Celebrity PokePals: Picking LeBron James’s Pokemon Team

With Pokemon in the news so often thanks to Pokemon Go and the upcoming Pokemon games, we here at ComicBook.com sometimes spend our time debating what sort of Pokemon celebrities would have if they were trainers. Would Robert Downey Jr. prefer Steel type Pokemon? What Eeveelution would Rihanna choose? Is there any Pokemon tough enough to hang with Brock Lesnar?

Well, our newest feature Celebrity PokePals will try to answer all those questions and more. We’ll pick out a celebrity each week and pick out which Pokemon would have on his or her battling team.

This week’s celebrity is LeBron James, the superstar Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player. In addition to being one of the greatest basketball players of all time, James is also a philanthropist, actor, and astute businessman.

Here’s the Pokemon team we feel would be the best fit for LeBron James. Agree? Disagree? Be sure to let us know in the comments.

Groudon

If LeBron were to become a Pokemon trainer, he’d obviously want the best Pokemon on his team. Simply put, Groudon is one of the scariest Pokemon in today’s metagame. With frighteningly high stats and the ability to “Primal Evolve” without using a Mega Evolution, Groudon is a mainstay on almost every competitive player’s team. 

Groudon’s Primal Forme automatically unleashes “Desolate Land”, a powerful ability that automatically nullifies Water attacks. Splashes (or Splash Bros.) won’t have any impact on Groudon, cancelling out one of its few weaknesses. As a Ground type, Groudon also automatically has an immunity to Electric attacks as well.

There are tons of different movesets Groudon could use, but we think LeBron would prefer a set that balances power and versatility. Precipice Blades is Groudon’s signature move and can devastate any Pokemon on the field. Rock Slide gives Groudon a secondary attack and some defense against Flying types (which remains one of Groudon’s few weaknesses) We’d also give Groudon Swords Dance, which greatly increases its Attack stats. Groudon’s fourth and final move should be Stealth Rock, an attack that will damage any subsequent Pokemon to switch into battle, giving Groudon and its teammates an automatic advantage. 

Aegislash

LeBron calls himself “the King”, and so he needs a kingly Pokemon to match. Aegislash is a unique Pokemon with the ability to switch from a strong defensive forme to an attack forme depending on which move it uses. When in its shield forme, Aegislash has some of the strongest defensive stats in the game, fitting for a trainer whose signature basketball move is his chasedown block.

Obviously, Aegislash should know King’s Shield, its signature move that greatly lowers the attack of any Pokemon that hits it that turn. With its opponents neutered by King’s Shield, Aegislash should follow up with a move like Toxic, which guarantees plenty of poison damage and near certain KO over time. Since Aegislash has a pretty pathetic speed stat, it can use Gyro Ball as a devastating counter, as Gyro Ball’s strength increases depending on how fast Aegislash’s opponent is. Aegislash should also have a strong secondary attack like Shadow Claw to help mop up opponents that survive a Toxic/Gyro Ball combo.  

Passimian

LeBron’s known as a great passer, so we saw the perfect opportunity to pair him with Passimian, a new Pokemon from Pokemon Sun and Moon. Passimian is known for traveling in packs and coordinating attacks with its teammates, so it’s the perfect team player for LeBron’s team. 

Although we don’t know what sort of moves Passimian will have yet (as Pokemon Sun and Moon doesn’t come out until next week), we do know that it has the new ability Receiver, which allows it to temporarily learn the Abilities of a teammate that’s fallen in battle. That’s a fitting ability for one of LeBron James’s Pokemon, as LeBron was an All-State wide receiver in high school before joining the NBA. 

Kangaskhan

Versatile and powerful seem to be a running theme for LeBron’s team, which means that he needs a strong overall Pokemon to fill out his roster. Kangaskhan is another notorious Pokemon in the metagame, thanks to its Mega Evolved form. When Kangaskhan Mega Evolves, her child leaps out of its pouch to become a second attacker, effectively increasing Kangaskhan’s damage by 50%. This weirdly makes Kangaskhan one of the most powerful attackers in the game, capable of taking down entire teams thanks to its large moveset. 

One versatile move Kangaskhan should use is Fake Out, a move that causes opponents to automatically flinch (thus preventing them from attacking) but will only work on the first turn. Fake Out allows LeBron to access his opponent’s Pokemon and then react accordingly, giving him the upper hand. We’d also teach Kangaskhan Body Slam to give it a powerful STAB (same type attack bonus) move. Kangaskhan’s final two moves can be used to fill various needs. If LeBron feels he needs more power, Kangaskhan can learn moves like Fire Punch or Crunch, but he can also teach Kangaskhan moves like Icy Wind or Toxic to hinder an opponent instead.

Kingdra

Another “kingly” Pokemon, Kingdra acts as LeBron’s counter to Fire types, which can deal critical damage to multiple Pokemon on LeBron’s team. We all know that LeBron’s not a big fan of the Heat (at least, not anymore), so Kingdra can douse any Fire Pokemon quickly. Kingdra can also protect against Flying and Dragon Type Pokemon with an Ice Beam attack.

Ferrothorn

Rounding out LeBron’s team is Ferrothorn, a strong Defensive Pokemon. With only two weaknesses, Ferrothorn can stand up to most Pokemon, giving it time to either lay traps or otherwise hinder an opponent. Thunder Wave and Spikes are a must, as both will give opposing teams fits for the rest of the game. Protect will keep Ferrothorn from getting surprised by a Fire Pokemon switch-in. Ferrothorn should also have some sort of pure offensive move like Power Whip or Iron Head to give it some extra edge in battle.