49 Fun Facts About 90s NBA

Which team opened the decade by repeating as champions, beating Portland in the 1990 Finals?

The Detroit Pistons clinched it in Game 5 when Vinnie Johnson, 'the Microwave', hit a jumper with 0.7 seconds left, a shot that briefly got him renamed '007'.

Whom did Michael Jordan's Bulls beat in the 1991 Finals for his first championship?

The Los Angeles Lakers actually won the opener in Chicago, 93-91, before the Bulls took the next four games, the last three of them in Los Angeles.

What did Jordan famously do after his sixth first-half three-pointer in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals?

Shrugged: Jordan turned to the broadcast table to show his own surprise, on the way to 35 first-half points that broke Elgin Baylor's record of 33.

Whose game-winning three-pointer in Game 6 of the 1993 Finals clinched the Bulls' first three-peat?

John Paxson was left open when Horace Grant passed out of the post; his three with 3.9 seconds left made it 99-98, and Grant then blocked Kevin Johnson's final shot.

Which Phoenix Suns star was regular-season MVP in 1993?

Charles Barkley won it in his first season after a trade from Philadelphia, leading the Suns to a league-best 62 wins and into the Finals against Chicago.

Which baseball club signed Jordan to a minor-league contract after he quit the NBA in 1993?

The Chicago White Sox shared an owner with the Bulls, Jerry Reinsdorf; Jordan said he was chasing the dream of his late father, who had pictured him as a big-league ballplayer.

For which minor league team did Jordan play in 1994?

The Birmingham Barons kept Jordan for a full Double-A season, in which he hit .202 with 30 stolen bases; that autumn he joined the Scottsdale Scorpions of the Arizona Fall League.

Which team won the 1994 NBA Finals over Patrick Ewing's Knicks?

The Houston Rockets trailed the series 3-2, then won Games 6 and 7 at home, the clincher 90-84, for the franchise's first title.

Whose last-second three-point attempt did Olajuwon block in Game 6 of the 1994 Finals?

John Starks' shot would have won New York the title; instead the block forced a Game 7, in which he made only 2 of his 18 attempts and the Knicks lost.

Whom did the Rockets sweep 4-0 in the 1995 NBA Finals?

The Orlando Magic were swept in their first Finals; Nick Anderson missed four free throws in the final seconds of Game 1, which went to overtime.

Which center did Orlando take with the first overall pick in the 1992 draft?

Shaquille O'Neal twice tore down backboard supports with dunks as a rookie, against New Jersey and Phoenix, and the NBA reinforced its baskets before the next season.

What regular-season record did the 1995-96 Bulls post, then the best in NBA history?

72–10 broke the 1971-72 Lakers' mark of 69 wins and stood for 20 years, until the 2015-16 Warriors won 73 games but, unlike the Bulls, lost the Finals.

Which duo lost to the Bulls in both the 1997 and 1998 Finals?

John Stockton and Karl Malone lost 4-2 to Chicago in both 1997 and 1998; Stockton's buzzer-beating three against Houston had sent Utah to its first Finals.

Where did Jordan play the 'Flu Game' of the 1997 Finals?

Salt Lake City saw an ailing Jordan score 38 and bury the tie-breaking three-pointer with 25 seconds left for a 90-88 win and a 3-2 series lead.

Over which Jazz defender did Jordan hit 'The Last Shot' to win the 1998 Finals?

Bryon Russell was the defender Jordan crossed over, possibly with a push-off, before sinking the 20-footer for an 87-86 lead with 5.2 seconds left.

Who coached the Bulls to every one of their 1990s championships?

Phil Jackson had been Doug Collins's assistant until the Bulls fired Collins in 1989; he then installed Tex Winter's triangle offense, which spread the scoring beyond Jordan.

Which team won the 1999 title in the lockout-shortened season, beating an eighth-seeded Knicks team?

The San Antonio Spurs got to the Finals after Sean Elliott's 'Memorial Day Miracle', a late sideline three-pointer that beat Portland 86-85 in the West finals.

At which Olympics did the original 'Dream Team' win gold?

1992 Barcelona was the first Games open to NBA players: FIBA voted to admit professionals in 1989, months after a US college team settled for bronze in Seoul.

Which magazine put the 'Dream Team' nickname on its cover in February 1991?

Sports Illustrated used the label on its February 18, 1991 cover, posing five NBA stars of its own choosing seven months before any player had been picked.

How many points did Reggie Miller score in under nine seconds against the 1995 Knicks?

Reggie Miller scored eight points in 8.9 seconds: two three-pointers, the second after stealing the inbounds pass, and two free throws, turning 105-99 into a 107-105 Pacers win.

Which courtside celebrity did Reggie Miller jaw with during his 25-point quarter in the 1994 East finals?

Spike Lee, the filmmaker and Knicks superfan, traded barbs with Miller as he scored 25 in the fourth quarter for a 3-2 lead, yet New York won the next two games and the series.

Which two Canadian cities received NBA expansion teams in 1995?

Toronto and Vancouver joined for 1995-96; the Raptors stayed, while the Grizzlies never won 30% of their games in Vancouver and moved to Memphis in 2001.

Which center was the first foreign-born player to win the NBA MVP award?

Hakeem Olajuwon, born in Lagos and a U.S. citizen from 1993, won the 1994 MVP and later played for the United States at the 1996 Olympics.

Which forward led the NBA in rebounding for seven straight seasons in the 1990s?

Dennis Rodman won all seven rebounding titles from 1991-92 to 1997-98 with Detroit, San Antonio and Chicago, though he had entered the NBA as a second-round pick, 27th overall.

