LA Rams star wide receiver Puka Nacua has come out and said that he believes the transition from the NFL to NBA is not as hard as it seems.
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That is to say, while joining his teammates Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp on a podcast, the 23-year-old made the claims that in three months he could become a point guard or shooting guard in the NBA.
“…I think it would be so easy to transition from the NFL to the NBA. Less than 3 months…”
Rams WR, Puka Nacua, thinks he could play in the NBA 👀
(via @RamsNFL) pic.twitter.com/sYapRtShHH
— Overtime (@overtime) November 3, 2024
The Rams QB Stafford asked, "Are we 12th man on the bench or are we seventh man in the rotation?"
Nacua said his role would depend on the team he is on.
"If we go to the Detroit Pistons... you're going to play me 15 minutes," the 6-foot-2 wideout stated.
Cooper Kupp responded to Puka's NBA aspirations, "You specifically could do it... Not in three to six months. But I do believe that you could one day make it happen... in Lithuania."
In view of Puka's talent on the court, he does have a decent skill set, as fans witnessed his performance at the Celebrity All-Star game, where he put up 17 points, five rebounds and four assists. Not to mention, the NFL star showed off his range, when he hit a deep four-point shot (All-Star Game rules) and also demonstrated some hops by dunking a couple times throughout the game.
Rams' rookie star Puka Nacua throws down with EASE 😲#RufflesCelebGame on ESPN pic.twitter.com/wBGZD4aPpF
— NBA (@NBA) February 17, 2024
Notably, Nacua played high school basketball in Utah, and in his final season he averaged 12.1 points (44% FG), to go with 5.2 rebounds and 4.9 assists.
#RAMS WR PUKA NACUA IS AN INSANE BASKETBALL PLAYER
🤯🤯🤯
(🎥@Rams_Chick07)
pic.twitter.com/5gcfRzp7sT— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 28, 2024
This argument, about which sport is easier to transition to, has been debated for a while as notable NBA stars such as Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards stated he believes he can easily play in the NFL.
Anthony Edwards says he'll play in the NFL if he's able to win a ring in the NBA soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/VoLTWIpkDA
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) October 20, 2024
Justin Jefferson and Anthony Edwards’ recreated the iconic Randy Moss and Kevin Garnett picture 🤩 pic.twitter.com/FxtV9ZMKvA
— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) October 22, 2024
All in all, being a professional athlete in one sport is already near impossible for the average human. However, when you are 6-foot-6 and have a 40-inch vertical, it's not hard to imagine finding success on the gridiron.
And likewise with Puka's athleticism and strength, he could probably hold his own on the court.
Although, Edwards, the former No. 1 overall NBA pick, may have to consider the physicality that goes with playing a grueling sport like football. And Puka may have to realize making a 12-man roster on one of the 30 NBA teams is a little far-fetched, but could possibly play in Lithuania as his NFL counterpart Kupp suggested.
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