Mar del Plata. After two seasons in Denver he had a short spell with the Dallas Mavericks in 2022.

  4. Name the player from his clubs.

    • Hedo Türkoğlu
    • Predrag Stojaković
    • Vladimir Radmanović
    • Nenad Krstić
    Answer

    Predrag Stojaković. Peja Stojaković won his only NBA title in the last season of his career, with Dallas in 2011. Sacramento later retired his number 16.

  5. Udonis Haslem, Fred VanVleet, José Calderón and John Starks all had long NBA careers. What do they have in common?

    • All four won an NBA title
    • All four played for the Toronto Raptors
    • None of them was picked in the NBA draft
    • All four played in an All-Star Game
    Answer

    None of them was picked in the NBA draft. All four went undrafted. Haslem won three titles with Miami and VanVleet one with Toronto in 2019, but Calderón and Starks never won a ring.

  6. At the University of Central Arkansas he first joined the team as its equipment manager. Then he grew several inches, earned a place on the roster and later won six NBA titles. Who is he?

    • Scottie Pippen
    • Dennis Rodman
    • Horace Grant
    • Ben Wallace
    Answer

    Scottie Pippen arrived at Central Arkansas without a scholarship and looked after the team's kit. He grew to 2.03 m and won six titles alongside Michael Jordan.

  7. Three of these NBA stars played EuroLeague games before they moved to the NBA. Which one did not?

    • Pau Gasol
    • Manu Ginóbili
    • Andrei Kirilenko
    • Dirk Nowitzki
    Answer

    Dirk Nowitzki played for DJK Würzburg in Germany's second division until 1998. Gasol played for Barcelona, Ginóbili won the 2001 EuroLeague with Kinder Bologna and Kirilenko played for CSKA Moscow.

  8. Phoenix drafted this Spanish point guard 27th in 2006 and sold his rights to Portland the same night. After his first NBA spell with Portland, Sacramento and New York he went home, and in 2014 he was EuroLeague MVP with Real Madrid. Who is he?

    • Sergio Llull
    • Sergio Rodríguez
    • José Calderón
    • Álex Abrines
    Answer

    Sergio 'El Chacho' Rodríguez started out at Estudiantes. He returned to the NBA with Philadelphia for 2016-17 and won the EuroLeague with CSKA Moscow in 2019.

  9. A guard's rookie season. He had turned 18 just before it began and came to the NBA straight from high school. Whose numbers are these?

    • Jermaine O'Neal
    • Tracy McGrady
    • Kobe Bryant
    • Kevin Garnett
    Answer

    Kobe Bryant, 1996-97 Lakers. That February he won the Slam Dunk Contest, and in 2008 he was MVP.

  10. At 13, on a US Army base in West Germany where his stepfather served, he met a college coach. The coach's first question was how long he had been in the army. Who is he?

    • Shaquille O'Neal
    • Hakeem Olajuwon
    • David Robinson
    • Patrick Ewing
    Answer

    The coach was LSU's Dale Brown, who later recruited Shaquille O'Neal. David Robinson really did serve, in the Navy, but only after graduating from the Naval Academy.

Previous quiz: Strange but true (7 October 2026) · Next quiz: Vlade Divac (9 October 2026)

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