NBA Grid
NBA tic tac toe with nine squares and nine guesses. Name a player who fits both the row and the column of every square — two franchises, a franchise and a college, or a franchise and a birth country.
What is the NBA grid?
The NBA grid is a daily basketball trivia puzzle. Each of the nine squares sits where a row and a column meet, and you have to name one NBA player who fits both: a player who suited up for both franchises, or who played for that franchise and went to that college.
You get nine guesses for nine squares, and each player can only be used once. The obvious answers go fast, so the last few squares are where you start remembering the journeymen, the trade-deadline rentals and the one-season stops that connect two teams.
Everyone gets the same board each day, so you can compare scores with friends. When one grid isn't enough, unlimited mode deals a new random board whenever you want.
If you've played an immaculate grid or NBA tic tac toe before, the rules are the same. Rows are always franchises; columns mix more franchises with colleges and, now and then, a birth country such as Canada or France.
All 30 franchises, every roster since 2015-16
Answers come from real NBA rosters going back to the 2015-16 season, about 1,500 players in all. Any of the 30 franchises can appear on the board:
Atlanta Hawks · Boston Celtics · Brooklyn Nets · Charlotte Hornets · Chicago Bulls · Cleveland Cavaliers · Dallas Mavericks · Denver Nuggets · Detroit Pistons · Golden State Warriors · Houston Rockets · Indiana Pacers · LA Clippers · Los Angeles Lakers · Memphis Grizzlies · Miami Heat · Milwaukee Bucks · Minnesota Timberwolves · New Orleans Pelicans · New York Knicks · Oklahoma City Thunder · Orlando Magic · Philadelphia 76ers · Phoenix Suns · Portland Trail Blazers · Sacramento Kings · San Antonio Spurs · Toronto Raptors · Utah Jazz · Washington Wizards
College squares use the programs that have sent the most players to the league, including:
Kentucky · Duke · Kansas · North Carolina · UCLA · Michigan · Arizona · Gonzaga · UConn · Virginia · USC · Florida · Baylor · Michigan State · Tennessee · LSU · Villanova · Indiana · Texas · Maryland · Alabama · Arkansas · Oregon · Syracuse · Washington
How to play
Pick a square
Tap any empty square to open the player search.
Read the row and column
The row is always an NBA team. The column is another team, a college or a birth country. Your player must match both.
Name a player
Start typing and pick from the list. Each player can be used once per grid.
Make nine guesses count
Nine guesses for nine squares, so a wrong answer costs you that square.
Share your score
Copy your emoji grid to compare with friends, then reveal the answers you missed.
NBA grid FAQ
How do you play the NBA grid?▼
Name an NBA player for each of the nine squares. Every square combines its row (an NBA franchise) with its column (another franchise, a college or a birth country), and your player has to match both.
Is this the same as NBA tic tac toe or an NBA immaculate grid?▼
It's the same kind of game: a three-by-three board where every square needs a player who fits both its row and its column. RenderFoot's NBA grid is a free, independent version with its own daily board and an unlimited mode.
Which players count?▼
Anyone who was on an NBA roster from the 2015-16 season onwards, matched against every franchise they were on, the college they attended and the country they were born in.
What does a country square mean?▼
It's the player's birth country. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander counts for Canada and Rudy Gobert for France. Kyrie Irving was born in Melbourne, so he counts for Australia.
How many guesses do I get?▼
Nine, one per square. Once they're used up the grid ends and you can reveal the answers you missed.
Is there an unlimited NBA grid?▼
Yes. Switch to unlimited after the daily board for a new random grid every time, with the same rules and player pool.
When does the daily NBA grid change?▼
Every day at midnight UTC. Everyone gets the same board on the same day.
Is it free?▼
Yes. No signup and no app: it runs in any browser on phone or desktop, and your daily result is saved in your browser.
Want one mystery player instead?
Guess the NBA Player gives you eight tries and team, division, position and stat-line clues.
Play Guess the NBA Player