50 Fun Facts About NBA Immaculate Grid

Which player suited up for both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics?

Rajon Rondo won a title with Boston in 2008 and another with the Lakers in the 2020 bubble, making him one of the few players to win championships with both rivals.

Which player suited up for both the Chicago Bulls and the Washington Wizards?

Michael Jordan came back from his second retirement to play two seasons in Washington, 2001-02 and 2002-03, having first joined the Wizards as part-owner and president of basketball operations in 2000.

Which player suited up for both the Miami Heat and the Cleveland Cavaliers?

LeBron James announced his move to Miami on The Decision in 2010, won two titles there, then returned to Cleveland in 2014 and ended the city's championship drought in 2016.

Which player suited up for both the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks?

Steve Nash was drafted 15th by Phoenix in 1996, traded to Dallas in 1998, then re-signed with the Suns in 2004 and won back-to-back MVPs in 2005 and 2006.

Which player suited up for both the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando as a free agent in 1996 and won three straight titles with the Lakers from 2000 to 2002, taking Finals MVP each time.

Which player suited up for both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets?

James Harden was traded from the Thunder to Houston in October 2012 after the sides could not agree on a max extension; he won the 2018 MVP with the Rockets.

Which player suited up for both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Denver Nuggets?

Allen Iverson was traded from Philadelphia to Denver in December 2006, later played for Detroit and Memphis, and finished his NBA career back with the 76ers in 2009-10.

Which player suited up for both the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors?

Kawhi Leonard's single season in Toronto, 2018-19, ended with the franchise's first championship and his second Finals MVP, five years after he won the award with San Antonio in 2014.

Which player suited up for both the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics?

Kevin Garnett was Defensive Player of the Year in his first Boston season, 2007-08, and went to Brooklyn alongside Paul Pierce in the 2013 blockbuster trade.

Which player suited up for both the Golden State Warriors and the Philadelphia 76ers?

Wilt Chamberlain played for the Warriors in both Philadelphia and San Francisco before being traded back east to the 76ers in January 1965, and finished his career with the Lakers.

Which player suited up for both the Detroit Pistons and the Chicago Bulls?

Dennis Rodman won two rings with the Bad Boys Pistons in 1989 and 1990 and three more with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998, with two seasons in San Antonio in between.

Which player suited up for both the New York Knicks and the Houston Rockets?

Tracy McGrady was dealt from Houston to New York in a three-team trade in February 2010 and played out that season for the Knicks before leaving for Detroit in the summer.

Which player suited up for both the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won his first title with Milwaukee in 1971 and five more with the Lakers between 1980 and 1988, across a 20-season career.

Which player suited up for both the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers?

Charles Barkley was drafted fifth by Philadelphia in 1984, won the 1993 MVP after his trade to Phoenix, and finished his career in Houston in 2000.

Which player suited up for both the Utah Jazz and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Karl Malone, the Mailman, spent 18 seasons in Utah and one final, ring-chasing year with the Lakers in 2003-04, losing the Finals to Detroit.

Which player suited up for both the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks?

Stephon Marbury was drafted fourth by Milwaukee in 1996 and traded to Minnesota on draft night; a January 2004 deal from Phoenix to New York brought the Coney Island native home.

Which player suited up for both the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers?

Peja Stojaković was traded from Sacramento to Indiana for Ron Artest in January 2006 and later won a title with Dallas in 2011.

Which player suited up for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets?

Clyde Drexler was traded from Portland to Houston in February 1995 and won the title that June alongside his former Phi Slama Jama teammate from the University of Houston.

Which player suited up for both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Toronto Raptors?

Marc Gasol was Defensive Player of the Year with Memphis in 2013 and a February 2019 trade-deadline pickup who started at center on Toronto's championship run.

Which player suited up for both the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat?

Alonzo Mourning was drafted second by Charlotte in 1992, won Defensive Player of the Year with Miami in 1999 and 2000, and earned a ring there in 2006.

Which player suited up for both the Detroit Pistons and the Orlando Magic?

Grant Hill was co-Rookie of the Year with Detroit in 1995, lost most of his Orlando years to ankle injuries after a 2000 sign-and-trade, then had a healthy renaissance in Phoenix.

Which player suited up for both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics?

Kyrie Irving asked out of Cleveland after three straight Finals, was traded to Boston in August 2017, and spent two seasons there before signing with Brooklyn in 2019.

Which player suited up for both the Chicago Bulls and the Minnesota Timberwolves?

Jimmy Butler, the 30th pick in 2011, spent six seasons in Chicago and a stormy year and a half in Minnesota before being traded to Philadelphia in November 2018 and then moving to Miami.

Which player suited up for both the Denver Nuggets and the New York Knicks?

Carmelo Anthony was taken third by Denver in the 2003 draft and led the Nuggets to seven straight playoff trips; a February 2011 deadline trade sent the Brooklyn-born star to New York.

Which player suited up for both the Golden State Warriors and the Brooklyn Nets?

Kevin Durant joined the Warriors in July 2016, straight after their 73-win season, won two titles there, and after tearing his Achilles in the 2019 Finals moved to Brooklyn in a sign-and-trade.

Which player suited up for both the Phoenix Suns and the New Jersey Nets?

