Quick quiz

Basketball Digest, March-April, 2004

1. The NBA widened the lane from six to 12 feet because of the dominance of which player: a) Bob Cousy b) Wilt Chamberlain c) George Mikan d) Bill Russell e) Walt Bellamy

2. Which center made his debut with a line of 21 minutes, six points, and 16 rebounds: a) Mikan b) Chamberlain c) Russell d) Artis Gilmore e) Shaquille O'Neal

3. Why didn't the Rochester Royals select Bill Russell with the No. 1 pick in the 1956 draft: a) Royals owner Les Harrison fell in love with Sihugo Green b) Boston Celtics owner Walter Brown offered to send his Ice Capades up to Rochester c) Harrison was unimpressed with Russell as a collegian d) Russell refused to play for the Royals

4. True or false: Johnny Kerr once broke Chamberlain's foot with one of his dunks

5. Who recorded the first quadruple-double in NBA history: a) Chamberlain b) Nate I Thurmond c) David Robinson d) Hakeem Olajuwon

6. Name the three rookies in r professional basketball history to be named Rookie of the Year and Most valuable player in the same season.

7. Where was Bob Lanier when he was drafted No. 1 overall by the Detroit Pistons in 1970?

8. What did Dave Cowens do during his two-month sabbatical at the start of the 1976-77 season?

9. In what season of his NBA career did Bill Walton first play at least 70 games: a) his first season b) third c) fifth d) ninth e) 12th

10. How many times was Tim Duncan named the NBA's Rookie of the Month in 1997-98?

Quick Quiz Answer

1. The lane was widened from six to 12 in 1951, to limit the dominance of George Mikan. 2. Bill Russell debuted vs. the St. Louis Hawks on December 22, 1956 and notched six points and 16 rebounds in 21 minutes. & All but d) are reasons why the Rochester Royals bypassed Russell in the 1956 NBA draft. 4. False. It was Wilt Chamberlain who broke Johnny Kerfs foot with a dunk. 5. Doubtlessly players such as Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Russell recorded quadruple-doubles in their careers, before blocked shots or steals were official statistics. But the first official quadruple-double was Nate Thurmond's 22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists, and 12 blocks on October 18, 1974. 6. Chamberlain, Wes Unseld, and Artis Gilmore all were named Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player in the same season. 7. Lanier was in the hospital, recovering from knee surgery after he tripped over Chris Ford and ripped up his right knee in the 1970 NCAA Tournament. 8. Cowens drove a cab during the two months he was away from the Boston Celtics at the start of the 1976-77 season. 9. It was Bill Walton's 12th season, as a Celtics reserve, when he finally played in more than 70 games. 10. Duncan was named the NBA's Rookie of the Month six times--every month of the season--in 1997-98. Photo: True. Chamberlain owns 49 of the NBA's top 75 all-time single-game scoring performances and 26 of the NBA's top 50 all-time rebounding performances.