 His overall sporting hero is American basketball player, Josh Howard of the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA,

Growing up, Stokes was close friends with other future AFL players, including Trent Hentschel, Aaron Davey and Alwyn Davey.Whilst playing in the SANFL, Stokes worked part-time as a zookeeper, and hopes to return to the profession after his football career.As a result, he studies zoology via correspondence.