Los Angeles Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua is doing what nobody in NFL history has done before. Through five weeks, Nacua has hauled in an NFL-leading 46 catches for 572 yards, ranking second in the league in this category. He has caught the attention of every NFL watcher, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James.
James has spent the early part of the NFL season as an active fan, often going live on Instagram to talk about what he’s seeing, discuss bets and predictions and respond to fans about the NFL. And on Sunday, prior to the Rams’ Week 5 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, James spoke about the team’s wide receiver core.
He specifically focused on Nacua, discussing his broken rookie records and donning him a brand new, basketball-related nickname, via Bleacher Report:
"Puka Dončić"
LeBron’s nickname for Rams WR Puka Nacua is amazing 😂😭
(via @KingJames) pic.twitter.com/YWgRVwrQf4
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 8, 2023
That video was taken early Sunday morning, prior to any of the games beginning. And it didn’t take long for Nacua to issue his response, doing so with his walk-up to SoFi Stadium on Sunday morning, via the Rams:
.@AsapPuka is a fan of yours too, @KingJames. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/6MVl30ZXZX
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 8, 2023
Puka Doncic, the nickname given to Nacua by James, is a play on NBA superstar Luka Doncic. The Dallas Mavericks star has been a force in the early stage of his career, and it feels almost inevitable that one day he’ll win a Most Valuable Player award.
Comparing Nacua to Doncic shows the type of impact that the Rams rookie has had on the team — and the record books — in the first few weeks of his NFL career. He was instrumental in helping Matthew Stafford survive four weeks without his No. 1 target in Cooper Kupp.
And even when Kupp made his return to the lineup against the Eagles, Nacua was still beyond effective. He finished with seven catches for 71 yards and a touchdown. The 71 yards is his lowest single-game total this season, but he made up for it with his second career touchdown.
Kupp says it felt good to play
The Rams star wide receiver finally made his way back to the field on Sunday against the Eagles, and he looked back to his normal self despite the loss. he had eight catches for 118 yards against a strong Eagles secondary, and spoke about being back in action.
“I think there’s some stuff … just processing, seeing the field, seeing what defenses are doing and then just being able to react to it,” Kupp said. “There’s a few things that I’m sure you’re going to look at tomorrow and just feel like, ‘Man, it’s just going to happen a little bit faster.’ But it did feel good to be out there playing football again.”
