Back when I was in middle school, every other kid on our small basketball court would pretend to be some kind of Pokémon or Gym Leader from the anime, and it extended into rivalries we thought would stay relegated to our imagination.

The graphic tees I wore back then until they faded were run-of-the-mill — Pikachu, Ash, some combination of them in a dynamic pose, or if you were lucky the looming shadow of a legendary Pokémon in the background. But with this latest Pokémon Day, the annual celebration of the game’s release in Japan on February 27, 1996, came an announced collaboration that would have sent middle school Jamal into a frenzy.

The Pokémon Company and Overtime Elite (OTE) recently partnered on a line of clothes and gear inspired by the game of basketball, if it were played in Kanto.

OTE, founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Dan Porter and Zack Weiner, is comprised of several sports and entertainment ventures, but they first gained popularity for tapping into the online trends of high school-aged ballers going viral on social media.

The Brooklyn start-up initially focused on helping elevate the names of teens like Zion Williamson, whose otherworldly athleticism at 16-years-old netted millions of views on platforms like YouTube.

It all came together in 2021 when OTE announced a basketball league for high school players that included college scholarship funds and shares in the company for those participating. Most recently, the Pokémon collaboration tied into OTE’s latest season of play, with eight teams spanning the east coast vying for hardwood supremacy.

This past Pokémon Day saw the YNG Dreamerz play against Cold Hearts, with both teams sporting signature Pikachu yellow and Blastoise blue uniforms respectively. The arena, which sits in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, has facilities fit for NBA-ready rookies. My college gym couldn’t compare to the learning facility and physical fitness centers these kids get to use.

And yet, so much of the optics were familiar — jumbo screens, merch shops, camera people, and a commentator’s table where content creators relayed the goings on to a live audience.

The culture OTE is trying to cultivate can be seen in the flashy and star-studded courtside experience, but it’s pared down enough to not feel as though the game is being played in an ivory tower; the players are fierce but are still developing skill-wise, the house was relatively well-attended given the moderate size of the arena, and the halftime performances were tailored for the social media age we live in.

Bottom line: it’s accessible.

There’s a growing market in this new generation of sports media consumers who are more online than ever, and OTE collaborating with The Pokémon Company is a testament to that. The league is also an effective conduit that spills into the greater basketball world, as several OTE prospects have already established names for themselves and have even gone onto the NBA (see the Thompson brothers).

And the Pokémon Company is yet again showcasing its flexibility — it isn’t just a media franchise but a fluid cultural symbol able to fit most any space, and teaming up with Overtime Entertainment shows their ball game don’t lie.