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Puka Nacua Reveals Professional Basketball Aspirations After NFL Career

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Hunter Muro | Last updated Apr 13, 2025 6:40 PM ET

Los Angeles Rams rising star Puka Nacua has been a magnet for football during his first two professional seasons.

While all signs thus far point to a bright future with the Rams, Nacua recently embraced the idea of picking up a basketball after his NFL career concludes while sitting down with Julian Edelman on his Games With Names podcast.

"I wanna go play overseas basketball," Nacua said. "Like I'm sure I could go to another country that only 25% of the world's ever heard of before, get ownership in the team and I'm going to get 25 shots up a night. I'mma be the coach, I'mma sub my own minutes in, and then I'mma make sure that we're getting ticket sales at the end of it, try to work some actual business.

Nacua played basketball for Orem High School in Utah. More recently, he shined at the 2024 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, scoring 16 points on a few dazzling dunks and leading his team to a win.

Because of an injury early in the season, the young wideout played in just 11 games in 2024, amassing 79 catches for 990 yards and three touchdowns. He also reeled in 11 catches for 141 yards in two playoff games.

In another recent interview, Nacua, who turns 24 years old in May, said he wanted to retire at the age of 30. That could align with Nacua's vision of branching out into other endeavors that revolve around basketball.

In just two seasons, Nacua has become a focal point of coach Sean McVay's offense. It's fair to say the Rams would prefer that doesn't change anytime soon—even as the young star ponders what life after the league would look like.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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