NBA Basketball by Year, 1970–1999

We give you one question about NBA basketball for every year from 1970 until 1999. Can you answer them all?

Also see 2000–present

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Last updated: December 2, 2020

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First submitted	November 14, 2012
Times taken	38,023
Average score	73.3%
Rating	4.24

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Year	Clue	Answer
1999	This "zen master" becomes coach of the Lakers	Phil Jackson
1998	This team wins its 6th championship in 8 years	Chicago Bulls
1997	This team changes its name to the Washington Wizards	Washington Bullets
1996	This player leaves the Magic to join the Lakers	Shaquille O'Neal
1995	The Grizzlies become the league's 29th franchise, playing in this city	Vancouver
1994	This Nigerian player is named MVP	Hakeem Olajuwon
1993	This player suddenly retires to play baseball	Michael Jordan
1992	This player wins his first of seven consecutive rebounding titles	Dennis Rodman
1991	This NBA legend announces that he is HIV positive	Magic Johnson
1990	Due to their physical style, the Detroit Pistons are known by this nickname	The Bad Boys
1989	This Yugoslavian center begins playing for the Lakers	Vlade Divac
1988	Magic Johnson kisses this player during the NBA finals	Isiah Thomas
1987	This "Round Mound of Rebound" leads the league in rebounds, the shortest player ever to do so	Charles Barkley
1986	This player wins his third consecutive MVP award	Larry Bird
1985	This Georgetown player is selected #1 in the NBA draft	Patrick Ewing
1984	This lawyer becomes commissioner of the NBA	David Stern
1983	This company replaces Wilson as official providers of the NBA game ball	Spalding
1982	This coach wins his first of five NBA championships	Pat Riley
1981	Lloyd B. Free officially changes his name to this	World B. Free
1980	This player wins his 6th MVP award, the most of any player in history	Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
1979	This now-defunct team wins its first and only championship	Seattle Supersonics
1978	This "iceman" leads the league in scoring	George Gervin
1977	This MVP leads the Trailblazers to an NBA championship	Bill Walton
1976	This league merges with the NBA	ABA
1975	This Warrior is named Finals MVP; today he is best known for shooting underhanded free throws	Rick Barry
1974	The Jazz become the league's 18th franchise, playing in this city	New Orleans
1973	This "tiny" point guard leads the league with 34.0 points per game	Tiny Archibald
1972	This player wins his second NBA championship and averages 19.2 rebounds per game	Wilt Chamberlain
1971	This legend retires 9 games into the season as the leading scorer in Lakers history. Unfortunately for him, the Lakers would start a 33 game win streak that same night.	Elgin Baylor
1970	This player, the highest scorer in NCAA history, is chosen by the Hawks with the 3rd pick in the draft	Pete Maravich

Level 62

Mar 4, 2013

100% with 3:44 left

Level 14

Mar 27, 2013

Aced it with 3:55 left. Great quiz.

Level 28

May 17, 2018

3:49 here. I think we might be following this league a bit too intently.

Level 63

May 30, 2013

got 29!

Level 43

Feb 23, 2016

Yep......Isiah

Level ∞

Nov 18, 2016

Fixed

Level 11

Sep 6, 2016

Level 23

Jul 7, 2017

This was a really fun quiz. Would love to see more NBA quizzes like this, and maybe add in some international basketball trivia.

Level 58

Jun 14, 2019

not a big BB fan but i enjoyed the quiz , i typed Vlad Divac and no correct answer , which i thought a bit strict , being i need all the help i can get 28 of 40

Level ∞

Dec 2, 2020

Vlad Divac would have worked, but I recommend typing simply the last name.

Level 16

May 22, 2021

His name is Vlade Divac pronounced V-L-A-D-I-E Divac

Level 53

Sep 21, 2019

You've done basketball, football, and baseball, why not fill out the Big Four and make a hockey by year quiz?

Level 55

Oct 15, 2019

Can you make "Bad Boy Pistons" an acceptable answer for the question about the nickname of the physical Pistons team?

Level ∞

Dec 2, 2020

Sure

Level 16

Jan 31, 2020

great quiz

Level 91

Feb 13, 2020

The back-to-back Johnsons seems like a missed opportunity. Could maybe change to Reggie Lewis, who died of a heart attack during practice that year?

Level 22

Mar 9, 2020

True

Level ∞

Dec 2, 2020

Replaced Larry Johnson with a question about Dennis Rodman.

Level 92

Dec 3, 2020

Love this quiz.

Level 75

Apr 25, 2021

maybe the picture is new, but how is Pistol Pete last?

Level 84

Apr 25, 2021

One of these days I'll learn how to spell Olajuwon.

Level 42

Apr 26, 2021

"This MVP leads the trailblazers..."

Bill Walton is a finals MVP, not a regular season MVP, should that be specified?

Level 16

May 25, 2021

He also won the 1977 NBA MVP award

He also led the league in rebounds that season.

Level 70

Apr 26, 2021

Do the SuperSonics really count as defunct? They moved and changed names, but the OKC Thunder are still technically the same team. I would consider defunct teams as those who actually folded, like the Baltimore Bullets (1947-1954), the Chicago Stags (1946-1950), the Providence Steamrollers (1946-1949), the St. Louis Bombers (1946-1950), or the Washington Capitols (1946-1951).

Level 44

Apr 29, 2021

Debatable whether Magic kissed Isiah or the other way around...

Level 16

May 22, 2021

Tiny is not his real name it is Nate Archibald.

Level 77

Jul 6, 2022

Seattle isn't defunct. It's just now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Utah Jazz aren't defunct and neither are the Washington Wizards. One changed cities and the other changed names. To be defunct do you have to change both?

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