Fans have long debated who deserves the title of the ‘Greatest of All Time,’ no matter the sport. Everyone seems to have their own opinion. In basketball, the conversation usually revolves around names like LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant—true NBA royalty. Yet, one name often gets overlooked, and that’s when debates heat up. A recent social media poll reignited that discussion, forcing the son of legendary heavyweight Mike Tyson to chime in.

It all started when ‘Pubity,’ a popular Instagram page known for covering pop culture, sports, and trending topics, launched a fan poll to decide the ultimate basketball ‘GOAT.’ “THE BATTLE OF THE GREATS,” they captioned the post, with a graphic showing a table pitting several players against each other in a competition format. The competition was split into five rounds, with fans voting each time to narrow down the contenders. 

Who are the final two contenders that the son of Mike Tyson had issues with?

By the fifth and final round, only two legends remained—Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, leaving LeBron James out. The Instagram page asked its followers, “Head to our story to vote on the 5th and final round of matchups and support the basketball player you think is the greatest of all time.” While the poll hasn’t finished yet, with the winner between Jordan and Bryant still to be decided, Amir J. Tyson took notice. 

Amir shared the post on his Instagram story, airing his frustration with James’ exclusion by fans in the caption. “Most beloved, yes,” he agreed with the final two contenders, “But not having Bron is crazy, even though he’s not as universally likable to everyone like those two were from a basketball fan perspective.” In Amir’s eyes, LeBron James should have made it to the top two, but his personal favorite did. “[James is] top two, and Kobe’s my favorite player ever.” 

Of course, Michael Jordan hung up his sneakers for the final time in 2003, and Kobe Bryant tragically passed away in 2020, leaving LeBron James as the only one still active in the NBA among the three. But does that automatically place James on the same pedestal as Jordan and Bryant? 

NBA Hall of Famer reveals why LeBron James stands apart from Jordan and Bryant

Last month, NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley explained why he believes James stands apart from Jordan and Bryant. Speaking on The Bill Simmons Podcast, Barkley praised all three as basketball greats but pointed out what he sees as a key difference in mentality. “The three best players I’ve ever seen were Michael, Kobe, and LeBron,” he said. 

“And I’ll tell you the difference in the three. Michael and Kobe are dangerous—they will kill your a—. LeBron’s a nice guy. And that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy.” Barkley compared LeBron’s personality to that of Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, calling both “really nice guys.”

He added, “The difference between Michael and Kobe, man, they are dangerous. They really wanted to kill you, humiliate you.”

Having said that, despite Mike Tyson’s son, Amir J. Tyson’s protest, even an NBA legend like Charles Barkley supports the final two contenders that fans came up with in the polling competition to determine the ‘GOAT.’ But do you agree?