Puka Nacua is one of the best receivers in football. He found himself at the center of controversy this week after appearing on a livestream that included polarizing streamer Adin Ross.
On the show, Nacua and the host practiced a dance that included gestures that were antisemitic. Nacua later said on the livestream that he would repeat the dance to celebrate a touchdown. However, the Los Angeles Rams star has since apologized for his actions, saying he was unaware of the nature of the dance.
Who is Adin Ross?
Ross is one of the most polarizing figures in live streaming. He has 1.86 million followers on Kick — where he ranks No. 2 — along with 7 million followers on Twitch and 4.58 million subscribers on YouTube.
He first gained traction playing NBA 2K20 wager matches with Bronny James, the son of LeBron James, which propelled him into Twitch’s top ranks by 2021 with 50,000 subscribers.
CONTEXT MATTERS: Streamer Adin Ross (who is Jewish) was teaching #Rams Star WR Puka Nacua a TD Dance he wanted him to do.
You can see Puka has no clue what he is doing, but going with the flow as he is unaware of the dance’s meaning.
Puka has since issued an apology for this pic.twitter.com/cBhMUAoxlU
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) December 18, 2025
His 2024 Kick interview with Donald Trump drew a record 583,694 peak viewers, the highest in the platform’s history. Collaborations with rappers, including Playboi Carti and Drake, have also consistently attracted large audiences. Other high-profile streams, such as those featuring Andrew Tate, have surpassed 500,000 viewers.
Ross has also been involved in frequent controversies, leading to multiple bans on both Twitch and Kick.
Ross, Nacua Address Controversial Moment
During his stream with Nacua, Ross asked him to perform the dance if he scored a touchdown in Thursday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.
“I got you, man,” Nacua told Ross.
Nacua later issued an apology, explaining that he was unaware of the dance’s meaning.
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“When I appeared the other day on a social media livestream, it was suggested to me to perform a specific movement as part of my next touchdown celebration,” Nacua said via his Instagram. “At the time, I had no idea this act was antisemitic in nature and perpetuated harmful stereotypes against Jewish people.”
Nacua further added, “I deeply apologize to anyone who was offended by my actions as I do not stand for any form of racism, bigotry or hate of another group of people.”
The NFL also released a statement addressing the situation.
“The continuing rise of antisemitism must be addressed across the world, and the NFL will continue to stand with our partners in this fight,” the NFL added. “Hatred has no place in our sport or society.”
Following Nacua’s apology, the NFL’s statement, and the resulting backlash, Ross addressed the incident on his stream.
Adin Ross addresses the Puka incident, taking full accountability, saying he’s Jewish & can crack stereotypical jokes, and calls out people trying to “cancel” him, saying they don’t speak up on Gaza and claim they are funded by pro-Israel lobbies
“I stand for human rights” pic.twitter.com/zqXRSCR9fQ
— AdinUpdate (@AdinUpdate) December 19, 2025
“To all the people on Twitter going at Puka, I did that. I’m Jewish,” Ross said. “I can stereotype and do my own s**t.”
He continued, “All you guys that want to be the moral inconsistency here, I take a stand for human rights, what’s going on in Gaza, for example. I take a stand for that type of stuff. You people can’t do that, you’re funded by all these companies, and it’s sad, so you’re all sellouts for a reason.”
Ross later predicted a big game from Nacua and said he placed an additional $50,000 bet on the Rams to defeat the Seahawks.
