Ever since Puka Nacua stepped onto the NFL field, he has made it clear that he is cut from a different cloth. From breaking Bill Groman’s decades-old record for most receiving yards in a rookie season (1,473) to amassing a record-breaking 181 receiving yards in his playoff debut, the Rams star is one of the most exciting young talents in the league today. But could he hold his own in the NBA as well?
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That very question came up in the latest edition of the St. Browns Podcast, when Equanimeous St. Brown asked Nacua if he could make the leap to professional basketball. And much to St. Brown’s surprise, Puka answered with a resounding yes.
The 6’2” wideout firmly believes that the same skill set that made him a standout on the football field would allow him to transition seamlessly to the court.
“Yes, bruh, you don’t be watching these guys play?” he started.
But Amon-Ra wasn’t convinced. Before anything else, he wanted to hear the numbers. “Relax. How tall are you?” he asked. Puka responded, “I’m 6’2”.” That was all Amon-Ra needed to hear, as he hilariously quipped: “Oh fu*k no. You are not playing in the NBA, bro.”
Puka Nacua, however, didn’t back down. He reinforced his point by arguing that basketball legends like Stephen Curry and Fred VanVleet are also 6’2” or shorter, proving that height isn’t a barrier.
The Rams star then doubled down on his stance, arguing that any football player, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, could make it to the NBA. As long as they strategically apply their football skills to develop their basketball game.
“Bro, what do you mean? There’s the Steph Currys who are 6’2″. And there’s the Fred VanVleets that are 6’2″. Bro, Amon-Ra, I haven’t seen you play basketball, but I know with the assets and the skills that you have playing the game of football—if I direct you right and you get the same amount of reps as these guys, even just in a year (you can start pulling your weight in the NBA)”
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But Amon-Ra was still not buying it. He hit back with an argument that many hoopers have made before—basketball isn’t just about athleticism. “But I feel like basketball is so much more skill than football.” Puka, however, was ready for that argument too.
As per the Rams number 12, whether it is hand-eye coordination, endurance, or motor functions that boost reflexes, football players already have everything they need to ball out.
“Do you have hand-eye coordination? Do you have endurance? You have lateral abilities. You have physical and motor function skills, bruh. What else do you need to shoot the ball?”
Amon-Ra, still skeptical, pointed out that understanding the game itself is crucial. “Bro, you have to, like, understand the game. Like, there’s so much more than just like…”
But Puka wasn’t letting up, because for him, understanding basketball is no rocket science. Just watch a few films, observe player movements and zonal marking, and voila, you have graduated in the subject of fundamentals of hoops.
“Bro, you watch film right now. You understand movement. You understand how to work as a group, right? You’re not like—I just be running routes for no reason. You’re just like, ‘I’mma land up in the middle. I just hope that I’m in the right spot compared to everybody else.’ Bro, you have spatial awareness. Well, once you figure out how the court is, how it all lines up, bro, come on (you can dominate).”
Puka Nacua’s belief in his basketball potential is admirable, but history shows that the NFL-to-NBA transition is nearly impossible. While elite athletes like Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham successfully made the NBA-to-NFL switch, the reverse has rarely, if ever, happened.
Could Puka defy the odds? Maybe. But for now, he’s already dominating one sport—why not stick to being a generational talent in the NFL?
