Highest IQ Players of All Time?

[mojomarc]

Just came here to say among the list given and the discussions, Stockton is getting criminally underrated. Not saying he should be top 3, but that he was I think underappreciated when he played and is really underappreciated in retirement. I would take him easily over CP3, Nash or Kidd, yet he's trailing all of those guys. And I also think with his three point shooting he would translate very well to today's game just as he was great in the 80s/90s. Sort of a testament to his BBIQ....

[Exp0sed]

Rondo not being in the poll taints the poll. He may be the answer altogether.

.

Rondo is up there for sure, good call

[ryan in Maine]

Rondo not being in the poll taints the poll. He may be the answer altogether.

Rondo is up there for sure, good call

Rondo disqualified for having multiple all time low IQ lapses though lol. He called a ref a hard f slur. Had a spat with his coach that spilled onto the floor. He's got some moments.

[KGtabake]

Denis Rodman?

[Texas Chuck]

Paul and Kidd the smartest players I've ever seen. Rondo deserves a nod too.

[Texas Chuck]

Jokic, Bird or Nash will win because we’re on RealGM and those 3 are most likely to win here because reasons.

But it’s LeBron and it’s not even close but he won’t win an IQ competition here for those same reasons.

Why not be direct and say you think RealGM is collectively racist despite most responses itt singling out players of color as having the highest IQ. This may shock you but some white players are also pretty smart. Both can be true.

Chris Paul and Larry Bird can both understand basketball at an elite level. Curious why you are implying they can't?

[benson13]

I think the answer to this question tends towards point guards. They have a lot to do.

Some analyst once referred to Jokic and LeBron as basketball supercomputers. I don't know that they're the answers to this, but I understand his sentiment and don't disagree with it.

Jordan's spectacular game often shielded us from his fundamentals. He could play the post in a very difficult offense, move without the ball, and understood defense as well as any guard.

But my answer is Jose Calderon or JJ Reddick.

[Maxthirty]

I’d go with Immanuel Quickley, especially when you consider how often he’s around Brandon Ingram.

[taikibansei]

That Bill Russell guy was pretty darn smart too. During the final three seasons of his career (1966–1969), he served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach to win a championship (with an aging Celtics team and without an assistant). He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice...as a player and as a coach. He was also one of the most cerebral players ever to play--particularly on defense. Some quotes:

Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He later recalled: "To play good defense ... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off."[30] In an autobiographical account, Russell said that while on a California High School All-Stars tour, he became obsessed with studying and memorizing other players' moves, e.g., footwork such as which foot they moved first on which play, as preparation for defending against them, which included practicing in front of a mirror at night. Russell described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell

Even though Russell’s high school team won two state championships he wasn’t highly recruited. The University of San Francisco was the only school to offer Russ a scholarship. Boy, were they rewarded for their progressiveness. In his debut game Russ blocked the first five shots of the opposing All-American center! USF’s coach had never seen anything like it. He insisted that players shouldn’t leave their feet to block a shot. That’s not how defense was played back then. It wasn’t obvious at that moment but Russ was revolutionizing how defense would be played around the world. He was also making it official: Defense wins championships. “Most players block a shot to send the ball into the stands. Not Russell. His philosophy was to block a shot straight up to keep it in bounds.”

https://baselinereview.net/blogs/stories/in-defense-of-bill-russell

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

[The Laker Kid]

Rondo

[Sixers in 4]

Tim Duncan was called Mr Fundamentals for the reason that he always made the smart winning play
John Stockton love him or hate him, always made the smart play while being a member of the Jazz.
Pau Gasol another guy maximized what he had and played winning basketball

Of the players who play today, I'd go with TJ McConnell easily. He makes the smart play almost every time; he's not really an athlete but plays smart, winning basketball.

[Black Jack]

Jokic, Magic, Bird. Very easy picks.

[michaelm]

Denis Rodman?

You need the other 2 threads, one of which is now closed.

[JinKaz69]

Denis Rodman?

Good mention.
- Excellent positionning for rebounds and defense
- Knows how to play the opponent's minds
- Better passer than most people think

[PRguy23]

Jordan
Lebron
Bird
Magic
Pippen
Rodman
Iggy
Deng
Russell
Walton
Cousy
Marovic
Rondo
Battier
Odom
JYD
Sabonis
Heinrich
Jackson
Riley
JYD
Foyle
Buechelor
KG

This isn't a order. Just players I think of with high iq. The stats and number or scoring doesn't point to bb iq. Everyone I mentioned had the iq.

