50 Fun Facts About Nba 2019

Which Toronto forward sank a Game 7 buzzer-beater that bounced four times on the rim in the 2019 NBA playoffs?

Kawhi Leonard's corner shot beat Philadelphia 92–90 and was the first Game 7 buzzer-beater in NBA history. The normally stoic star let out a scream as his teammates swarmed him.

Which two-word phrase did LeBron James try to trademark in 2019 after posting about his family's weekly dinners?

Taco Tuesday was judged too commonplace a term to protect, so the US patent office turned the filing down. His shell company had wanted it for podcasts and online entertainment.

What halted the Knicks–Pelicans game on the opening night of the 2019 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas?

An earthquake shook the arena with New Orleans ahead 80–74 early in the fourth quarter. A second game was stopped as well, and the night's late fixture never tipped off.

Which company lost over $1 billion in market value in February 2019 after a Duke star's sneaker split open mid-game?

Nike made the shoe that tore apart in the opening minute against North Carolina, spraining the freshman's knee. Its stock fell by $1.1 billion the next day.

To which murdered Los Angeles rapper did Russell Westbrook dedicate his 20-20-20 stat line in April 2019?

Nipsey Hussle had been shot dead outside his clothing store in South Central two days earlier. The stat line, posted against the Lakers, was only the second of its kind in NBA history.

Which Warriors star tore his Achilles tendon in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, his first game back from injury?

Kevin Durant had missed nine games and scored 11 points in the first quarter before going down early in the second. He then sat out the whole of the following season.

Which forward retired in April 2019 after 21 NBA seasons with one franchise, a league record?

Dirk Nowitzki scored 30 points in his last home game for Dallas, then announced the news as Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and Charles Barkley walked out to pay tribute.

Which Portland guard knocked Oklahoma City out of the 2019 NBA playoffs with a 37-foot buzzer-beater?

Damian Lillard's long three settled the first-round series in five games with a 118–115 win. The 50 points were the most he had ever scored in a playoff game.

Which Duke forward did New Orleans select first in the 2019 NBA draft after winning the lottery with 6 percent odds?

Zion Williamson went first after a single college season, and two of his teammates followed him into the top ten. The Pelicans had jumped at least six places in the lottery to get him.

Which Lakers president of basketball operations quit at an impromptu news conference in April 2019?

Magic Johnson said he wanted to go back to being an NBA ambassador. The Lakers had signed LeBron James on his watch but never reached the playoffs while he ran the front office.

Which Warriors guard tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals but still left the game with 30 points?

Klay Thompson went down late in the third quarter, and Golden State lost the game 114–110 and the series with it. Knee surgery kept him out for the whole of the next season.

Which Dallas guard was voted 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, a year after winning the EuroLeague title and MVP award?

Luka Dončić had led Real Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague crown as a teenager. He was tipped as the favourite for the rookie award before he had played a single NBA game.

Which Miami guard closed his farewell season in April 2019 with a triple-double in the last game of his NBA career?

Dwyane Wade posted 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss at Brooklyn, a night after scoring 30 in his home farewell. It was only the fifth triple-double of his career.

Which former Knicks sensation became the first Asian American to win an NBA title, as a Toronto reserve in 2019?

Jeremy Lin had joined the Raptors in February after Atlanta bought out his contract. His ring came in the first NBA Finals to be played outside the United States.

Which team did 2019 NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo lead to its first 60-win season since 1981?

The Milwaukee Bucks finished 60–22, the best record in the league, but fell to Toronto in six games in the Eastern Conference finals.

Which Clippers reserve scored 36 points as his team erased a record 31-point deficit in the 2019 NBA playoffs?

Lou Williams added 11 assists in the 135–131 win over Golden State, then the biggest comeback in playoff history. That June he was named Sixth Man of the Year for a record-tying third time.

Which Toronto forward, a former seminary student from Cameroon, was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2018–19?

