During a recent Timberwolves game break, the conversation around Rudy Gobert took a hard left into something far more relatable: Pokémon.
Gobert was asked to give his Pokémon “lineup,” and he leaned into it with the same dead-serious calm he brings to the paint. The segment played like a draft: he talked through picks and “balance,” and the internet did what it always does, paused, rewound, and litigated every choice like it was a playoff adjustment. In the viral clip and the ensuing discussion, viewers latched onto the specific names that came up, classic nostalgia picks (like Squirtle), big, recognizable legends, and a roster that, according to fans breaking it down, skewed heavily toward water/flying-type vibes and left him vulnerable to the kind of simple counterpunch even casual players recognize.
There’s a particular charm when a global sports figure talks about a childhood obsession in the same tone he uses to explain defensive coverages, especially when the “correct” answers (the optimized, meta-approved team) clearly weren’t the point. The best part of the clip is the tiny sincerity behind it: Gobert wasn’t performing nerd culture; he was just answering a goofy question honestly, and that honesty is exactly why it traveled.
Rudy Gobert picks his Pokemon lineup… how did he do? pic.twitter.com/VLvv7wEPnN
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) January 23, 2026
