At a Glance
- Puka Nacua broke NFL rookie records for receptions and receiving yards in 2023
- His father Lionel died from diabetes complications when Puka was 11
- His mother Penina raised six children alone and still attends every game
- Why it matters: The 22-year-old credits his parents’ sacrifices for his rise from tragedy to stardom
Puka Nacua’s record-shattering 2023 season traces back to a backyard in Utah where his late father ran drills and his mother later drove to every practice. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver, who set new NFL marks for receptions and yards by a rookie, says the double blow of losing his dad at 11 and watching his mom raise six kids alone forged the toughness fans see on Sundays.
Father’s Film Sessions Built a Future Star
Lionel Nacua never played college football, yet he treated his five sons like future pros. He strapped shoulder pads on the boys, lined them up for one-on-one hits and showed grainy highlight reels of Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Taylor on loop.
- Made Puka watch defensive legends to learn physicality
- Staged full-contact workouts in the yard
- Taught wide-receiver son to tackle like a safety
“Puka would have to sit there, and he’d be watching film as my husband was taking him to a game,” Penina told The New York Post in October 2023. “They were my husband’s favorite players.”
That training shows every time the 6-foot-2 pass-catcher lowers his shoulder for extra yards instead of stepping out of bounds.
Single Mom Filled Two Roles Overnight
Lionel’s 2012 death from diabetes complications left Penina with six children ages 6 to 16 and no playbook for life without her partner. She still shuttled the boys to separate practices, sold fundraiser candy bars in supermarket parking lots and never missed a snap.
“He loved football and I remember him just being in love with his sons because they had this Samoan build,” Penina told Deseret News in January 2024. “Just seeing them, he was like, ‘My boys are gonna be athletes.'”
Puka, the second-youngest, remembers finding rides to three different schools, washing uniforms at midnight and watching his mom become team mom for every roster.
Daily Calls Keep Bond Strong
The family ritual now happens via FaceTime. Puka dials Penina at least once a day, usually surrounded by rotating combinations of siblings. After games he sprints to the locker-room phone before showering.
- First career touchdown call ended in tears
- Mom watched record-breaking day vs. 49ers from stands
- Video of post-game embrace went viral on Rams YouTube
“She was very emotional,” Puka told The Ringer in October 2023. “Just trying to say how proud she was of me. How proud she could imagine my dad would be of us.”
Athletes Return Home for Grandma
When ovarian cancer struck Puka’s grandmother in 2021, he and brother Samson transferred from Washington and Utah respectively to BYU so Penina could focus on caregiving without missing their games. The experience later shaped Puka’s off-field mission work.
- Moved back to Provo mid-college career
- Spoke to high-school team whose coach battled cancer
- Shared lessons on supporting loved ones through illness
“My grandma passed away from ovarian cancer,” Puka told News Of Los Angeles. “I just know that as much as he’s going through it, the people around him and his family, just the support system that he has, it takes a group of people to fight that as well.”
Strength Flows Both Directions
Teammates see Puka’s violent stiff-arm and assume the toughness is self-made. He points straight to Penina, who balanced night-shift jobs, parent-teacher conferences and five-a-side tournaments without ever asking for sympathy.
“The number one word that comes to my mind when I think of my mom – strength,” Puka told Rams Revealed in November 2023. “People see strength through me, but I have a strength source of my own, as well.”
The evidence sits in the stands most Sundays: Penina wearing a custom Nacua jersey, phone ready to capture another milestone for the scrapbook she started when football was just a way to keep six kids busy after church on Saturdays.
