Can You Remember These NBA Legends' First Teams?
- by D_Lamoureux
- – on
- in Sports
It’s recently been very popular in the NBA for stars to leave the team that drafted and developed them, and go to a franchise that has a better team, and thus a better chance at winning an NBA Championship. At the same time, we’ve heard lots of old-school basketball guys condemn this type of action, saying things like: “They’re taking the easy way out”, “I would never join a rival team”, and “You have to stay loyal to your team.” But, when you look at the history of the NBA, that’s not really true. Whether it was by the players’ choosing, or the teams’, the best NBA players often found themselves on the biggest teams at some point in their careers. Love it or hate it, ‘super teams’ bring in tons of interest from casual sports fans, and in turn, tons of money.
Sometimes it’s tough to keep track of every stop in a player’s NBA journey. It’s even tougher to remember what happened at the start of a player's career, as opposed to remembering the last part which is fresh in your mind. Do you think you can remember the first NBA team that each of these basketball legends played for? It’s not going to be easy… Scroll down to begin the quiz!
Which NBA team did LeBron James play for first?
What is there to say about LeBron James that hasn’t already been said by the thousands of reporters who have covered him over the years? Honestly, not much. James has been in the eye of the public since he was still in high school. The young basketball phenom has somehow lived up to all the potential he showed, going to several NBA Finals, and coming away with three championship rings (so far). Do you know which team selected the future Hall-of-Famer 1st overall out of high school?
Which NBA team did Shaquille O’Neal play for first?
Shaq is without a doubt the most entertaining person to ever play in the NBA. Movies, music, comedy, basketball analysis, he’s great at everything. Of course the thing he was best at was playing basketball. The Big Cactus made 15 All-Star appearances, eight All-NBA First Teams, won four Titles and three Finals MVPs. He had more than one playoff run where he averaged 30 point and 15 rebounds per game. That’s insane. O’Neal played for six teams in his career, do you know which he played for first?
Which NBA team did Kobe Bryant play for first?
Kobe Bryant made basically every important contribution to his Hall-of-Fame career as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, but he wasn’t actually drafted by them. It’s even stranger to look back on Bryant’s career, and discover that the 5-time NBA Champ was only the 13th overall pick in his draft class. I’d say twelve teams made a huge mistake, but it was the one that drafted him that made the biggest mistake by letting him go. Who did Kobe play his first NBA game for?
Which NBA team did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar play for first?
Kareem’s entire list of achievements is entirely too long to post here, but some of the highlights include winning six NBA Titles, six MVPs, three NCAA Titles, as well as registering the most points in NBA history with 38,387, the 3rd most rebounds with 17,440, and the 3rd most blocks with 3,189. He had career averages of 24.6ppg, 11.2rpg, and 2.5 bpg, and all three would have been higher if he retired before the age of 41. The Lakers legend played with one other team previous to Los Angeles, do you know which one it was?
Which NBA team did Julius Erving play for first?
If you think of basketball in the 1970s, Julius Erving is most likely the first player you think of. Dr. J just oozed 70s, from his hairstyle, to the old-style high socks and short shorts with the ABA ball, to his even more stylish dunks. Because it wouldn’t be fair to ask if you knew other players’ first professional basketball team if it was outside the NBA, we’re not going to do it here either. Do you know which team Erving made his NBA debut in?
Which NBA team did Kevin Durant play for first?
The previously lovable Kevin Durant quickly became the league’s most hated villain when he left Russell Westbrook and the Thunder to join the regular season wins record holders, the Golden State Warriors. Everyone thought it was a cheap way at winning a title, to join three other NBA All-Stars. It did prove to be pretty unfair, as they dominated and won a title in their first year together. The last part of Durant’s career is fresh in our minds, but do we remember which team he played when he started out in the league?
Which NBA team did Michael Jordan play for first?
Alright, you better get this one right. The most famous basketball player, the one who is on everyone’s shoes, won an insane six NBA Titles in eight years, and Jordan was the MVP in every single one of those. That record, and his unbeaten record in NBA Finals, are two that Jordan fans will hold over the heads of LeBron fans until LBJ breaks them. If that doesn’t happen, the conversation over who the best basketball player of all-time is will never end. Who am I kidding, even if he does people will still argue. People love arguing.
Which NBA team did Dwight Howard play for first?
