The "NBA Pokémon" meme that went viral on Twitter in 2014 as whole league joined in: All you need to know

“NBA Pokémon” may not be a phrase most NBA fans are familiar with. But back in 2014, the Japanese media franchise "Pokémon" intertwined with the NBA as teams engaged in their own Pokémon battle of sorts.

The teams involved took turns seeing which team could create the best NBA-themed Pokémon character to post on Twitter. In doing so, they created the now iconic "NBA Pokémon" meme. On that note, here are some of the most memorable NBA Pokémons that were created at the time.

Best NBA Pokémon memes

Carrick Felickitung

The Utah Jazz had one of the strangest creations with "Carrick Felickitung." This was a combination of guard Carrick Felix and the amphibian-like Pokémon “Lickitung.” Lickitung is known as the licking Pokémon due to its long tongue. But when combined with the face of an NBA player, the outcome was a little bit disconcerting.

Dante Exeggutor

Utah also tweeted a meme combining point guard Dante Exum with the palm tree-like Pokémon “Exeggutor.” This one was called “Dante Exeggutor.”

Enes Haunter

Finally, the Jazz tweeted a combination of their center, formerly known as Enes Kanter, and the ghost Pokémon “Haunter.” This NBA Pokémon was known as “Enes Haunter.” The Jazz also made sure to choose a picture of Kanter screaming that would make their creation look as disturbing as possible.

Embiidrill

The Philadelphia 76ers tweeted a meme involving now-superstar big man Joel Embiid called "Embiidrill." It was a combination between Embiid and “Beedrill,” the insect Pokémon that is known for its wasp-like appearance.

Luc Richard Mbah a Mewtwo

The Sixers didn’t stop with Embiid as they also created "Luc Richard Mbah a Mewtwo." This one combined forward Luc Mbah a Moute with the humanoid Pokémon “Mewtwo,” which also resembles a cat.

Chanmander and Charmanderson Varejao

Multiple teams took a shot at creating NBA Pokémon’s involving the fiery Lizard Pokémon “Charmander.” This includes the Dallas Mavericks, who combined Charmander with forward Chandler Parsons to create “Chanmander.”

It also includes the Cleveland Cavaliers, who combined Brazilian center Anderson Varejao and his famous floppy hair with Charmander to create “Charmanderson Varejao.”

GeoThatDude

Last but not least, the Mavericks created an NBA-themed Pokémon involving NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs combined Nowitzki with the boulder-like Pokémon “Geodude.” In doing so, they created "GeoThatDude," which appeared to be the final mic drop in the team's Pokémon battle.

About the author

Tristan Rawcliffe is a basketball writer at Sportskeeda. Basketball has been Tristan's lifelong passion since age 11, and hailing from Brantford, Ontario, Tristan's loyalty lies with the Toronto Raptors.

He is a big fan of Nikola Jokic for his fundamental playstyle and Scottie Barnes for his versatility and potential. Tristan credits Nick Nurse for leading the Raptors to their first championship in 2019 and he holds Kawhi Leonard's iconic buzzer-beater in the playoffs as his favorite NBA moment.

Tristan is an all-around stats enthusiast and excels with statistical research skills to enrich his articles with compelling data and facts.

When he's not writing about basketball, Tristan enjoys spending time with family, playing sports and board games, swimming with his six-year-old son and traveling around Davao.

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