50 free Michael Jordan trivia questions with answers. Everyone knows Michael Jordan won six championships. Fewer know he scored 16 points in his NBA debut, that his tongue habit came from his father, or that he chose David Thompson to present him at the Hall of Fame. This quiz covers the whole story: cut from varsity at Laney, the shot against Georgetown, the 1984 draft, the Pistons years, the first three-peat, the murder of his father and the Birmingham Barons, 'I'm back', No. 45, the 72-win Bulls, the Flu Game and the Last Shot, the Wizards, and life since as owner, NASCAR partner and billionaire. Questions range from easy (what did the two-word press release say?) to hard (whose name did the MVP trophy carry before his?), with the numbers checked: 63, 69, 30.1, 72-10, 32,292. Every answer has been verified against the Wikipedia article on Jordan, and each question shows its source. Ideal for a sports quiz round, a Bulls watch party or settling the GOAT debate with facts.
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Q 01In which city was Michael Jordan born on 17 February 1963?
Brooklyn, New York
The family moved to Wilmington in 1968; his mother Deloris worked at a bank and his father James was an equipment supervisor.
Q 02As a sophomore at Laney High School, Jordan was left off the varsity team for what reason?
He was deemed too short
He was 5 ft 11 at the time; he responded by starring on the JV team with several 40-point games and grew four inches over the summer.
Q 03Jordan hit the game-winning jump shot in the 1982 NCAA championship game against which team?
Georgetown
He was a freshman under Dean Smith and had already been named ACC Freshman of the Year.
Q 04At which pick did the Chicago Bulls select Jordan in the 1984 NBA draft?
Third
Houston took Hakeem Olajuwon and Portland took Sam Bowie, a choice ESPN later called the worst draft pick in North American pro sports history.
Q 05How many points did Jordan score in his NBA debut on 26 October 1984?
16
A ticket stub from the game sold for $264,000 in 2021, a record; he averaged 28.2 points as a rookie.
Q 06Against which team did Jordan score a playoff-record 63 points in April 1986?
Boston Celtics
The Bulls lost the double-overtime game and were swept, but Elgin Baylor's single-game playoff record was gone.
Q 07In 1986-87 Jordan averaged 37.1 a night and became only the second man ever to do what?
Score 3,000 points in a season
Wilt Chamberlain was the other; Jordan still lost the MVP vote that year to Magic Johnson.
Q 08In 1988 Jordan became the first man ever to win which two awards in a career?
MVP and Defensive Player of the Year
He averaged 3.2 steals and 1.6 blocks that season while also winning the Slam Dunk Contest for a second straight year.
Q 09Jordan's 1989 buzzer-beater known as 'The Shot' went over which Cleveland defender?
Craig Ehlo
The Bulls then lost the Eastern Conference Finals to Detroit's 'Bad Boys' for the second of three straight years.
Q 10Which Isiah Thomas-led Pistons squad eliminated Jordan's Bulls three years running from 1988 to 1990?
The Bad Boys
Isiah had also led a rookie-year All-Star 'freeze-out' of Jordan; the Bulls finally swept Detroit in 1991.
Q 11What was Jordan's career-high single-game point total, set against Cleveland in March 1990?
69
The Bulls won 117-113 on the road; his 63 against Boston remains the playoff record.
Q 12Which offensive system did Phil Jackson and Tex Winter install to make the Bulls less reliant on Jordan?
The triangle offense
Jordan admitted in The Last Dance that he was initially reluctant to buy in.
Q 13Jordan's famous mid-air hand switch on a layup in the 1991 Finals came against which team?
Los Angeles Lakers
He avoided a possible Sam Perkins block, won his first Finals MVP, and cried holding the trophy.
Q 21The 1995-96 Bulls set a then-record regular-season mark of what?
72-10
They started 41-3 with new signing Dennis Rodman and beat Seattle in the Finals; Jordan swept the All-Star, regular-season and Finals MVPs.
Q 22How many points did Jordan score in the 1997 'Flu Game' against Utah?
38
He was feverish and dehydrated, reportedly from a bad pizza; the Bulls won 90-88 and took the series in six.
Q 23Jordan's title-clinching 'Last Shot' in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals came over which Jazz defender?
Bryon Russell
With 5.2 seconds left he crossed over, possibly pushing off, and gave Chicago an 87-86 lead; Stockton missed the reply.
Q 14Jordan's 'shrug' came after six first-half threes in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals against which opponent?
Portland Trail Blazers
He scored a Finals-record 35 in the half; the media had hyped the series as 'Air' Jordan versus Clyde 'The Glide' Drexler.
Q 15Which friend beat Jordan to the 1993 regular-season MVP, then lost to him in that year's Finals?
Charles Barkley
Jordan averaged a Finals-record 41 points against Barkley's Suns and became the first to win three straight Finals MVPs.
Q 16Jordan's dad James was murdered in July 1993 at a highway rest area in which state?
North Carolina
The two teenage killers received life sentences; Jordan later said the loss shaped his first retirement three months later.
Q 17Jordan's habit of sticking out his tongue while playing was copied from which person?
His dad
James Jordan did it while absorbed in work; Michael made it a signature on drives to the basket.
Q 18Which Double-A team did Jordan play for in 1994, batting .202 with three home runs?
Birmingham Barons
The White Sox affiliate's owner Jerry Reinsdorf also owned the Bulls and kept paying Jordan's basketball contract; he stole 30 bases.
Q 19Jordan announced his 1995 NBA comeback with what two-word press release?
'I'm back.'
His first game back, against Indiana, drew the highest Nielsen rating of any regular-season NBA game since 1975.
Q 20What jersey number did Jordan wear on his 1995 return before switching back to 23?
45
His No. 23 had been retired in November 1994; the Bulls were fined $25,000 when he switched back mid-series without notice.
Q 24Jordan's 45 in the 1998 Finals clincher in Utah set which record, tied by Jalen Brunson in 2026?
Most in a title-clinching road game
It capped a sixth Finals MVP; the 1998 Finals remain the highest-rated in TV history.
Q 25How many NBA Finals MVP awards did Jordan win, an all-time record?
Six
One for each championship; he also holds the record with ten scoring titles.
Q 26What is Jordan's NBA career regular-season scoring average, the highest of all time?
30.1
His 33.4 playoff average is also the record; only eight players have won the NCAA title, an NBA title and Olympic gold, as he did.
Q 27On which date did Jordan retire for the second time, amid the NBA lockout?
13 January 1999
Phil Jackson's contract was expiring and Pippen and Rodman were leaving; a year later he became part-owner of the Wizards.
Q 28Jordan said he would donate his 2001-02 Wizards salary to what cause?
Relief for victims of the 9/11 attacks
He announced the comeback on 25 September 2001; a friend, Mario Lemieux's NHL return, had inspired him.
Q 29In February 2003 Jordan became the first 40-year-old in NBA history to do what?
Score 43 points in a game
He also passed Kareem as the All-Star Game's all-time scorer that season, a mark Kobe and LeBron later broke.
Q 30Which player gave up his 2003 All-Star starting spot so Jordan could start his final All-Star Game?
Vince Carter
McGrady and Iverson offered first; Jordan refused them but accepted Carter's.