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Think you know basketball? Test your knowledge on the origins, legendary moments, and surprising facts of the game that conquered the world!
Bench Warmer 0–4 · Solid Starter 5–8 · Hall of Famer 9–10
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Standard basketball is played with five active players on the court per team. Although James Naismith originally experimented with up to nine players per side because of his large class size, the five-on-five format was quickly adopted as the perfect balance for court space.
Photo: kris krüg from Vancouver, Canada, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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The Harlem Globetrotters travel the world combining theater, comedy, and incredible basketball skills. The Washington Generals are their designated opponents, who almost always lose. On January 5, 1971, the Generals actually won a game, and the stunned crowd could hardly believe it.
Photo: Globies, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Bill Murray plays a fictionalized version of himself in the movie, helping Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters win their high-stakes game against the Monstars. The movie was a massive commercial success and became a pop culture phenomenon of the 1990s.
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The iconic logo, designed by Alan Siegel in 1969, was based on a photo of Jerry West dribbling. West spent his whole career with the Los Angeles Lakers. The NBA has never officially confirmed that the silhouette is him, but the logo's designer has said it is.
Photo: Malcolm W. Emmons, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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Wilt Chamberlain set this legendary record while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks. There is no video footage of the historic game, only a radio broadcast and a famous photograph of Wilt holding up a simple piece of paper with the number 100 written on it.
Photo: Paul Vathis, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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The very first basketballs were made of brown leather. In the late 1950s, a college coach suggested an orange ball because it would be much easier for both players and fans in the stands to track. The new color was such a hit that it quickly became the universal standard.
Photo: Reisio, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
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The NCAA banned the slam dunk for nine years starting in 1967, largely because Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was so dominant at the rim. This pushed him to perfect his legendary skyhook shot, which became one of the most unstoppable scoring weapons in basketball history.
Photo: Danny Karwoski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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The United States won the first Olympic basketball gold in Berlin, defeating Canada 19 to 8 in a game played outdoors on a muddy dirt court during a rainstorm. James Naismith, the inventor of the game, was in attendance to present the medals to the winning teams.
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Before the shot clock, teams with a lead would simply pass the ball around indefinitely without shooting to freeze the game. This led to incredibly boring, low-scoring matches, including one infamous game that ended 19 to 18. The shot clock instantly revived the fast-paced action of the sport.
Photo: TonyTheTiger, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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Breaking the backboard earns a technical foul and possibly a fine, because the game has to stop while the glass is replaced. After Darryl Dawkins shattered two backboards in 1979, the NBA introduced breakaway rims that bend under a hard dunk and spring back.
Photo: Tonniedixon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
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