Mike Tyson knows his way around the boxing ring, but when it comes to NBA stars dating hip-hop royalty, the heavyweight legend is wholly lost. The latest episode of Shaquille O’Neal’s podcast delivered an unexpectedly hilarious moment when Tyson had no clue who Klay Thompson was, even after learning about the Dallas Mavericks star’s rumored romance with Megan Thee Stallion.
Why Didn’t Mike Tyson Recognize Klay Thompson?
The latest episode of NBA legend O’Neal’s podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” was released late last week. This edition featured sportscaster Adam Lefkoe and boxing legend Mike Tyson. During the episode, Tyson and O’Neal spoke about how they inspired each other. They also gave viewers a deep dive into the boxing world by getting Tyson’s thoughts on various topics.
One moment from the podcast, however, recently went viral when NBA Central, the X account that tracks the NBA, posted a clip of this segment on Monday. Tyson’s reaction when Lefkoe brought up the new star couple in town, Megan Thee Stallion and Thompson, caught viewers off guard.
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In the clip now amassing over 200,000 views, Lefkoe asked O’Neal and Tyson, “Did you see the news about the new hot couple?”
The legendary boxer responded, “Who? Who?”
The TNT host said, “It is Klay Thompson and Megan Thee Stallion.”
“Who is Klay Thompson?” Tyson asked in response.
“He plays basketball, was in the Warriors, one of the greatest shooters of all time,” Lefkoe added. “He’s now on the Dallas Mavericks, and he’s with Megan Thee Stallion.”
As the host said this, O’Neal quipped, “Six weeks.” Tyson, who appeared to want to avoid the discussion, replied, “I am going to say nothing.” A surprised Lefkoe turned to the NBA legend and said, “You are setting the line at six weeks?”
“The line is six weeks,” the former Laker star reiterated. “So what Shaq is doing, he’s setting the line at the summer,” Lefkoe said. “You don’t see it lasting into the fall?” O’Neal reiterated his thought by stating the phrase, “six weeks.”
What Does Tyson’s Basketball GOAT Pick Reveal About His NBA Knowledge?
While the boxing great did not recognize Thompson, he has shared friendships with NBA stars like Michael Jordan and O’Neal. On the podcast, the boxing legend was asked who he thought was the greatest basketball player of all time. Tyson kept his response simple and said, “I’m a Jordan guy.”
Mike Tyson has no idea who Klay Thompson is 😂😂😂
(🎥 @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/WoWRvyoPgh) pic.twitter.com/kNIPJHSVkj
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 21, 2025
Siddhant Gupta of Fadeaway World shared an interesting anecdote in his article about Tyson’s GOAT pick: “In many ways, the rise and fall of Tyson and Jordan intersected. In an interesting coincidence, the two were also born in the same hospital in Brooklyn. While their greatness wasn’t a byproduct of that fact, they both went on to make their names known around the globe.”
O’Neal also asked Tyson about his GOAT pick in the heavyweight boxing world during the podcast. The boxing legend picked himself and spoke about how one could look at the statistics and understand that he was the greatest. The statement may have caught some off guard since Tyson is known to have idolized boxing legend and fellow heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali.