Since being selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the 177th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Puka Nacua has fully embraced the West Coast lifestyle. Clearly wanting to make the most of his experience, Nacua routinely makes appearances at Crypto.com Arena to support his fellow L.A. competitor, LeBron James.
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An avid fan of the Los Angeles Lakers, the BYU prospect sports a nearly flawless attendance record for the team’s home games this season. In a sit-down interview with the Join The Lobby podcast crew, the sophomore sensation detailed how he is spending his time this offseason.
In noting that “I’m trying to be at every Laker game possible,” the Rams’ star wide receiver highlighted both his admiration for the city and his desire to be involved with the franchise in one way or another.
“They could sign me to be the water boy, the towel boy, Imma be there. If it says Lakers, Imma be there… I’m a Laker fan, I’m a LeBron fan. I’m trying to invest into L.A., being out here is so great.”
Nacua isn’t the only NFL player to make routine appearances at their local NBA stadium. The quarterback of the Carolina Panthers, Bryce Young, has been known to make appearances at Spectrum Center to support his neighbors, the Charlotte Hornets, throughout their continuing rebuild.
Likewise, Patrick Mahomes has been spotted numerous times sitting courtside at various Dallas Mavericks contests. Suffice to say, there’s no shortage of NFL talent at any given NBA event. However, Nacua maintained that nothing rivals the experience of playing for the Rams at SoFi Stadium.
“It does get a little hot, kind of like a green house because of how the sun comes down and it’s indoor but outdoor at the same time. It’s absolutely unreal. Every time we go down there, the player’s parking lot is underground and I feel like it’s a secret mission.”
Despite the construction of the stadium costing more than five billion dollars, Nacua certainly believes that it was worth every single penny.
Upon mentioning the NBA trade that rocked the sports world to its core earlier this season, Nacua couldn’t help to share his take on the existence of fake news accounts such as the renowned NBACentel Twitter account. In noting that he didn’t think the Anthony Davis-Luka Doncic trade was real until he saw a verified source post it, the Rams’ WR1 believes that fake accounts have gotten “too good” nowadays.
“Every time I scrolling on Twitter, I’m like ‘Man, I have to triple-check before I repost this.’ …I feel like Adam Schefter is sometimes posting fake news. You’re supposed to be the most reliable source, you’re supposed to be the Shams of the NFL.”
Considering that Nacua just witnessed a windstorm of inaccurate reports surrounding Matthew Stafford’s contract negotiations, in addition to the departure of Cooper Kupp, it’s understandable to see him be a bit more hesitant when trusting sports reports. Nevertheless, he hopes to avoid succumbing to any more false reports as he prepares for the 2025 regular season, where he is expected to be the primary receiving threat for Los Angeles.
