“Basketball IQ Is Overrated”: Shaquille O’Neal’s Simple ‘Can or Can’t Play’ Mentality Got Mocked by Charles Barkley and Company on Open Court in 2012

Back in 2012, Shaquille O’Neal was part of an iconic analyst lineup on ESPN’s Open Court that consisted of Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar. One of the questions O’Neal was asked was about the players he thought had the highest basketball IQ. In response, Shaq claimed to be old-school and said he had no idea what basketball IQ was supposed to be. Referencing his own career, O’Neal claimed that he never had a problem with dealing with smaller players when he used to play. Originally on Open Court, the clip was shared on YouTube by Clutch Time.

While Shaq was a dominant force, one of the analysts responded by claiming that other players did the thinking for Shaq back when he used to play. While every team requires a combination of force and guile, dealing with O’Neal could cause problems regardless of the basketball IQ on display. Of course, a number of modern greats such as Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and LeBron James will promise the opposite.

Shaquille O’Neal hilariously claimed he had no idea what Basketball IQ was

Shaq was obviously joking and merely wanted to convey that he thought basketball IQ did not play a part against players who knew how to play. Of course, basketball is not only about size and strength.

A number of former and current greats have proven that they do not need the kind of physical presence Shaq had to make a commanding impact on games. Regarding this, O’Neal thought differently, at least back in 2012. When asked, he claimed that he had no idea what basketball IQ was:

“What is that? You know why Ernie? I am from the old school. I think all that stuff [Basketball IQ] is overrated. You know what I think of basketball IQ? You either can play, or you cannot play.”

While the panelist explained the term and claimed that it played a huge role, O’Neal was firm in his opinion:

“For who? Not for me it wasn’t. You are too little, you are too small, I am going to work.”

Shaq obviously knew what basketball IQ was, and had seen one of the smartest players at work, Kobe Bryant. He merely wanted to convey that he himself was commanding enough to take advantage of the enormous size he had over most of his competitors.

Shaquille O’Neal once asked a woman reporter to stop asking “dumb questions”

No matter the intention behind the question, Shaq very well knew what he was asked. However, he had no intention of answering Ernie Johnson.

Instead, he pretended to not know what basketball IQ was and proceeded to subtly talk about his own game. This is highly incongruous with his retort against a female reporter back during the 2006 NBA Playoffs.

Shaq was blocked while taking a shot against Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons. While he was sure that he was fouled, it wasn’t called by the referee, which led to a question in the post-match conference.

However, O’Neal claimed that the exchange was clearly a foul and that the reporter should not ask him “dumb questions.” At the same time, Shaq and the Miami Heat still went on to win the series in 6 games, which goes to show that he always wins, in the end.