Jason Kidd was traded from Phoenix to New Jersey in 2001, led the Nets to back-to-back Finals in 2002 and 2003, and finally won a ring with Dallas in 2011.

Which player suited up for both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Houston Rockets?

Moses Malone was dealt by Buffalo to Houston after just two games in 1976, won two MVPs there, then led the Sixers to the 1983 title after his famous 'fo', fo', fo'' sweep prediction.

Which player suited up for both the Atlanta Hawks and the Boston Celtics?

Dominique Wilkins spent a dozen seasons in Atlanta before a 1994 trade to the Clippers, played one year for Boston in 1994-95, then won the Euroleague with Panathinaikos in 1996.

Which player suited up for both the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Luka Dončić was traded from Dallas to the Lakers in February 2025, a deal that stunned the league less than eight months after he had led the Mavericks to the 2024 Finals.

Which player suited up for both the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Lamar Odom was the Clippers' fourth pick in 1999, won back-to-back titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and returned to the Clippers for the 2012-13 season.

Which player suited up for both the Golden State Warriors and the Washington Bullets?

Chris Webber, the 1993 number-one pick, was Rookie of the Year with Golden State, then spent four seasons in Washington from 1994 to 1998 before his peak years in Sacramento.

Which player suited up for both the Memphis Grizzlies and the San Antonio Spurs?

Pau Gasol was Rookie of the Year with Memphis in 2002, won two titles with the Lakers, and closed his NBA career with three seasons in San Antonio and a brief 2019 stint in Milwaukee.

Which player suited up for both the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat?

Ray Allen left Boston for rival Miami in the summer of 2012, and his corner three with 5.2 seconds left forced overtime in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals against San Antonio.

Which player suited up for both the Houston Rockets and the Toronto Raptors?

Hakeem Olajuwon was traded from Houston to Toronto in August 2001 after 17 seasons with the Rockets and played one final season for the Raptors before retiring in 2002.

Which player suited up for both the Chicago Bulls and the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Dwyane Wade left Miami in 2016 for a season with his hometown Bulls, then joined Cleveland for the 2017-18 season before a February 2018 trade sent him back to the Heat.

Which player suited up for both the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets?

Chauncey Billups, Mr. Big Shot, was the 2004 Finals MVP with Detroit and went home to Denver in a November 2008 blockbuster trade.

Which player suited up for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the Milwaukee Bucks?

Damian Lillard's two seasons in Milwaukee ended with a torn Achilles in the 2025 playoffs; the Bucks waived him that July and he signed straight back with Portland, his team of 11 seasons.

Which player suited up for both the New Orleans Hornets and the Los Angeles Clippers?

Chris Paul's 2011 trade from New Orleans to the Lakers was vetoed by the league, so he went to the Clippers instead and started the Lob City era with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Which player suited up for both the New Orleans Pelicans and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Anthony Davis, the 2012 number-one pick, was traded from New Orleans to the Lakers in 2019, won the 2020 title in the bubble and the inaugural NBA Cup in December 2023.

Which player suited up for both the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers?

Donovan Mitchell was traded from Utah to Cleveland in September 2022 and led the Cavaliers to the 2023 playoffs, their first appearance in five years.

Which player suited up for both the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat?

Kyle Lowry won Toronto's 2019 championship and, after an August 2021 sign-and-trade to Miami, helped the Heat reach the 2023 Finals as an eighth seed.

Which player suited up for both the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings?

Mitch Richmond formed Run TMC with Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin in Golden State from 1988 to 1991, then played seven seasons in Sacramento, which retired his number 2.

Which player suited up for both the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia 76ers?

Dikembe Mutombo was traded from Atlanta to the East-leading Sixers at the February 2001 deadline, won his fourth Defensive Player of the Year that season, and reached the Finals with Philadelphia in June.

Which player suited up for both the Washington Wizards and the Los Angeles Lakers?

Russell Westbrook averaged a triple-double in his single Washington season, 2020-21, then was traded to his hometown Lakers in the summer of 2021.

Which player suited up for both the Orlando Magic and the Phoenix Suns?

Penny Hardaway made four straight All-Star teams in Orlando before a 1999 sign-and-trade to Phoenix, where injuries limited him, and he finished with the Knicks and Heat.

Who created Immaculate Grid, the game that inspired this quiz?

Brian Minter, a software developer, launched the first Immaculate Grid as a baseball-only game on 4 April 2023; at first it was played mostly by him and his friends before it went viral.

The grid game's name was borrowed from which sporting feat?

An immaculate inning is a pitcher striking out three batters on nine pitches; a grid is immaculate when all nine guesses land.

In what month and year did the basketball version of Immaculate Grid launch?

July 2023 saw the basketball grid arrive: the new owner, which bought the game on 11 July, rolled out a football grid first and added basketball and hockey versions later that month.

Which company bought Immaculate Grid on July 11, 2023, and then launched the basketball version?

Sports Reference, the company behind Baseball-Reference and Basketball-Reference, bought the game and linked each square to lists of valid answers on its own sites, adding a basketball grid later that month.

As of July 2023, roughly how many people played Immaculate Grid each weekday?

The game was popular with current and former Major League Baseball players as well as fans.