Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized the basketball IQ of Dwight Howard during a television appearance.

"Dwight is an extraordinary athlete and has incredible athletic ability, but basketball is a game where the most important muscle that you use on the court is the one between your ears," said Abdul-Jabbar. "Dwight's basketball IQ is not up to speed for him to be a dominant player."

Howard quickly responded to the remarks.

"You can't win three Defensive Player of the Year trophies and be stupid. That can't be done," said Howard. "And I don't think any coach that has ever coached me has said I have a low IQ for basketball.

"Have I done some dumb stuff on the floor? Yes, every player has. Have I done some stupid things in life? Yes, it's life. We make mistakes and learn from them. It is what it is. I think I am very intelligent when it comes to the game of basketball. I have been playing since I was 3 years old. Each year, I get a little smarter.

"People will have something to say. Is what it is. I'm in (Houston) now. This city has my back and we are going to ride together."