Puka Nacua Parents: Meet Lionel Nacua, Penina Nacua

Makea Puka Nacua is a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams.

He is the son of Lionel Nacua and Penina Nacua. His paents always encouraged Puka and his siblings to play sports.

“When the kids were all small, my husband and I always believed that sports were vital for them. So everyone was sort of expected to be active and participate in sports,” his mother said in an interview with The Salt Lake Tribune.

Puka’s father Lionel passed away in 2012, when he was in seventh grade.  His father was the family’s unifying force and a formidable presence.

In that same interview Puka said filling the vacuum left by his father’ absence proved to be a challenge. “It was difficult. Not having him there was definitely different.”

“We ultimately came to terms with the fact that our father wasn’t present and that we needed to support one another by being strong. Recovery has taken a long time.”

The wide receiver has frequently expressed gratitude to his mother, Penina, for keeping the family united and sustaining every member during trying times.