NBA GMs Decide if LeBron James or Nikola Jokic Has Highest Basketball IQ in Survey

As he enters his 23rd season in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is still regarded as one of the greatest basketball minds in the game, but one player has him beat.

In the league's survey of general managers ahead of the 2025-26 season, James came in second for the best basketball IQ behind Denver Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic, who garnered a whopping 80 percent of the vote.

Jokic is coming off a special season in which he averaged career highs of 29.6 points and 10.2 assists along with 12.7 rebounds, becoming just the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a full season. The basketball savant finished second in the MVP voting behind Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, marking the fifth straight year that he's finished in the top two.

James received 17 percent of the vote for the best basketball IQ, while Los Angeles Clippers veteran point guard Chris Paul earned the remaining three percent. Both of them will be 40 years old to start the season, with James turning 41 in December, but they can still impact the game at a high level.

Still, it's clear that the league is in Jokic's hands now, as the perennial MVP candidate will look to return to the mountaintop this year.