There might not be an NFL star playing better to start the 2025 season than Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua. He’s undoubtedly been the best receiver in the NFL through the season’s first four weeks.
While Nacua’s success could be attributed to his offseason training or his performance in training camp, the reason may lie in his pregame ritual, which Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford revealed involves Lakers superstar LeBron James.
What’s Puka Nacua’s Bizarre Pregame Ritual Involving LeBron James?
It’s hard to find another NFL player off to a hotter start than Nacua. Through four games, the Rams’ star wideout leads the league with 42 catches and 503 yards, and ranks as the top wide receiver in the NFL according to PFSN’s WRi metric.
Guys playing at as high a level as Nacua often have routines to fire themselves up before games. It could be listening to a certain artist or meditating, but Nacua’s ritual is unique, to say the least.
Stafford revealed that before every Rams game, Nacua watches LeBron James highlights. The Rams quarterback joked that he’s not sure how it gets him ready to play, and that the star wide receiver believes he could play in the NBA.
“Puka watches LeBron James highlights before NFL games,” Stafford said. “Not really sure how he correlates the two, but he loves LeBron and also thinks he can play in the NBA.”
Few, if any, athletes across all sports have bigger and more devoted fan bases than James. James has played in the NBA for 22 seasons and is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time.
While Nacua is an elite NFL player, he seems to be like any other LeBron fan, using the NBA superstar’s highlights to fire himself up before his games. It’s a bizarre ritual, but one that is undeniably working for Nacua.
Throughout his NFL career, Nacua has been vocal about his fandom of James. He met James in February, and his reaction was just like any other LeBron fan’s. He couldn’t stop smiling and even called James “Our Glorious King,” a nickname often used by his supporters.
Nacua is a superstar. He’s been one of the league’s best receivers since the Rams drafted him in 2023 and is on track to become one of the highest-paid receivers in NFL history, but his stardom hasn’t changed him.
At heart, he’s still a 24-year-old kid who grew up watching James and remains a devoted fan, which appears to be helping his success.
