How Well Do You Know Your Famous Basketball Players?

Heading into the 1983 playoffs, Philadelphia 76ers player Moses Malone predicted that his team would win the championship in “fo’, fo’, fo’,” meaning that they would have four-game sweeps in each playoff round — and he was almost right. The 76ers did take the championship title but went 12-1 during the playoffs. The 76ers championship rings had the phrase “fo’, fi’, fo’” engraved on them as a nod to Malone’s prediction.

No rookie has quite equaled the individual excellence of Wes Unseld’s first year in the NBA (1968-69). While he only averaged 13 points per game, Unseld had more than 18 rebounds each game and is still thought to be one of the best outlet passers of all time. In his first year, he won the Rookie of the Year and MVP awards. The only other player to achieve this feat was Walt Chamberlain in the 1959-60 season.

Whenever a player has a triumphant comeback from injury, announcers invoke the name of Willis Reed. In the 1969-70 season, Willis Reed won MVP and led the Knicks to the finals against the Lakers. In Game 5, he tore his right thigh muscle and sat out of Game 6. When he unexpectedly came out to warm up for Game 7, Knicks fans went wild. Reed only scored four points that game, but the Knicks still won with a score of 113-99.

Heading into the 1985 NBA draft, the New York Knicks had their worst season in 20 years. However, lucky for them, they were selected at random to have the first draft pick, and were able to get the coveted center from Georgetown, Patrick Ewing. Soon after, a conspiracy theory began floating around that the NBA was so desperate to have the Knicks be a top team again that they rigged the draft lottery by freezing the envelope containing the Knicks’ name so Commissioner David Stern could easily identify it.

Julius “the Doctor” Erving, aka Dr. J, was a dominant force in both the NBA, where he played for the Philadelphia 76ers (1976-87), and the ABA, where he played for the New York (now Brooklyn) Nets (1974-76). Erving led the Nets to two ABA titles and was the ABA MVP in each of his three years in the league. In 1987, the Nets retired his number, 32.

On the NBA’s 50th anniversary, the league honored Rick Barry as one of the 50 greatest players in history. Barry, who is most often referenced because of his “granny style” free-throw shooting, was one of the best scorers the league has ever seen. He is the only person to lead the NCAA, ABA (American Basketball Association), and NBA in scoring in a single season.

Upon graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987, star player David Robinson was eligible for the NBA draft. However, his commitment to the Navy meant that Robinson would have to wait to join the league until after he served. In 1989, he played his first season with the NBA and won Rookie of the Year. Nicknamed “the Admiral,” Robinson also went on to win MVP (1994-95), Defensive Player of the Year (1991-92), two NBA championships with the San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003), and three Olympic medals (1988, 1992, 1996).

In 2020, the NBA All-Star MVP award was renamed the NBA All-Star Game Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP Award. The award commemorates the late player’s dominance in the midseason showcase, where he won a record-tying four MVP awards (2002, 2007, 2009, 2011) while playing with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bob Pettit also won four MVP awards in the 1950s and ’60s, while Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, and LeBron James have won three each.

Oscar Robertson was one of the most well-rounded players in NBA history, and in his second season (1961-62), he averaged 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game — a triple-double average for the entire season. A triple-double is when a player achieves a 10 or more in any three of the five statistical categories (points, assists, rebounds, steals, blocks). Robertson, who was playing for the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings), was the first player ever to average a triple-double over the course of a full season, and he remained the only one to do so for more than 50 years. During the 2016-17 season, Russell Westbrook became the second player to achieve the feat.

Larry Bird had an unprecedented beginning to his NBA career. In 1978, the Boston Celtics used a loophole to draft him as a junior in college. He signed a record-breaking rookie contract, and during his first NBA season (1979-80), Bird won Rookie of the Year. Then, between 1984 and 1986, he became the third player to win three consecutive MVP awards, after Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain in the 1960s.

Bill Russell was the centerpiece of a dominant 1960s Boston Celtics dynasty that won every championship of the decade except for 1967. The five-time league MVP was so important to the team that he won his last two titles as player-coach. Russell’s run was so impressive, he has personally won more championships than any NBA franchise except two: the Lakers and his own Celtics.

Dell Curry was a successful player, logging 16 seasons in the league including an award for Sixth Man of the Year in 1994. But most would agree that his accomplishments have already been overshadowed by the success of his elder son Stephen, who has three NBA titles and two MVP awards. His younger son Seth was a college star at Duke who later played for Dallas and Philadelphia.

Despite being several inches shorter than other forwards, Barkley had strong rebounding abilities and a stocky frame that earned him a unique nickname entering the NBA. He was just as special on the court, winning MVP and 11 All-Star selections during stints with the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, and Houston Rockets. Barkley was also the leading scorer of the U.S. “Dream Team” at the 1992 Olympics.

In his second year in the league, Michael Jordan logged one of his many legendary postseason performances against the Boston Celtics in Game 2 of the NBA quarterfinals. During a double-OT thriller, Jordan racked up 63 points on 41 shots, but his Chicago Bulls lost the game and series to a more experienced Celtics squad. Jordan’s scoring explosion set the record for the most points in one NBA playoff game.

Drafted in 1984, Hakeem Olajuwon was the top pick in a loaded class that included future superstars such as Michael Jordan and John Stockton. Nicknamed “The Dream” for his size and skill, Olajuwon is best known for his technique near the basket and is considered one of the greatest centers in basketball history.

Garnett played three years in his hometown of Greenville, South Carolina, before finishing out his high school career at Farragut Career Academy in Chicago. Garnett became a star in the NBA soon after being drafted in 1995, winning league MVP in 2004 and a title with the Boston Celtics in 2008. Other marquee players to join the NBA from high school include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Tracy McGrady.

Abdul-Jabbar is one of the most decorated players in NBA history. Not only is he the league’s all-time leading scorer, but he also won six championships, made 19 All-Star teams, and was named MVP a record six times between 1971 and 1980. His trademark sky hook, where he would turn his body and launch an overhand shot with his right arm, was considered almost unstoppable by defenders of the era.

When Vince Carter took the court as an NBA player for the first time in 1999, it was the start of what would become an illustrious and record-breaking career. At age 42, in his 22nd (and final) season, Carter became the oldest active player in the league and the only one in history to play in four different decades — a feat he achieved when he suited up with the Atlanta Hawks on January 4, 2020.

Larger than life at 7-foot-1, Wilt Chamberlain towered over the basketball court, but his imposing stature wasn't the only thing that made him stand out. Over the course of his career he racked up a number of impressive accolades, including being the only NBA player to never foul out of a game (in 1,045 games), and the only player to ever surpass 4,000 points in a single season.

Chicago Bulls star and NBA legend Michael Jordan starred in the 1996 Warner Bros classic “Space Jam” alongside iconic cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. Fun fact about Jordan's time on set: Warner Bros built the athlete his own gym and basketball court so he could train while filming. After a long day of filming, Jordan would invite other NBA stars to the set to play practice games at night.