[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

Does being an intelligent person off of the basketball court (I.E in the classroom) make a player better than someone who isn’t intelligent off the court? IMO, I think it does. Although natural ability such as athleticism plays a huge role in determining how good a player can be, having intelligence can help them understand the game of basketball better. Smart players learn plays at a quicker rate, they are usually better listeners, and they have a higher level of creativity. I’m actually starting to change my stance on the whole “1 year out of high school” rule. I think that if players went to school, took real classes and actually focused on becoming a smarter person for a couple of years, then that would help them become better basketball players.

What do you guys think?

[llperez]

not sure i agree. I mean being smart never hurt anyone. But a lot of basketball kids study and learn the game of basketball but just don’t take to other things in education. I think good grades can be a good sign that a kid is grounded and has a level head and won’t get into trouble as often.

[JoeWolf1]

Take a look at the collegiate Academic All-Americans, for the most part the brightest student athletes are not always the stars. Jay Williams graduated from Duke in 3 years and was a very good player before his injuries. Being intellegent helps, but Derek Rose who may or may not have scored high enough on his ACT’s to get in to Memphis is doing just fine.

[td8118Participant]

I mean i guess you could say that to some degree….Shane Battier speaks elequoently and is very thoughtful and cerebral about the game, he also is one of the smartest Basketball IQ guys….However, other players have good bball IQ like Garnett and Wallace and don’t seem like they are the most intelligent people….Garnett couldn’t qualifiy for College….Nothing against them Im not trying to disrespect but I think that intelligence is very subjective and doesnt necessarily matter

[JoeWolf1]

Take a look at coaches’ sons, they often have great understanding of the game and are usually the over achiever type with solid, but not stellar athleticism and statures.

Mike Bibby
Kirk Hinrich
Mario Chalmers
Austin Rivers is a top high school point guard prospect
Kevin Kruger isn’t an NBA caliber player, but man that guy had no height, no hops but could flat out play
Mike Dunleavy Jr.

[rtbtParticipant]

Orange_Juice_Jones, I think you raised some very interesting questions but I don’t think there are any clear cut answers. Having said that, allow me to make some comments.

One of the smartest guys to ever play the game was someone who wasn’t very athletic, he could barely jump 6 inches off the ground, he wasn’t fast, yet he was a champion from his first game until he retired. In my opinion, the number one factor in his greatness was his intelligence. Do you know who I’m talking about? It’s Magic.

All of us have seen incredibly talented teams with lots of great athletes who never went anywhere. In my opinion, those kind of teams failed to succeed because they played dumb basketball. They often played lots of one on one, they committed tons of stupid fouls, and they didn’t understand the concepts of sound, fundamental defense.

[llperez]

i think you guys are missing the point. Yes you have to have a breat basketball iq and intelligence about the game of basketball and how it should be played. Magic had that. He was an extremely inteligent ball player. But jones is asking not about basketball iq, but general intelligence in terms of being a student and getting good grades. I’m not sure it really matters.

[llperez]

we all know rose was not the best student. Shaq even jokes about how poor a student he was saying he chose LSU becasue it stands for “Learn Slowly University”. I’m guessing a lot of nba players probably didn’t spend much time hitting the books because their passion was basketball and they studied and learned how to play the game. And when it comes to ball, that’s what is truly important in terms of success.

[rtbtParticipant]

llperez22, I think you’re right, but Magic was and is intelligent both on and off the court. The last time I checked, which was prior to the economic collapse, he was close to building a billion dollar empire.

I was trying to say that someone like Magic, who is smart off the court, was definitely better than many of his peers because of his overall intelligence. I think there are many examples of guys who are smart off the court and it gives them an advantage on the court.

On the flip side we’ve all seen some incredible athletes come into the NBA with a can’t miss tag and fail miserably. I think one of the reasons they don’t succeed is their lack of overall intelligence.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

Intelligence off the court doesn’t do that much, but a more intelligent player off the court may work harder to improve their game and develop on-court intelligence. Basketball is so fast that you really have on-court intelligence or you don’t. Their isn’t really a correlation between those who are naturally smart on-court and those who are off-court.

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

rtbt and llperez22 going at it again, huh? No low blows, references to favorite team or player’s controversial moments, or name calling. Touch gloves, gentlemen.

[sheltwon3Participant]

learning the game of basketball is about the love and putting the time and work in because it does not take a rocket scientist to learn basketball. Shaq may not have been smart education wise but he is a great passer for a big man meaning he understand the game pretty well. Also a lot of the brain work is done by the coachs and lead guard and they practice all the time. Imagine if people studied like player practice and they could be anything they wanted and not really be that smart. Also Shaq is doing well outside of basketball and it is kind of hinted that he is not the most intelligent guy. Also early on people said Magic was a little slow as far as school wise but that has not stopped him from doing well outside and in basketball. The reason why a lot of basketball player never get it is because they don’t want to work hard and take the time to learn the few simple plays they practice all the time.

[OrangeJuiceJonesParticipant]

Haha, I know, I was just kidding around. I do like to see/partake in a good argument from time to time though.

[rtbtParticipant]

Hey Orange_Juice_Jones, on occasion, llperez22 and I disagreed on certain issues, but most of the time I think we usually agree, or at least we aren’t too far off. And let me make another point, the guy knows basketball.

[llperez]

i have nothing against rtbt or anyone on here. I’ll disagree on some issues but agree on most others. It’s all respect.

[SlimParticipant]

Magic Johnson – Earvin Effay Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan) is a retired American National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers. Johnson is acknowledged as one of the most popular NBA basketball players of all time, being well-known for his uncanny passing and dribbling skills, and for his cheerful nature on and off the court. In the words of Magic Johnson: “The looks, the stares, the giggles . . . I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could read.”

magic johnson is dyslexic

rex ryan is dyslexic

classroom grades has nothing to do with basketball

and as a side note JoeWolf1 did you ever stop to think that a coach’s son
learns the game quicker because ‘their dad is a coach’

and they have all the benefits available to them?

classroom grades has nothing to do with basketball

http://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/article_2130.shtml

[SlimParticipant]

on a side note I did not do bad in high school I am just saying there is little to no correlation

from my own experience if you
study the game you can become
better at it

read,react and anticipate 😀

[Author]

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