Pascal Siakam became the first player to win that award and an NBA title in the same season. He had entered a seminary in Bafia at the age of 11.

Which Toronto guard was shoved by a courtside Warriors investor while chasing a loose ball in the 2019 NBA Finals?

Kyle Lowry was diving for the ball during Game 3 when Mark Stevens pushed him. Golden State banned Stevens from attending its games for a year.

Which coach won the 2019 NBA title in his first season as an NBA head coach, eight years after a D-League championship?

Nick Nurse became the first head coach to win both the NBA and its development-league titles. He had spent 11 seasons coaching in Europe, mostly in the British Basketball League.

Which center won the 2019 NBA title with Toronto and then the FIBA World Cup with Spain later that year?

Marc Gasol was only the second player to win both in the same year. Toronto had traded for him in February, sending Jonas Valančiūnas to Memphis.

Which All-Star big man did the Lakers land from New Orleans in July 2019 for Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart?

Anthony Davis had asked to be traded in January, and the NBA fined him $50,000 for making the request public. The deal also cost Los Angeles three first-round draft picks.

Which All-Star forward did Oklahoma City trade to the Clippers in July 2019 after two seasons with the Thunder?

Paul George had just been a finalist for both Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, and had led the league in steals.

Which ten-time All-Star joined Portland on a non-guaranteed deal in November 2019, nine months after Chicago waived him?

Carmelo Anthony stayed two seasons with the Trail Blazers and finished a 19-year NBA career with the Lakers. The Bulls had released him ten days after trading for him.

Which 42-year-old Atlanta swingman began his 22nd NBA season in October 2019, having said it would be his last?

Vince Carter went on to become the first player to appear in the NBA in four different decades, from the 1990s to the 2020s. He played for eight franchises in all.

Which retired five-time NBA champion rejoined the San Antonio Spurs in July 2019 as an assistant coach?

Tim Duncan spent a single season on the bench of the only club he had ever played for, then stepped down in November 2020.

Which Utah center was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2019 for the second season in a row?

Rudy Gobert, nicknamed the Stifle Tower, kept the award without ever having been picked for an All-Star Game. His first selection came the following January.

Which guard scored 30 or more points in 32 straight games in 2018–19, passing all but one of Wilt Chamberlain's streaks?

James Harden's streak included a career-high 61 points against the Knicks. He finished the season averaging 36.1 points a game, the best in the league.

Which All-Star guard left Boston after two seasons to sign with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent in July 2019?

Kyrie Irving had grown up in West Orange, New Jersey, and had only landed with the Celtics in 2017 after requesting a trade.

Which All-Star swingman left Philadelphia for Miami in July 2019 through a four-team sign-and-trade?

Jimmy Butler was named to his fifth All-Star Game the following January, midway through his first season with the Heat.

Which point guard did Houston send to Oklahoma City in July 2019, with four draft assets, for Russell Westbrook?

Chris Paul left with two protected first-round picks and two pick swaps. Widely expected to be moved on again, he stayed and led a young Thunder side to the fifth seed.

Which All-Star guard joined Boston from Charlotte in July 2019 and switched to No. 8 because his usual 15 was retired?

Kemba Walker arrived through a sign-and-trade worth $141 million over four years. The Celtics had retired 15 for Tom Heinsohn, so he took a number made famous by Kobe Bryant.

Which Murray State guard did Memphis take second in the 2019 NBA draft, a year before his Rookie of the Year award?

Ja Morant had been a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore, and Murray State later retired his No. 12 jersey.

Which Gonzaga forward became the first Japanese first-round pick when Washington took him ninth in the 2019 NBA draft?

Rui Hachimura had already been the first Japanese national to play in the NCAA Division I men's tournament. He made the All-Rookie Second Team in his first NBA season.

Which 7-foot-6 Senegalese center went undrafted in 2019, then earned a Boston contract through the NBA Summer League?

