Oh, hi there! So, you’ve decided to test your knowledge of basketball—the sport that started with peach baskets, no dribbling, and players wearing wool sweaters. Good for you! Over time, the game evolved into high-flying dunks, impossible three-pointers, and defensive schemes so complicated they’d make a mathematician sweat.
This quiz will separate the casual fans from the true hardwood historians. Do you know which coach once forced his team to stall for an entire half? Which NBA player refused to shoot left-handed, even though he was left-handed? Ever heard of the rule that once required a jump ball after every single basket? These aren’t the kinds of facts you’ll find on the back of a basketball card.
If you can tell your ABA from your NBL, your skyhook from your finger roll, and your Dream Shake from your Eurostep, you might have what it takes. Now, take a deep breath, check the shot clock, and let’s see if you’re a Hall of Famer or a benchwarmer.
History Lesson
Chuck Connors: The Athlete You Won’t Find in the Record Books
Most people know Chuck Connors as the star of The Rifleman, the TV gunslinger who rarely missed a shot. But before he was a Hollywood cowboy, he was a professional basketball and baseball player—though you wouldn’t know it if you searched for his name in the record books.
Born Kevin Joseph Aloysius Connors, he played under his birth name, meaning if you’re looking for “Chuck Connors” in the Boston Celtics’ early rosters or the NBL’s championship records, you won’t find him. Under Kevin Connors, he played for the Rochester Royals, winning an NBL championship in 1946, before becoming one of the first-ever players for the Boston Celtics in the BAA (which later became the NBA).
Connors also played professional baseball as a first baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers and Chicago Cubs organizations before turning to acting full-time. While his sports career was short-lived, he did make history—becoming the first pro basketball player ever recorded to break a backboard, though not from a dunk, but because of a defective rim during pregame warmups.
Quiz Writer
Zach has been riding the gondola of trivia wherever the waters take him. Although he’s not a named consultant on any major quiz TV shows, Zach has watched them all since infancy and will happily take up any challenge whether it be pub quizzes or high-stakes matches he isn’t afraid to show up. And showing up is 90% of the work!
Did you know?
The NBA Banned Michael Jordan’s Sneakers in 1985
In 1985, the NBA officially banned the Air Jordan 1—not because they gave MJ an unfair advantage, but because they broke uniform rules. The league required that sneakers be at least 51% white and match the rest of the team’s footwear. Jordan’s black-and-red “Bred” colorway didn’t comply, and the NBA fined him $5,000 every time he wore them in a game.
Nike, seeing a golden marketing opportunity, covered the fines and launched the legendary “Banned” campaign, turning the Air Jordan 1 into an instant icon. The result? One of the most famous basketball shoes of all time and the birth of a sneaker empire that would redefine sports marketing.
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About Heywise
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