This basketball trivia for kids quiz has 50 free questions with answers and covers the game the way a young fan learns it: how many players are on the court, what a dribble and a rebound are, who invented the sport with a peach basket, and the stars kids actually talk about, from Michael Jordan and Kobe to LeBron, Steph Curry, Giannis, Wemby, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. There are questions on the NBA and WNBA, March Madness, the Dream Team, Space Jam, Air Jordans and the Harlem Globetrotters too. Everything is answerable by kids aged about 7 to 12 who watch some basketball, and the hardest questions are the kind an older sibling or a coach might know. Use it at practice, on the drive to a game, or as a family challenge at halftime. Every answer has been checked against Wikipedia's article on the player, team or rule, and each question shows its source once you have answered.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01How many players from each team are on the court at the same time in basketball?
Five
Each of the five has a position, from point guard to center.
Q 02How many points is a normal shot from inside the arc worth?
Two
Shots from behind the three-point line are worth three, and each free throw is worth one.
Q 03How many points is one free throw worth?
One
Free throws are shot from the foul line, sometimes called the 'charity stripe', with nobody allowed to block them.
Q 04Who invented basketball?
James Naismith
He was a gym teacher from Canada working in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891.
Q 05What did the very first basketball hoops actually look like?
Peach baskets
They still had their bottoms in, so someone had to climb up and get the ball out after every basket.
Q 06In which country was basketball's inventor born?
Canada
James Naismith came from Almonte, Ontario, and later started the University of Kansas basketball team.
Q 07What is it called when a player bounces the ball while moving?
Dribbling
You have to use one hand at a time; using both at once is a double dribble.
Q 08What is a 'rebound' in basketball?
Grabbing a missed shot
Both the offense and the defense can grab one; Wilt Chamberlain once had 55 in a single game.
Q 09What is it called when a player runs with the ball without bouncing it?
Traveling
Moving your pivot foot without dribbling is a violation and the other team gets the ball.
Q 10What is a slam dunk?
Jamming the ball into the hoop
Dunking was actually banned in college and high school games from 1967 to 1976.
Q 11How many teams are in the NBA?
30
Twenty-nine are in the United States and one, the Toronto Raptors, is in Canada.
Q 12How many games does each NBA team play in a regular season?
82
The season runs from October to April before the playoffs begin.
Q 13Which team had won the most NBA championships, 18, by the end of the 2024-25 season?
Boston Celtics
The Celtics had 18; the Lakers were second with 17.
Q 14Which team did Michael Jordan win six championships with?
Q 21How tall is Shaquille O'Neal?
7 feet 1 inch
He weighed 325 pounds, won four championships and was nicknamed 'Diesel'.
Q 22Which team drafted Shaquille O'Neal first overall in 1992?
Orlando Magic
He played college ball at LSU and later won three straight titles with the Lakers.
Q 23Which WNBA team drafted Caitlin Clark first overall in 2024?
Indiana Fever
At Iowa she became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA Division I history.
Q 24Which college did Caitlin Clark star for?
Chicago Bulls
He could dunk from the free-throw line, which is how he got the nickname 'Air Jordan'.
Q 15In the movie Space Jam, Michael Jordan plays basketball with which cartoon characters?
The Looney Tunes
He comes out of retirement to help Bugs Bunny and friends beat aliens who want to kidnap them.
Q 16Which shoe company makes Michael Jordan's famous sneaker line?
Nike
The first pair was made for Jordan in 1984; the 'Jumpman' logo comes from a photo taken before the 1984 Olympics.
Q 17Which team picked LeBron James first in the 2003 draft, straight out of high school?
Cleveland Cavaliers
He later won championships with the Heat, the Cavaliers and the Lakers.
Q 18Which team drafted Stephen Curry seventh overall in 2009?
Golden State Warriors
He is a point guard famous for three-pointers and won four championships with them between 2015 and 2022.
Q 19What was Kobe Bryant's nickname?
The Black Mamba
He played all 20 of his seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers and won five titles.
Q 20Which team did Kobe Bryant play for his entire career?
Los Angeles Lakers
He was actually drafted by the Hornets and traded to the Lakers right away.
Iowa
She grew up in West Des Moines and led the Hawkeyes to their first national championship game.
Q 25What is Giannis Antetokounmpo's nickname?
The Greek Freak
He was born in Athens to Nigerian parents and won a championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.
Q 26Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-plus star picked first in 2023, comes from which country?
France
He led the NBA in blocks as a rookie and was voted Rookie of the Year unanimously.
Q 27Which team drafted Victor Wembanyama?
San Antonio Spurs
His nicknames are 'Wemby' and 'the Alien'.
Q 28Which famous team plays funny trick-shot exhibition games and usually beats the Washington Generals?
Harlem Globetrotters
They started in Chicago in 1926 and have played more than 26,000 games in 124 countries.
Q 29What is the famous whistled theme song of the trick-shot team from Harlem?
Sweet Georgia Brown
Their mascot is a globe with a face called 'Globie'.
Q 30What is the nickname of the big college basketball tournament held every spring?
March Madness
It started in 1939; UCLA has won the most titles with 11.