Stephen A. Smith Picks His Starter Pokemon

The ESPN personality was asked which of the three original Starter Pokemon he would pick.

By Christian Hoffer

Stephen A. Smith has chosen his first Pokemon. In a recent episode of the Stephen A. Smith show, Smith was asked which of the three Kanto Starter Pokemon he would choose during a segment in which Smith answers question from X/Twitter users. Smith doesn't seem to recognize the three Starter Pokemon (he notably refers to Charmander and "Shamander") and ultimately chooses the Fire-type Starter Pokemon solely because Charmander's large smooth forehead resembles his own. The whole segment makes for good television and was posted to Smith's Twitter. The clip can be viewed below: 

As a Baby Boomer, it's not shocking that Smith didn't recognize Pokemon instantly, although the video game franchise has increasingly made appearances in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls used a Pokemon theme format to debut their regular season schedule this year, and there was a notable trend back in 2014 in which various NBA teams showcased "NBA Pokemon" that combined Pokemon together with players who were on their team. Several NBA players are Pokemon fans, including Cleveland Cavaliers star Jarrett Allen and Philadelphia 76ers player Tobias Harris. Additionally, Pokemon Go maker Niantic briefly had a NBA-themed game, although it was cancelled last year. 

Pokemon has made several other unexpected crossovers in recent months. A recent episode of Survivor featured two contestants discussing competitive Pokemon (one cast member, Drew Basile, apparently plays the VGC format ) and a member of Love is Blind also claimed that he was ranked on Pokemon Showdown, although this turned out to be an exaggeration. 

The Pokemon franchise is gearing up for a fun 2024, with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet firmly in the rear window and rumors of a new Nintendo Switch on the horizon. It's widely expected a new game will be announced this year, although many fans are speculating that it will be a spin-off game rather than a main series game. 

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