Which 1996 film starred Michael Jordan as himself?

Space Jam grew out of 'Hare Jordan', a 1992 Super Bowl commercial for Nike that first teamed Jordan with Bugs Bunny.

Which center won the 1995 NBA MVP award?

David Robinson, the 1995 MVP, had been drafted first overall in 1987 but served two years in the Navy before debuting in 1989-90.

Which team's 'Run TMC' trio of Hardaway, Mullin and Richmond lit up the early 1990s?

The Golden State Warriors' Run TMC of Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond ran Don Nelson's up-tempo offense until Richmond was traded to Sacramento in 1991.

Which three players from the 1996 draft class went on to win NBA MVP awards?

Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson and Steve Nash won MVP in 2008, 2001 and 2005-06 respectively; Bryant was the 13th pick and Nash the 15th.

Which Warriors guard was suspended for choking coach P. J. Carlesimo in 1997?

Latrell Sprewell was suspended for 68 games after the December 1997 attack; the Warriors voided his contract, but an arbitrator reinstated it.

Which Charlotte Hornets forward played 'Grandmama' in a 1993 episode of Family Matters?

Larry Johnson first played 'Grandmama' in a popular series of Converse commercials; in the Family Matters episode the character becomes Steve Urkel's teammate in a basketball tournament.

Jordan's 55-point 'double nickel' game, days into his 1995 comeback, was played in which arena?

Madison Square Garden got the 55, scored against the Knicks; days earlier his comeback had opened with an overtime loss in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena.

Which network took over NBA Finals broadcasts from CBS starting in 1991?

NBC's coverage brought 'Roundball Rock', a theme John Tesh first sang into his own answering machine so that he would not forget the tune.

Which team did the Bulls beat in the 1996 Finals?

The Seattle SuperSonics, winners of 64 games that season, lost the first three games, then won twice at home before Chicago closed it out in six.

Which Portland guard did the media build up as Jordan's great rival before the 1992 Finals?

Clyde Drexler had finished second to Jordan in that season's MVP voting, but Jordan answered the comparisons with 35 first-half points in Game 1 and Chicago won in six.

Which Toronto Raptor, acquired in a 1998 draft-day trade, earned the nickname 'Air Canada'?

Vince Carter, the fifth pick swapped on draft night for Antawn Jamison, won the 2000 dunk contest and led Toronto to its first playoff berth that spring.

Which player did Jordan strip of the ball moments before the Last Shot in 1998?

Karl Malone had just caught an entry pass in the low post when Jordan cut behind him and stripped the ball, then brought it upcourt himself for the winning shot.

Which Bulls guard hit the title-clinching jumper in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals?

Steve Kerr hit a 17-footer with five seconds left in Game 6 of the 1997 Finals after Jordan passed out of a double-team, sealing a 90-86 win.

What was the full text of the statement announcing Jordan's NBA return in March 1995?

"I'm back" was the entire two-word release, issued on March 18, 1995; the next day he wore No. 45 instead of 23 and scored 19 in a loss at Indiana.

Whose Rockets won a title without home-court advantage in any playoff round?

Rudy Tomjanovich's sixth-seeded 1995 Rockets won all four playoff rounds as the lower seed, beating four teams that had won at least 57 games.

Which guard did Philadelphia take first overall in the celebrated 1996 draft?

Allen Iverson joined a 76ers team that had won the lottery after an 18-64 season, and as a rookie he broke Wilt Chamberlain's rookie record by scoring 40 or more in five straight games.

Which Bulls star missed the first 35 games of the 1997-98 'Last Dance' season after foot surgery?

Scottie Pippen had put off the operation until just before the season; Chicago went 24-11 without him, and he returned to help win a sixth title.

Which Wake Forest star was the first pick of the 1997 NBA draft?

Tim Duncan fell to a team that had collapsed to 20-62 while its injured star center sat out nearly all season; one bad year had landed it a franchise player.

Which coach led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals?

Pat Riley took New York to the 1994 Finals, then left for Miami a year later; the Knicks cried tampering, and the Heat paid $1 million and a first-round pick to settle it.

Magic Johnson retired in November 1991 after announcing he had contracted what?

Magic Johnson announced he was HIV-positive on November 7, 1991, yet fans voted him into the 1992 All-Star Game, where he scored 25 points and was named MVP.

Which team drafted Kevin Garnett fifth overall in 1995, the first prep-to-pro pick in 20 years?

The Minnesota Timberwolves' gamble reopened the door from high school: Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal followed in 1996 and Tracy McGrady in 1997.

Which player did the Lakers send to Charlotte in 1996 for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant?

Vlade Divac, the Lakers' starting center, went to Charlotte for the 13th pick used on Bryant; Divac briefly threatened to retire rather than report to the Hornets.

Which Nets star died in a car accident on Germany's Autobahn 9 in June 1993, aged 28?

Dražen Petrović had left the Croatian team after a qualifier in Poland to travel on by car with his girlfriend; it slammed into a truck on the autobahn, killing him instantly.

Which point guard, nicknamed 'The Glove', was voted the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year in 1996?

Gary Payton, who also led the league in steals that season, took an award that usually goes to shot-blocking big men; he was the first point guard to win it.

Which comedian voiced 'Lil Penny', the puppet alter ego in Penny Hardaway's Nike ads?

Chris Rock voiced the puppet in Nike's commercials in the mid-1990s; Hardaway himself had reached Orlando in a 1993 draft-night swap for top pick Chris Webber.