Anderson Varejao Trivia Quiz

Answer: Orlando Magic

The Magic chose Varejao in the second round of the 2004 Draft. He remained with Orlando for just under a month, however, as he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a big trade that saw Varejao, along with Drew Gooden and Steven Hunter, get sent to Cleveland in exchange for two future second round picks and Tony Battie.

At the time, Drew Gooden was viewed as the main acquisition of the deal. Varejao and Hunter were not viewed as significant parts of the trade and, instead, were only included so that the teams could match salaries. Funnily enough, Varejao would go on to become by far the most beneficial part of this trade down the road.

Answer: 54

Varejao did not appear in the Cavs' home opener, as he was a DNP-Coach's Decision, usually indicating that he was either not ready to appear, or simply that he was not part of the gameplan on that night. Varejao's official NBA debut came in the Cavs' second game of the season, a 92-86 loss in Miami where he played ten minutes and contributed seven points on 3/5 shooting.

Answer: Varejao's hairstyle

Fans who attended the game on February 21st, when the Magic were in town, were given unique wigs meant to match Varejao's hairstyle. The goal in Quicken Loans Arena was to set a record specifying "most people wearing wigs in a single venue". Any time the Orlando Magic specifically took a timeout, fans would be encouraged to put their wigs on simultaneously. Despite there being 20,000 people in the building however, this endeavor was not successful.
The record remained with the Detroit Pistons -- set i April of 2005, when 6,638 fans wore wigs at the same time.

Answer: 6

Varejao was a major contributor for Cleveland this year, in a way that can't really be tracked statistically. On paper, he had a very slow season, averaging just under seven points a game. However, he was considered Cleveland's "enforcer" and always found himself on the court in tight, late game situations, regardless of whether or not he started the game.

He took an NBA leading 99 charges and was ranked as the NBA's eighth highest rated defender.

Answer: Charlotte Bobcats

As a restricted free agent, Varejao was allowed to sign with anyone he wanted, but his original team, the Cavaliers, would have a full week to match any offer Varejao signed. This is exactly what took place, as Varejao signed a two year deal with Charlotte, which was promptly matched by the Cavaliers. As such, Andy V would return to Cleveland for the oncoming two seasons.

Answer: Six years

After signing this contract, two things became a constant for Varejao: on one hand, he cemented himself as the team's starting center. On the other, he unfortunately missed more games than he played over the ensuing three years due to injury.

Answer: Yes

Despite being talented, Bynum had a remarkably poor attitude on top of suffering multiple injuries. Bynum did not even last until the trade deadline as a Cavalier, with Cleveland shipping him to Philadelphia in a move that landed the more energetic and far better acclimated Spencer Hawes. Hawes, however, would end up coming off the bench as Varejao had officially reclaimed his role after the team had previously suspended Bynum due to conduct detrimental to the team.

Answer: Golden State Warriors

After many, many years of playing on mediocre Cavaliers teams as one of the few bright spots, the year in which Cleveland finally won it all, Varejao was the opponent. The sports world can be cruel sometimes for sure. Despite being the opponent, Varejao had played for Cleveland earlier in the year, which made him eligible for a Finals Ring despite Varejao's Warriors losing the series 4-3.

He declined the ring however, citing that he was part of the opposition and did not believe he deserved it.

Answer: 2021

In his last season, Varejao returned to the Cavaliers after playing out a 20 month contract with the Flamengo professional basketball team in Brazil, where Varejao is native to. It ended up being more of a 'farewell tour' of sorts for Andy V, as he had by far lost a lot of the talent demonstrated during his prime, and barely saw action on the court as a result.

Answer: Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame

Varejao received this honor in 2024. At the time, he was actually still working for the Cavaliers, of course as an executive and not as a player. Varejao had been working as Cleveland's Player Development Consultant and Global Ambassador, essentially the same role former Cavalier great Zydrunas Ilgauskas held after his retirement. Even after being inducted, Varejao would continue to hold the role down, cementing himself as a Cleveland great both on and off the court.