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Rudy Gobert plays ‘Pokemon Go’ while watching Summer League game

Dan Devine
Senior NBA writer

As a 33-year-old dad who no longer plays video games and is just unconscionably washed, I don’t really get “Pokemon Go,” but if my Twitter timeline is any indication, it’s the most important technological and cultural development since, I don’t know, the internal combustion engine? Electricity? The printing press?

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Released last week as a free app for iOS and Android devices, the mobile game uses augmented reality, GPS and camera-phone technologies to display Pokemon — the “pocket monster” animals, fairies, ghosts and what-have-you that populated a generationally successful multimedia franchise that had reportedly grossed nearly $46 billion in worldwide revenue as of the end of May — in the world around them, allowing users to capture, battle and train virtual Pokemon in real life. Some early concerns aside, it has become wildly popular in a very short period of time, capturing the imagination and attention of all sorts of people … including, it seems, shot-blocking and rim-rocking Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert.

Mere hours after announcing his intention to return to the Pokemon training game, the 7-foot-1 Frenchman showed his Twitter followers that he was already back in the swing of things, remaining ever-vigilant and ready with a pokeball even while sitting up close and personal for some Summer League action:

While Gobert’s the first player we’ve seen get in this particular game, a couple of NBA teams have already dipped their toes into the craze, too:

I’d say that the basketball court during live action’s no place to be trying to catch ’em all, but for one thing, Gobert wasn’t playing, and for another, that’s very, very far from the worst place that gamers are firing up their apps. So long as Rudy and his NBA brethren are mindful not to join the growing number of people taking spills and spraining ankles as they search for, y’know, a Beedrill or whatever, I’d imagine general managers and coaches won’t be too concerned about this. At least a Pokemon-chasing player is up and moving around rather than sitting on the couch during the offseason, right?

I can’t wait to find out which NBA players, coaches and executives wind up proving their mettle by becoming true Pokemon masters. I’ve got a pretty good feeling about Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers. After all, he already landed Durant once; why can’t he do it again?

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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

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