NBA Champions Quiz — 10 Free Questions

Question 1

This franchise has won the most NBA championships, 18, a total that includes eight in a row from 1959 to 1966. The record was sealed with the 2024 title, moving the franchise one clear of its longtime rival. Which team is this?

Question 2

Led by a German seven-footer with an unblockable one-legged fadeaway, this team beat a Miami super-team in six games in the 2011 Finals, avenging a Finals loss to that same franchise five years earlier. Which team is this?

Question 3

This team won the 1981 title in Larry Bird's second season, beating the Houston Rockets after rallying from a 3-1 deficit against Philadelphia in a classic conference final. Reserve forward Cedric Maxwell, not Larry Bird, was named Finals MVP. Which team is this?

Question 4

With no perennial All-NBA superstar, this defense-first team stunned a Lakers roster featuring four future Hall of Famers, winning the 2004 Finals in five games behind guard Chauncey Billups. Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton rounded out a starless starting five. Which team is this?

Question 5

A later team won 73 games in a season but lost in the Finals, so this mark still stands for a champion. Which team holds the best regular-season record ever by an eventual NBA champion, going 72-10 in the 1995-96 season?

Question 6

With Michael Jordan in retirement, this team won its first title in 1994 behind Hakeem Olajuwon, beating the Knicks in a defensive seven-game Finals interrupted on TV by a freeway chase. Its center swept league MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP in the same season. Which team is this?

Question 7

Down 0-2 in the 2006 Finals, this team won four straight behind Dwyane Wade's scoring and a heavy trip to the free-throw line, claiming the franchise's first championship. Dwyane Wade averaged 34.7 points and was Finals MVP; Pat Riley had returned to the bench midseason. Which team is this?

Question 8

This team fulfilled its coach's guaranteed 'repeat' in 1988, beating the Pistons in a seven-game Finals to become the first back-to-back champion in 19 years. James Worthy's Game 7 triple-double won Finals MVP. Which team is this?

Question 9

After adding Kevin Durant in free agency, this team went 16-1 in the 2017 playoffs and beat the Cavaliers in five, with Durant winning Finals MVP. Its 16-1 playoff run set a record for postseason winning percentage. Which team is this?

Question 10

Down 0-2 in the 2021 Finals, this team rallied to win in six, its Greek forward posting 50 points in the clincher for the franchise's first championship in 50 years. It was the franchise's first title since the 1971 Alcindor and Robertson team. Which team is this?

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About NBA Champions

Since 1947 the NBA Finals have crowned one champion a year, and a handful of franchises own most of the banners. The Boston Celtics lead with 18 titles, including eight in a row from 1959 to 1966 under Red Auerbach and Bill Russell. The Lakers are next with 17, five won in Minneapolis around George Mikan and 12 in Los Angeles across the West, Magic-Kareem, Shaq-Kobe and LeBron eras. The Chicago Bulls went a perfect 6-0 in the Finals in the 1990s with Michael Jordan, and the San Antonio Spurs won five between 1999 and 2014 under Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan.

The Finals themselves supply the memories this quiz is built on. Willis Reed limping out for Game 7 in 1970. The 1976 triple-overtime Game 5 between Boston and Phoenix. Magic Johnson playing center as a rookie in the 1980 clincher. Jordan's shrug in 1992, his flu game in 1997, his last shot as a Bull in 1998. The Pistons' "Bad Boys" sweep in 1989 and the no-star Detroit team that stunned the Lakers in 2004. Dirk Nowitzki and Dallas beating the Miami super-team in 2011. Ray Allen's corner three in 2013. Cleveland erasing a 3-1 deficit against a 73-win Golden State team in 2016, ending a 52-year title drought for the city. Toronto becoming the first champion from outside the United States in 2019. The Bucks winning their first crown in 50 years in 2021, and the Nuggets and the modern Celtics adding new banners.

Every answer in this quiz is the team that won the title. The clue gives you the year, the opponent, the stars and a signature moment; the four options are all franchises. Some questions step back to the bigger picture: most championships, the longest drought between titles, the fastest expansion team to win, the franchise with multiple Finals trips and no ring. Read the clue, pick the champion, and get the full story after each answer.