Dwight Howard was an absolute force when he first entered the league. He is still easily an above average center over ten years later, but his prime wasn’t what everyone thought it was going to be. When Howard led the team that drafted him to the NBA Finals, it looked like the beginning of a Hall-of-Fame career. He still might get there, but not as unanimously as everyone expected. For someone with the athletic ability to dominate, his shooting really held him back. Picking the wrong team to go to every time he hits free agency hasn’t helped much either.
Which NBA team did Tim Duncan play for first?
This one should be pretty straight-forward as Timmy D has pretty famously only played for one team in his lengthy, successful NBA career. Even if he didn’t play for one of the best coaches ever, even if he didn’t win as many games, and as many championships as he did, there’s really nothing about his character to suggest he wouldn’t have stayed with whatever team that drafted him anyway. He’s just not the type to complain, and definitely not the type ask for a trade. Do you know which lucky franchise drafted Tim Duncan?
Which NBA team did Allen Iverson play for first?
Allen Iverson is responsible for one of the funniest, out of context soundbites in the history of basketball. That’s fine, but we need to make sure he’s remembered for a lot more than that. On top of being one of the most electrifying players in the NBA in the early 2000s, Iverson was an icon off the court as well, taking advantage of relaxed dress code rules. His 4XL shirts, cornrows and du-rags were just as influential as his crossovers on the court. It’s really what made him, him. Which team did he break into the league with?
Which NBA team did Robert Horry play for first?
It really seemed like Robert Horry was on every Championship contender in the 90s and 2000s. To be fair, he almost was. The lanky 3 and D specialist won seven championships with three different teams, the Rockets, Spurs, and Lakers, and he also played with Charles Barkley and his Phoenix Suns. In 16 seasons from his rookie year, to the year he retired, Horry never once missed the playoffs. Do you know which of those four teams Horry started his career with?
Which NBA team did Charles Barkley play for first?
Before becoming part of the best halftime show in sports, Charles Barkley was a force in the NBA. It might not seem like he knows what he’s talking about at all, but he does know basketball. You have to know basketball to be an effective rebounder at 6’6”. Effective is an understatement, he was an all-time great rebounder. He could also score too. Many people don’t know this, but he actually led the Dream Team in points in ‘92. The ‘Round Mound of the Rebound’ played for three teams in his career, which one did he play for first?
Which NBA team did Clyde Drexler play for first?
Clyde “The Glide” Drexler was one of the best NBA players of the 90s. It’s a real shame Chicago was such a dominant team, because if they weren’t, he would surely have more rings. The 10-time All-Star did eventually win one championship in 1995, his first year with his new team. During those playoffs he averaged 20.5 ppg, 7 rpg, and 5 apg. Both that team, and the team he played for would end up retiring his number 22 jersey. Do you know which team was blessed with Clyde’s talents first?
Which NBA team did Tracy McGrady play for first?
Tracy McGrady wasn’t too happy living in the city that drafted him. Even though he was playing with his cousin, he opted to leave the team just three years after he drafted. You really can’t blame him for the move, especially because of how well it worked out for him. He became one of the top scorers in the league, and even earned some MVP votes. The seven-time All-Star suffered through injuries late in his career, but was still able to come agonizingly close to winning a title. If it wasn’t for Ray Allen and LeBron James...
Which NBA team did Oscar Robertson play for first?
This is the guy that holds all the triple-double records Russell Westbrook is trying to break. He played before I was born, so I can’t tell you whether he would also steal rebounds from his teammates at the end of games. I can tell you, however, that he was an extremely good basketball player. If the stats don’t tell you enough, take it from his peers. Legendary coach Red Auerbach said about Robertson, “[He’s] so great-he scares me,” while teammate Jerry Lucas said “He obviously was unbelievable, way ahead of his time. There is no more complete player than Oscar.”
Which NBA team did Bill Walton play for first?
Before becoming the most colourful colour commentator in basketball, Bill Walton was one heck of a basketball player. He was a two-time champion of the NBA and NCAA, the Finals MVP in 1977, and the regular season MVP in 1978. He’s been on the All-NBA first team, and the All-Defensive first team, and even won the Sixth Man of the Year towards the end of his career. His number 32 was retired by the team that he began his career with. Do you know which team that was?
Which NBA team did Rasheed Wallace play for first?
