Puka Nacua, wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams, is crediting everything he has ever accomplished and overcome to his parents, Penina and Lionel Nacua. This rookie NFL record-breaker finally rises to fame, nurtured with strong family values, influenced by the passion of his father for football, and the ever-supportive words from his mother. The football journey of Puka is just about an athletic feat but a testament to the love and sacrifice his parents have shown, especially in death.
A Close-Knit Family
The Nacua Family Legacy
Puka Nacua was born into a big and athletic family on May 29, 2001. He is the second to the youngest among six children, where there are four brothers, namely Justin, Samson, Isaiah, and Tei, and one sister, Chanel. The father, Lionel Nacua, was a wrestler himself and had an immense love for football. His passion reached his sons as Puka’s two older brothers, Kai and Samson have also pursued careers in professional football. He looked at his boys becoming athletes because of most of the Samoan heritage and their size.
The Passion of a Father’s Influence
Lionel Nacua was influential in shaping Puka’s football journey. Since his childhood, Puka was trained by his father, who used to make him and his brothers sit and watch game footage from NFL legends such as Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Taylor. Lionel just loved the game and was committed to developing his sons’ skills in football, which is where Puka came into being.
According to Puka’s mother, Penina, Lionel would often sit with Puka in the car, making him watch film before games. He had an unusually physical way of training, a style of play most associated with defense. This rigorous training produced the aggressive, robust style of play Puka utilizes today.
A Mother’s Strength
Then tragedy struck the Nacua family when Lionel died from diabetes complications when Puka was just 11. The loss of their father left Penina to raise six children as a single mother, a challenge that she took in stride. She became that rock her family clung to, raising her sons through immense challenges in pursuit of their dream to play football.
Puka routinely speaks to the strength he draws from his mother. He remembers Penina, who juggled taking the kids to football practices and games, always making sacrifices to support the kids. Puka told USA Today, “My mother is everything to me and my family. Being able to be the rock of our family and support us in that hard time… it’s something that I used to call upon.”
A Father’s Lasting Impact
Training and Development
Lionel Nacua never failed to have an effect on Puka’s career. By instilling physical training in his son and being committed to football, he prepared Puka for the task ahead. This is evidenced by the style of play that Puka has adopted through his life, which can be described as physical yet full of finesse. “The tough hits he can take, game-changing plays, it’s because of that kind of training my dad taught me, Puka said.
This is so because Lionel’s dedication to his sons in athletic endeavors did not stop at training alone; he was fully emotionally involved in their success, often dressing them up in shoulder pads and conducting hard practice sessions at home. To Penina, this has been much more a way of how Lionel actually translated his enthusiasm for football into a rigorous and supporting environment for their boys.
Emotional Connection
Although Lionel passed away before Puka’s professional career took off, his presence is still felt by the family. Upon scoring his first NFL touchdown, Puka called his mom from the locker room, and it became an emotional moment with him and his mom. The feelings in Penina were too much to handle, knowing this would have been one of those moments when Lionel would have been so proud of their son.
She was very emotional,” Puka told The Ringer. “Just trying to say how proud she was of me. How proud she could imagine my dad would be of us, just making it to this point.”
Penina’s Role in Puka’s Success
A Mother’s Daily Support
She plays a very big part in Puka’s life on and off the pitch. The Nacua family is very tight-knit, with Puka FaceTiming with his mom and siblings every single day. Puka is so close with Penina that immediately after every game, he always calls his mom from the locker room to celebrate victories or accomplishments with her.
Whether she’s cheering from the stands or watching from home, one can see the pride and joy of Penina in every success her son is achieving. When Puka scored his first NFL touchdown in a game-winning overtime play-an emotional moment, to say the least-the jumping off the couch included Penina and her family.
By the end of the 2023 season, Penina was there to see her son Puka break the all-time rookie receiving yards and receptions records. The Los Angeles Rams were there to capture the emotional moment between Puka and his mother on the field after the game and shared it with fans.
Strong like a Pillar
At the heart of this life story is single mother Penina’s strength in bringing up her six children alone. She still raises her children with strength and sacrifice so they could move toward their aspirations. Puka often refers back to his mother, especially when he is talking about strengthening himself with all the life lessons his mum has taught him.
“The number one word that comes to my mind when I think of my mom – strength,” Puka said to Rams Revealed. “People see strength through me, but I have a strength source of my own, as well.”
Supporting Family Through Hard Times
Taking Care of Family When They Need It
But this is not the only sacrifice Penina had to make in bringing up her children. When Puka’s grandmother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Penina took full charge in taking care of her mother. This resulted in Puka and brother Samson transferring in 2021 from their respective universities to BYU so that they can be close to home.
The decision of Puka to go home at a time when everything was falling apart reflects values related to family and sacrifice, which he was taught by Penina. Later in his life, he applied the experience in supporting others. He visited one local high school football team whose coach suffered from cancer.
Conclusion
It doesn’t get much better than Puka Nacua’s story between the white lines. It directly correlates back to the love, guidance, and sacrifices of two parents in Penina and Lionel Nacua. His father molded his passion for football and the physicality of his play. His mother has always been the rock on which he grounds himself. As Puka continues to rise up through the NFL, the values and lessons taught to him will keep him with the same feet on the ground, making his journey into the league a triumph of the family.
