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By Tyler Erzberger
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Puka Nacua loves basketball, maybe as much as football.
The superstar wide receiver of the Los Angeles Rams has already joked that he plans to retire around 30 and then start to play professional basketball in Europe. He's even shown off his skills at the NBA All-Star Game, where he displayed his hops and dunking ability in the celebrity showmatch.
So whenever he has a chance to talk about hoops, he will do so, and Nacua did just that when he learned of another award he won to go along with his incredible career, only three years into it.
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A fifth-round selection from BYU, Nacua went from footnote to headliner in his first year as a pro, having one of the greatest offensive rookie seasons of all time. He's only grown from that first season, becoming the Rams' No. 1 target on offense and helping Matthew Stafford become the frontrunner for this season's MVP award.
Nacua himself is in a battle with Seattle Seahawks rival Jaxon Smith-Njigba for Offensive Player of the Year honors.
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This weekend, he received the news that he had been named an unanimous member of this year's AP All-Pro First Team at the wide receiver position.
When he first heard it, his mind instantly connected it to another name synonymous with unanimous award wins.
"I rarely feel like I'm at a loss for words, but that doesn't sound real, that's amazing," he said on a broadcast with AP. "When you hear that word 'unanimous,' you automatically think of Steph Curry, so that's where my first thought went."
While it isn't for the MVP just yet, Nacua has a chance if he plays a full season and continues his evolution to challenge for the award and become the first-ever wide receiver to win it. His former teammate Cooper Kupp was the first wideout in years to receive an MVP vote back in 2021 when he completed the triple crown, ultimately losing to QB Aaron Rodgers.
Nacua has one year left on his rookie contract, but the Rams are expected to make his extension their main priority in the offseason. He is in line to possibly eclipse Ja'Marr Chase for the highest-paid wideout in NFL history.
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