Rasheed Wallace really was a one of a kind player. He’ll be remembered for many things: yelling “BALL DON’T LIE” when the opposing team would miss a free throw, his headband & bald spot combo, winning the NBA Championship in 2004 after joining the Pistons mid-season, and for buying his team WWE-style championship belts prior to the following season. Sheed was tough to play against because he was very strong and physical, but was also skilled. With his 3-point shot, he’d probably be more effective in today’s NBA than he was when he made four All-Star Games.
Which NBA team did Chauncey Billups play for first?
Chauncey Billups had a very interesting career arc. He started out as a shoot-first, scoring point guard, which traditional coaches really weren’t a fan of. This caused Billups to bounce around from team to team, looking for somewhere he could settle in as the lead point guard. It took a while, but he finally landed in Detroit, and became a much more well-rounded point guard. He would win a championship with the Pistons before ending his career with the Denver Nuggets. Do you know who he started his career with?
Which NBA team did Vince Carter play for first?
Considering Vince Carter is still in the NBA (Yes, he is still in the NBA), it’s wild to think that he was drafted 20 years ago. One of seven players to participate in 20 NBA seasons, Carter simply isn’t the same player he once was. But nobody expected him to dunk the way he did when he was young forever. After the unforgettable dunk contest in 2000, Carter has earned himself a few nicknames (Vinsanity, Half-man Half-amazing, etc.), and a ton of respect. Who did he start his career with?
Which NBA team did Dikembe Mutombo play for first?
If you don’t recognize this player’s name, you might recognize him from his finger-wag, or the commercials that feature him, and his finger-wag. Mutombo was a defensive stud at centre for multiple NBA teams. He’d win Defensive Player of the Year four times in his career and was on the first and second NBA All-Defensive teams three times each. Mutombo’s 3,289 blocks are good for 2nd all-time in the NBA, and he’s 20th all-time in rebounds with 12,359. Those numbers are even more incredible when you realize he didn’t enter the NBA until the age of 25.
Which NBA team did Ray Allen play for first?
Ray Allen might be one of the best shooters in the history of basketball. His jumper really was perfect. He had the quick-release to get the shot off before anyone could block it, he got tons of rotation on the ball for good bounced on the rim, and he was deadly accurate. At no point was all this more important than in Game 6 of the 2013 Finals, where he forced Game 7 by hitting a 3 with 5 seconds left. That was in year 18 of his career, do you know where his NBA career started?
Which NBA team did Metta World Peace play for first?
Because of all the random craziness that came at the end of Metta World Peace’s basketball player, people seem to forget that Ron Artest was a great NBA player. Artest’s calling-card was his defense, and part of what made him so good at defense was playing mental games with his opponent. Artest’s craziness got a little out of hand in a brawl in Detroit, infamously named the “Malice at the Palace”. He’s since changed his name to “Metta World Peace” in order to inspire and bring together the youth around the world. He’s crazy, but he’s a nice crazy nowadays.
Which NBA team did Carmelo Anthony play for first?
Anthony came into the NBA through the 2003 Draft, which is objectively one of the most stacked draft classes of all-time. Aside from Anthony, it also included LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, David West, Kyle Korver, and my personal favourite: Matt Bonner. Anthony hasn’t won as much as some of the others in his class, but he’s still been an absolute force offensively throughout his career, and a very underrated rebounder and defender. Do you know which team picked ‘Melo 3rd overall behind King James and Darko Milicic?
Which NBA team did Hakeem Olajuwon play for first?
Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon was a special basketball player. There have been few, if any, 7-footers in the NBA that could move the way he did. “The Dream Shake” was a term coined after his post-moves where he’d keep his pivot foot set, and shake the defender until he saw an opening to pass or score. He and Clyde Drexler both played for Houston University in the NCAA, and the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Drexler played for another franchise before joining the Rockets, but did Olajuwon?
Which NBA team did Wilt Chamberlain play for first?
Wilt Chamberlain is one of the few players from back in the 60s that, without a doubt, could play in today’s NBA. Back when Wilt played, he could basically do whatever he wanted. He had a season, an entire season, where he averaged 50 points and 25 rebounds per game. We’ll never see anything close to that again. One year he was criticized for not passing enough, and the very next year he led the league in assists. Everyone remembers his 100-point game, but do you know the first NBA team he played for?
Which NBA team did Steve Nash play for first?
