50 Fun Facts About 90s NBA

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

The Detroit Pistons beat Portland 4-1 in the 1990 Finals to repeat as champions, with Isiah Thomas named Finals MVP.

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

The Los Angeles Lakers lost 4-1 to Chicago in the 1991 Finals, Magic Johnson's last Finals, as Jordan won his first Finals MVP.

How many first-half three-pointers did Jordan hit in Game 1 of the 1992 Finals before his famous shrug?

His 35 first-half points broke Elgin Baylor's playoff record; Sports Illustrated had billed Clyde Drexler as his 'No. 1 rival'.

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

John Paxson's three-pointer with 3.9 seconds left won Game 6 99-98 and gave the Bulls their first three-peat in 1993.

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

Charles Barkley won the 1992-93 MVP in his first season with the Suns after a trade from Philadelphia, averaging 25.6 points and 12.2 rebounds.

On October 6, 1993, Jordan retired from basketball; what sport did he take up?

Jordan took up minor-league baseball in the Chicago White Sox organization, hitting .202 in 1994, months after his father James was murdered.

For which minor league team did Jordan play in 1994?

The Birmingham Barons, the Chicago White Sox' Double-A affiliate, played Jordan in 127 games in 1994; he struck out 114 times and stole 30 bases.

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

The Houston Rockets won Game 7 90-84 at home on June 22, 1994, the franchise's first NBA championship.

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

John Starks' corner three-pointer with two seconds left was tipped away, and the Knicks lost Game 6 of the 1994 Finals 86-84.

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, taken first overall out of LSU, was the 1992-93 Rookie of the Year and averaged 23.4 points and 13.9 rebounds as a rookie.

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

The Bulls went 72–10 in 1995-96, starting 41-3 and finishing with a 4-2 Finals win over Seattle; the 2015-16 Warriors later went 73-9.

Which Utah Jazz 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; Malone was the 1997 MVP and Stockton's buzzer-beater had sent Utah to its first Finals.

Which contest of the 1997 Finals is remembered as the 'Flu Game'?

The Flu Game was No. 5 of the 1997 Finals, played June 11 in Salt Lake City; a feverish Jordan led all scorers and hit a late three-pointer in a 90-88 win.

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 coached Chicago from 1989 to 1998, winning titles in 1991-93 and 1996-98 with the triangle offense installed by assistant Tex Winter.

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

Until 2023 it was the only Finals with an eighth seed; the Spurs' 1998 Rookie of the Year won Finals MVP in his second season.

To how many games per team was the 1998-99 season shortened by the lockout?

Each team played 50 games between February 5 and May 5, 1999, after the lockout ran from July 1, 1998, to January 20, 1999, wiping out the All-Star Game.

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

The 1992 Barcelona Games were the first Olympics open to active NBA players; the Americans won every game by an average of 43.8 points.

Which magazine coined the 'Dream Team' nickname on a February 1991 cover?

Sports Illustrated put the 'Dream Team' label on its February 18, 1991 cover; the first ten players, including Jordan, Bird and Magic, were named that September.

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 Miller jaw with during his 25-point quarter in the 1994 East finals?

Spike Lee, the filmmaker and Knicks superfan, traded words with Miller, who scored 25 in the fourth quarter and 39 overall to put Indiana up 3-2.

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.

How many consecutive seasons did Dennis Rodman lead the NBA in rebounds per game, a record?

Dennis Rodman topped the league in rebounding for seven straight seasons, 1991-92 through 1997-98, peaking at 18.7 per game in 1991-92.

Which 1996 live-action/animated film starred Jordan alongside Bugs Bunny?

Space Jam (1996) has aliens from the failing theme park Moron Mountain steal NBA stars' talent, forcing Jordan to suit up with Bugs Bunny's team.

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 68 games after the December 1997 choking incident; the Warriors voided his contract, but arbitrator John Feerick reinstated it.

Which Charlotte Hornets forward played the sitcom character 'Grandmama' on Family Matters in 1993?

Larry Johnson, the 1991 No. 1 pick out of UNLV, donned a dress and grey wig as 'Grandmama' for Converse ads and a 1993 Family Matters cameo.

How many points did Jordan score at Madison Square Garden on March 28, 1995, just after his first comeback?

It was his fifth game back after an 18-month absence; he had hit a game-winner against Atlanta in his fourth.

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

NBC held the NBA contract from 1990-91 through 2001-02; John Tesh's 'Roundball Rock' theme opened its Sunday afternoon broadcasts.

How many combined regular-season wins did the Bulls and Sonics bring into the 1996 Finals, a record?

Chicago and Seattle brought 136 combined regular-season wins into the 1996 Finals, topping the 125 of the 1985 Lakers and Celtics.

Which Portland guard did the media build up as Jordan's 'No. 1 rival' before the 1992 Finals?

Clyde Drexler had finished second to Jordan in 1992 MVP voting; Chicago won the Finals 4-2 and the rivalry never took hold.

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 post when Jordan reached in from behind and stripped him with about 20 seconds left.

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.

How many years had Jordan been away from the NBA when he returned in March 1995?

A year and a half: he retired on October 6, 1993, and returned on March 19, 1995, after the baseball strike left him unwilling to be a replacement player.

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.

How many first-round picks from the 1996 draft later became NBA All-Stars?

About one-third: roughly ten of the 29 first-rounders, among them Ray Allen, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker and Jermaine O'Neal, made at least one All-Star team.

Which Bulls player's 1997-98 contract dispute, after delayed offseason surgery, complicated the "Last Dance" season?

Scottie Pippen delayed foot surgery until October 1997, missed the first 35 games and demanded a trade before returning to help win the 1998 title.

Which player's team did the Jazz beat 4-1 in the 1998 Western semifinals?

Tim Duncan, the 1998 Rookie of the Year, lost 4-1 to Utah in the Western semifinals; the Jazz then swept the Lakers to reach a second straight Finals.

Which coach led the Knicks to the 1994 NBA Finals?

Pat Riley coached the Knicks from 1991 to 1995, taking them to the 1994 Finals, then resigned by fax and moved to Miami.

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

Magic Johnson announced he was HIV-positive on November 7, 1991, then returned to win MVP of the February 1992 All-Star Game and played on the Dream Team that summer.

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

The Minnesota Timberwolves took Garnett fifth in 1995; he had finished high school at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy after transferring from Mauldin, South Carolina.

Which player did the Lakers send to Charlotte in the 1996 draft-day trade for 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 was a passenger in a Volkswagen Golf that hit a truck near Ingolstadt on June 7, 1993; he had averaged 22.3 points that season.

Gary Payton's nickname 'The Glove' was popularised during which 1993 playoff series?

The Western Conference Finals vs Phoenix in 1993: Payton's cousin told him he was guarding Kevin Johnson 'like a glove' during the series Seattle lost in Game 7.

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

Hardaway reached Orlando via a 1993 draft-day trade that sent Chris Webber to Golden State.