WNBA players with high basketball IQ

Basketball is a fast-paced game. It is the second fastest game in the world after ice hockey.

Though the rules of the game are not as hard as American football or baseball, it is a fast-tempo game and requires more intellectual skills like passing the ball to the deserved person in the correct situation and operating the team’s defense and offense wisely during critical situations, and much more. In basketball, it is called basketball IQ.

Basketball IQ is not the representation of players’ numbers and stats, it is more than that.

It is the intuition of players’ next move during critical situations of the game. You have to decide within a fraction of second like when it’s time to pass and when it’s time to keep the ball and move.

WNBA players with high basketball IQ

WNBA has seen significant growth in recent years and gaining popularity across many social media and digital platforms.

With no exception to WNBA, here is the list of the top 5 WNBA players with high basketball IQ.

1.Diana Taurasi

The five-time gold medal winner and G.O.A.T in WNBA top our list for the highest basketball IQ.

The power and rhythm of her play during games are effortless.

She is one of the few players who constantly chat on the floor during the game.

Her ability to read the games and guide her team during clutch situations is just awesome. She acts as the true floor general during the game.

Taurasi’s shot-making ability under pressure situations is just incredible.

She can hit three-pointer shots consistently and is often compared to NBA star Steph Curry. Her arms-up defense technique against the opponent and readiness to react at any moment makes her a strong defender as well.

Taurasi’s ball-passing ability during clutch situations is one of the key reasons for her greatness.

She is the first player in WNBA history to finish in the top two in scoring and assists, during the year 2013. She is the first player ever to win both single-season scoring and assist titles for the year 2015.

2. Tamika Catching

Second on our list is Tamika Catching, the best two-way player in the history of basketball.

Her defense IQ is just impeccable and was the 5 times WNBA defensive player of the year.

Achieving this feat with severe hearing impairment is just mind-boggling.

Few of Catching’s IQ shots are explained in this link.

Apart from her defensive skills, she is a well-rounded player and plays hard in every possession, offensively and defensively.

Tamika has done an unbelievable record that no other player in basketball has done before. She scored 25 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists,10 steals, and 10 blocks in a single match during a road game in high school.

This proves Tamika’s intelligence for both offense and defense in basketball.

Catching is one of the few WNBA players who absorb the pressure during clutch situations and performs better.

She is a great clutch player and performs better in the last few minutes of the game which explicates her experience.

3. Sue Bird

The third on our list is Seattle Storms star Sue Bird. Her assist records replicate her basketball IQ.

She holds the record for the highest number of assists by an individual in WNBA history. Her knowledge of the game is highly insightful and is always a step ahead of other WNBA players.

She may not be a start machine but she knows where to get you the ball and knows how to keep the defense off balance.

Even a WNBA legend Diana Taurasi in an interview said that” Sue Bird has the best basketball IQ in all seasons of WNBA. She knows your strength, she knows your weakness and she knows how to be floor general in basketball.”

In an interview with WNBA players regarding who has the best basketball IQ, most of the players stated Sue Bird was the best.

Here are their words.

Delish Milton Jones, retired professional NBA player and head coach of the old division says “She kind of looks like a genius out there sometimes. The way she sees things happening before they even occur is mind-blowing.”

Courtney Vandersloot, WNBA point guard player for Chicago says “She knows exactly what her team needs and when they needed and where they needed. She is in a different category, hands down.”

4. Becky Hammon

Becky Hammon is a former WNBA player who played for New York Liberty and San Antonio Stars during the year 1999-2004.

She was the first full-time coach in NBA history. In 2014 she was signed as the new assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.

As a player, Hammon is undervalued. Playing as a professional point-guard player Hammon has a strong knowledge of reading the games and appears at the right place at the right time on the court.

Her intelligence paved major value to the team and in the year 2015, Hammon’s team Spurs claimed the NBA summer league title. After this major event, Hammon was highly respected as the coach of the basketball community.

San Antonio Spurs head coach, Gregg Popovich spoke very highly of Hammon and stated that she was going to be a great asset to their organization.

Becky Hammon was currently working as a Head coach for Las Vegas Aces. She has been named 2022 WNBA coach of the year by the WNBA.

5. Kara Lawson

Mastermind Kara Lawson is a former WNBA player who played for Sacramento Monarchs, Connecticut Sun, and Washington Mystics during the year 2003-2015. She plays in a shooting guard position.

From the beginning of her career, she learned the art of the game and thinks ahead than the opponents with the ball.

Demya Walker, a professional Basketball Player from the United States says” she sees the game not just from the guard’s perspective but also from the perspective of the post.

She thinks, she looks like the coach and is one of the all-time WNBA players with a high basketball IQ”.

Because of her strong basketball IQ and coaching mentality, she was appointed as the assistant coach for Boston Celtics in 2019-2020. Lawson was the first female coach for the Celtics in the 73-year franchise’s history.

Lawson was one of the 100 most influential people in Women’s college basketball listed by Waves media in the summer of 2020.