There are a lot of atypical point guards in this list of NBA legends, Steve Nash was not one of those. Nash was a point guard in every sense of the term, he took care of the ball, ran the coach’s offense, got his teammates involved, and he could score from basically anywhere. He is one of only seven players in NBA history to have a season shooting 50% from the floor, 40% from 3-pt range, and 90% from the free throw line. He did it four times, while Larry Bird is the only other player to do it twice.
Which NBA team did Elgin Baylor play for first?
Elgin Baylor is an older player, but is for sure one of the all-time greats. If it wasn’t for LeBron James, Baylor would have made the top 10 in Jack McCallum’s list of best NBA players of all-time. If it wasn’t for Bill Russell, Baylor would surely have won an NBA Championship. He averaged 24 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists per game over his career, so the stats also suggest he should be right up there with the best. Do you know which team he started out with?
Which NBA team did Moses Malone play for first?
This is a very tricky one. Malone played just two games with the NBA franchise he entered the league with, so this question is quite the test. When people hear the name “Malone”, chances are they think of The Mailman, Karl, who was a beast in the 90s with the Utah Jazz. You could argue for days about who the better player was. Moses is 5th all-time in total rebounds while Karl is 7th, and Moses is 8th all-time in points scored while Karl is second. So, which team is the correct answer?
Which NBA team did Kevin Garnett play for first?
Kevin Garnett was given the nickname ‘The Big Ticket’ by the broadcast commentator for the first team he played for. The nickname basically meant that KG was the only player on the team worth buying a ticket for. He was absolutely correct in that statement. Garnett was eventually able to move on to a team that won a championship, leading to the “anything is possible” soundbite. That statement is absolutely incorrect. I could not grow to 6’10” overnight and make the NBA All-Star team as a power forward. Not everything is possible.
Which NBA team did Rick Barry play for first?
Rick Barry is irritating to some, but funny to me. I will say that I haven't heard enough from him for me to fully see why people call him insufferable, to be fair. But when he tried to convince Shaq to shoot underhand free throws like he did, you just have to laugh. He only suggested it because it worked for him. Barry's career free throw percentage is 89.9%, good for 4th all-time in the NBA. Do you know which throwback team he started his career with?
Which NBA team did Chris Paul play for first?
Chris Paul, aka the “Point God”, is another current player that has a good shot at making the Hall-of-Fame when he retires. Something that would guarantee his spot, is that elusive championship ring. Not only does Paul not have a ring, he’s never even made it past the second round of the playoffs. Partly because the team he started his career with couldn’t surround him with star players, and partly because the Clippers franchise is cursed. Now with Houston, the only thing stopping him is possibly the best NBA team ever: Golden State.
Which NBA team did Jason Kidd play for first?
Jason Kidd becoming an NBA head coach is really no surprise to anyone who watched him play. The 10-time All-Star selection led four different franchises to the playoffs over his 19-year career, including the season he won an NBA Championship with the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd posted all types of stats while playing point guard, finishing second all-time in assists, second all-time in steals, and third all-time in 3-pointers made at the time of his retirement. Do you remember which franchise Kidd started his Hall-of-Fame career with?
Which NBA team did Karl Malone play for first?
We mentioned earlier that Moses Malone might have been the best Malone to ever play basketball, but Karl puts forth a pretty compelling argument. On his way to becoming the 2nd all-time leading scorer in NBA history, he averaged 20 points per game over every season for 17 straight years. That’s craziness. He did play for one team other than the Utah Jazz for one season. Do you remember if that was at the start of his career, or the end?
Which NBA team did Muggsy Bogues play for first?
Muggsy has the honour of being the shortest player in NBA history. As you can imagine, you have to be spectacularly talented to succeed when you stand well over a full foot shorter than the majority of players in the league. Of course, he was. While the 5'3" point guard never posted incredible statistics, the fact he was even a serviceable player is a testament to his skill. Plus, he got to star in the Space Jam movie, which is a pretty considerable achievement, if you ask me. Who was the first team to gamble on this diminutive guard?
Which NBA team did Manute Bol play for first?
Manute Bol is the tallest person to ever play in the NBA. At 7’7” and pretty uncoordinated, his main assets were rebounding and blocking shots, and he was only really an average rebounder. Bol averaged just 4.2 rebounds per game, but his 3.3 blocks per game ranks 2nd all-time in the NBA, despite playing ~18 minutes per game. Bol’s best season was his first, where he had 5 blocks per game in the regular season, and 5.5 blocks to go with 7.6 rebounds per game in the playoffs. Do you know which team it was with?