Tacko Fall's measurements at the draft combine set NBA records for height in shoes, wingspan and standing reach. He shot a team-high 77 percent across five Summer League games.

Which undrafted Toronto guard scored 22 points off the bench in the title-clinching Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals?

Fred VanVleet hit five three-pointers and scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter. He had snapped out of a shooting slump a round earlier by making seven threes in a single game.

Which retired center and TV analyst did Hamidou Diallo leap over to win the 2019 NBA Slam Dunk Contest?

Shaquille O'Neal stood in the lane as the Oklahoma City guard cleared him, then hung from the rim to show off a Superman undershirt. No Thunder player had won the contest before.

Houston executive Daryl Morey's October 2019 tweet backing protesters in which city cost the NBA its Chinese sponsors?

Hong Kong's protest movement got his support while the Rockets were in Tokyo for preseason games. He deleted the post, his first public political statement, but mainland sponsors still pulled out.

Which heavy metal band opened the Warriors' new Chase Center in September 2019 alongside the San Francisco Symphony?

Metallica played the arena's grand opening a month before any basketball was staged there. The Warriors had spent nearly five decades across the bay in Oakland.

In which Indian city did the Kings and Pacers play the first NBA games ever staged in India, in October 2019?

Mumbai's NSCI Dome hosted the two preseason games on consecutive nights. A decade earlier the league had opened a refurbished public court in one of the city's suburbs.

On which continent did the NBA and FIBA announce plans in February 2019 for a new professional club league?

Africa's new competition was planned around 12 clubs chosen through qualifying tournaments. Its first season was finally played in 2021.

Karl-Anthony Towns was suspended for two games in October 2019 after an altercation with which Philadelphia center?

Joel Embiid received the same two-game ban without pay for his part in the scuffle, which broke out during a game against Minnesota.

Which team did Portland beat in a quadruple-overtime game in the 2019 NBA playoffs, the longest in over six decades?

The Denver Nuggets lost Game 3 of the conference semifinals, the first four-overtime playoff game of the shot-clock era. They were in the postseason for the first time in six years.

Which city's NBA team missed the 2019 playoffs a year after winning its fourth straight Eastern Conference title?

Cleveland had not missed the postseason since 2014. The slide followed the exit of LeBron James, who then sat out the playoffs himself for the first time since 2005.

Which point guard was traded to Utah in 2019 after 12 seasons in Memphis, leaving as the Grizzlies' record scorer?

Mike Conley had spent his whole career with one club without ever being named an All-Star. The honour finally came with the Jazz in 2021.

Which Brooklyn sharpshooter won the 2019 NBA Three-Point Contest and led the league in three-point accuracy that season?

Joe Harris made 47.4 percent of his threes in 2018–19, the best mark in the league. He won the shootout on All-Star Saturday in Charlotte.

Which Raptors president was caught on video in an altercation with a sheriff's deputy moments after the 2019 NBA Finals?

Masai Ujiri had been stopped on his way to the trophy presentation in Oakland. Prosecutors decided that October to take no further action over the incident.

Which eight-time NBA champion, a Celtics great nicknamed Hondo, died in April 2019 at the age of 79?

John Havlicek spent all 16 of his seasons in Boston and never lost an NBA Finals series. His nickname came from a 1953 John Wayne film.

Which former Indiana and Orlando head coach did the Lakers hire in May 2019 after missing the playoffs again?

Frank Vogel took the Lakers to the NBA championship in 2020, at the end of his first season in the job.

Which Washington guard ruptured his Achilles tendon in 2019 by slipping at home while recovering from heel surgery?

John Wall had undergone season-ending surgery on his left heel that January, and the incision had become infected before he fell.

Which Oakland venue, the Warriors' home since 1971, staged its last NBA game during the 2019 NBA Finals?

Oracle Arena went back to its old name, Oakland Arena, soon after the team left for San Francisco. Toronto clinched the title there in Game 6.