[pipfan]

That Bill Russell guy was pretty darn smart too. During the final three seasons of his career (1966–1969), he served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach to win a championship (with an aging Celtics team and without an assistant). He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice...as a player and as a coach. He was also one of the most cerebral players ever to play--particularly on defense. Some quotes:

Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He later recalled: "To play good defense ... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off."[30] In an autobiographical account, Russell said that while on a California High School All-Stars tour, he became obsessed with studying and memorizing other players' moves, e.g., footwork such as which foot they moved first on which play, as preparation for defending against them, which included practicing in front of a mirror at night. Russell described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell

Even though Russell’s high school team won two state championships he wasn’t highly recruited. The University of San Francisco was the only school to offer Russ a scholarship. Boy, were they rewarded for their progressiveness. In his debut game Russ blocked the first five shots of the opposing All-American center! USF’s coach had never seen anything like it. He insisted that players shouldn’t leave their feet to block a shot. That’s not how defense was played back then. It wasn’t obvious at that moment but Russ was revolutionizing how defense would be played around the world. He was also making it official: Defense wins championships. “Most players block a shot to send the ball into the stands. Not Russell. His philosophy was to block a shot straight up to keep it in bounds.”

https://baselinereview.net/blogs/stories/in-defense-of-bill-russell

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

I had Russell, Big O and West on my original poll but took them off. So few of us ever saw them, and the game tapes are limited. I'm sure all 3 belong in the top 10 all time smartest players, but we'd just be estimating. I think the "modern" NBA started in 1979 with Magic/Bird and the 3 point line added

[Exp0sed]

Rondo not being in the poll taints the poll. He may be the answer altogether.

Rondo is up there for sure, good call

Rondo disqualified for having multiple all time low IQ lapses though lol. He called a ref a hard f slur. Had a spat with his coach that spilled onto the floor. He's got some moments.

Rondo being a dumba** in real life is indeed the reason he isn't mentioned but that's different from basketball i.q

[taikibansei]

That Bill Russell guy was pretty darn smart too. During the final three seasons of his career (1966–1969), he served as player-coach of the Celtics, becoming the first black NBA coach to win a championship (with an aging Celtics team and without an assistant). He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice...as a player and as a coach. He was also one of the most cerebral players ever to play--particularly on defense. Some quotes:

Russell soon became noted for his unusual style of defense. He later recalled: "To play good defense ... it was told back then that you had to stay flatfooted at all times to react quickly. When I started to jump to make defensive plays and to block shots, I was initially corrected, but I stuck with it, and it paid off."[30] In an autobiographical account, Russell said that while on a California High School All-Stars tour, he became obsessed with studying and memorizing other players' moves, e.g., footwork such as which foot they moved first on which play, as preparation for defending against them, which included practicing in front of a mirror at night. Russell described himself as an avid reader of Dell Magazines' 1950s sports publications, which he used to scout opponents' moves for the purpose of defending against them.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Russell

Even though Russell’s high school team won two state championships he wasn’t highly recruited. The University of San Francisco was the only school to offer Russ a scholarship. Boy, were they rewarded for their progressiveness. In his debut game Russ blocked the first five shots of the opposing All-American center! USF’s coach had never seen anything like it. He insisted that players shouldn’t leave their feet to block a shot. That’s not how defense was played back then. It wasn’t obvious at that moment but Russ was revolutionizing how defense would be played around the world. He was also making it official: Defense wins championships. “Most players block a shot to send the ball into the stands. Not Russell. His philosophy was to block a shot straight up to keep it in bounds.”

https://baselinereview.net/blogs/stories/in-defense-of-bill-russell

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

I had Russell, Big O and West on my original poll but took them off. So few of us ever saw them, and the game tapes are limited. I'm sure all 3 belong in the top 10 all time smartest players, but we'd just be estimating. I think the "modern" NBA started in 1979 with Magic/Bird and the 3 point line added

I agree with the names being offered up here for the modern era, but as the thread title states "all-time," I'm pointing out that Russell deserves a shout-out as well. Note that a lot of the NBA legends quoted praising Russell in those two videos (including several legends mentioned here as highest IQ candidates) actually saw Bill Russell play. (FWIW, I did too, with my dad, but I was pretty young and don't remember much.)

[iggymcfrack]

I voted for Jokic, CP3, and "other" with the other being Shane Battier. Talk about a guy who VASTLY exceeded his physical capabilities with his mind. I'm kinda surprised he never became a coach or a GM. Must have just not been into it.

[ImmortalD24]

Jordan
Lebron
Bird
Magic
Pippen
Rodman
Iggy
Deng
Russell
Walton
Cousy
Marovic
Rondo
Battier
Odom
JYD
Sabonis
Heinrich
Jackson
Riley
JYD
Foyle
Buechelor
KG

This isn't an order. Just players I think of with high iq. The stats and number or scoring doesn't point to bb iq. Everyone I mentioned had the iq.

Awful list.

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