IQ scores of
athletes.
Sport is full of claims about reading the game. These are the numbers people attach to that.
20 profiles
Each entry opens onto the full story behind the figure.
Michael Jordan
Portrait © Frans Peeters, CC BY-SA 2.0. The background-removed portrait above is a derivative work and is likewise offered under the same licence. · Photograph by Bert Verhoeff for Anefo (1972), CC0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Fryta 73 (2015), CC BY-SA 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0. The background-removed portrait above is a derivative work offered under the same licence. · Photograph by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0. The background-removed portrait above is a derivative work offered under the same licence. · Photograph by Ira Rosenberg for the New York World-Telegram (1967), public domain. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Przemysław Jahr, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped; background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Jay Godwin, LBJ Presidential Library, public domain (U.S. government work). · Photograph by Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0. Cropped from the original. · Photograph by ChessKelly, CC BY 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Barcex, CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Bryan Berlin / WikiPortraits, CC BY-SA 4.0. The background-removed portrait above is a derivative work offered under the same licence. · Photograph by Joshua Massel, cropped by Commons user Quadzilla99, CC BY-SA 2.0. · Photograph by Super Festivals, CC BY 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Wolfgang Jekel (London Chess Classic, 2016), CC BY 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Frans Peeters (Tata Steel Chess Tournament, January 2024), CC BY-SA 2.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Bryan Berlin (13 June 2026), CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Harry Pot for Anefo, Dutch National Archives, via Wikimedia Commons (26 April 1962), CC BY-SA 3.0 NL. Cropped to exclude another member of the delegation visible in the original frame. Background removed for the portrait above. · Photograph by Anand Anil (November 2017), CC BY-SA 4.0. Background removed for the portrait above.
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More profiles are on the way. A name joins this category once its figure has been traced and a properly licensed portrait is cleared.
Get a measured score first — then the comparison actually means something. Thirty questions, instant result.
Start the test →Athletes IQ, asked and answered
How are IQ scores for athletes estimated?
Not by testing anyone. Each figure on this page is inferred from the documented record — published work, contemporary accounts, verified qualifications — using a named method set out under how we read a number. Every profile shows its own workings.
Which of these athletes has the highest IQ?
Bobby Fischer holds the highest estimate in this category at 160–180. That ordering comes from the midpoint of each range and it re-sorts itself as profiles are added, so treat it as a convenience rather than a verdict. The full leaderboard ranks every category together.
How many athletes profiles are there?
20 so far, and the list grows as figures are traced and portraits licensed. Browse the rest of the section from all categories, or start at the Celebrity IQ hub.
How do I compare my own IQ with these athletes?
Get a measured number first. The IQ Metrics assessment is 30 questions and reports on the same 100-mean scale used on every profile here, with a percentile and an ability breakdown. How we score and norm it explains the benchmarking, and average IQ by country shows how the same scale looks across populations.
Where would you
actually land?
Your score, your percentile, your ability breakdown and a printable IIF certificate.
Find your IQ score now! →