Getty Image
Austin Rivers ruffled plenty of feathers when he asserted there were dozens of NBA players who’d be able to hold their own in the NFL earlier this year, and Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has turned the tables with a wild claim about how much time he’d need to do the opposite.
Both the NFL and NBA are overflowing with guys who managed to make it to the highest level of their respective sports thanks to their absurd athleticism, and there are plenty of players in both leagues who managed to hold their own in both pastimes during their younger days before deciding to focus on the one they managed to turn into a career.
There’s at least one very notable name who could have realistically taken his talents from the NBA to the NFL when you consider LeBron James claims the Cowboys and the Seahawks offered him a contract during the lockout in 2011 (Bud Grant and Clint Wager are the only two men who spent time in both leagues).
On the flip side of the coin, there’s plenty of evidence that suggests Tony Gonzales, Julius Peppers, and Antonio Gates all could have at least attempted to pursue a career in pro basketball based on how they fared in college, and Puka Nacua seems to think he’d be able to do exactly that without having to put in too much work.
The wide receiver recently sat down with Cooper Kupp and Matthew Stafford on the Nine & Dime podcast and was asked if he thought it would be easier to go from the NBA to the NFL or vice versa.
Nacua made it very clear he didn’t think he’d have much trouble adjusting to the hardwood, saying:
“I think it would be so easy to transition from the NFL to the NBA. Three to six months, I truly believe that I could transition to play [as] a point guard or a shooting guard for one of the 32 teams that are in the NBA.
If we go to the Detroit Pistons—if I know that’s where I’m going—you’re going to play me 15 minutes. If I go to the Lakers, I’m going to be the 15th man.”
Nacua did play basketball during his time at Orem High School (he posted 961 points during his four-year career) and had a number of highlight reel plays during the 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. However, he’d obviously be facing a slightly stiffer level of competition in the actual NBA.
Earlier this year, Austin Rivers asserted there are around 30 guys in the NBA who’d be able to play in the NFL while claiming the opposite isn’t true before drawing stern rebukes from J.J. Watt, Chris Long, Emmanuel Acho, and James Jones.
Nacau hasn’t drawn the ire of any basketball players as of this writing, but that could change if his comments gain some more traction.