Name the NBA teams that no longer exist
Every club that played in the NBA and then folded for good.
About this quiz
The early NBA was not a stable league. Fifteen clubs played in it and then disappeared entirely — not relocated, not renamed, gone. Most lasted a season or two in towns that could not support a professional team.
One of them won a championship, in 1948, and folded six years later. The franchise that plays in Washington today is a different club that happened to inherit the name — which is exactly the kind of thing that makes this list harder than it looks.
They are easier than they look, because almost all of them are a small city plus a 1940s nickname. Guessing the pattern gets you further than remembering the league.
How to beat the clock
- Think small mid-western towns: Anderson, Sheboygan, Waterloo, Fort Wayne.
- Chicago, St. Louis and Baltimore all had clubs that folded before the current teams existed.
- Nicknames of the era: Packers, Stags, Bombers, Capitols, Steamrollers.
How it works
One quiz a day, the same one for everybody — so the leaderboard is a straight comparison rather than fifteen boards with three names each. Your first attempt is the one that counts, because the game reveals every answer when the clock stops; replay as often as you like afterwards, it is pure practice and never changes your score.
Start typing and suggestions appear instantly. Submit with Enter or by clicking one — nothing is scored until you do, so you can finish typing the name you actually meant. Arrow keys move through the list.
A surname is enough when it is unambiguous — “Jordan” counts on a list with one Jordan, but a list with several Johnsons asks for the first name too. Capitalisation, punctuation and accents are all ignored, so “o neal” and “O’Neal” are the same answer. Suggestions are drawn from every player in the database, so seeing a name there says nothing about whether it is on the list.
Previously
Every quiz in the rotation, still playable any time: Name the NBA 75th Anniversary Team · Name every NBA MVP · Name every Finals MVP · Name every Defensive Player of the Year · Name every Rookie of the Year · Name every 10-time All-Star · Name the 20,000-point club · Name the 10,000-rebound club · Name the 8,000-assist club · Name every 2,000 three-pointer shooter · Name every 25-point-per-game scorer · Name every #1 overall draft pick · Name the undrafted players with 500+ games · Name every international All-NBA player · Name the 20,000-point scorers who never won a title · Name the #1 picks who never made an All-Star team · Name the 4-time champions who were never All-Stars · Name the stars who played for 6+ franchises · Name every NBA team that has moved city · Name every retired Lakers and Celtics number · Name every franchise that has had a #1 overall pick · Name the team that drafted each recent #1 pick.