Person in history

Puka Nacua

Puka Nacua, American football player

Life at a glance

Born
2001 · May 29
Age this year
25No death recorded in our data
Known as
American football player. Citizenship: United States
Born
25th anniversary of their birth this year

Their story

Who they were

Makea "Puka" Nacua is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies and BYU Cougars and was selected by the Rams in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft. Nacua exceeded expectations in his first year, setting the NFL rookie record for receiving yards and receptions and earning Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors.

Early life

Educated at: Orem High School and Brigham Young University.

Early life Nacua was born on May 29, 2001, in Las Vegas, Nevada . His mother is of Samoan and German descent, and his father was of Hawaiian and Portuguese descent. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] He acquired the nickname "Puka", meaning fat and chubby in Samoan , due to his size as a baby. [ 3 ] He grew up in Provo, Utah , and attended Orem High School in Orem, Utah . [ 4 ] Nacua finished his high school career with 260 catches, 5,226 receiving yards, and 58 receiving touchdowns,

Path and career

Awards / honours: All-Pro and PFWA All-Rookie Team.

Professional career Pre-draft Pre-draft measurables Height Weight Arm length Hand span Wingspan 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press 6 ft 1 + 5 ⁄ 8  in (1.87 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 31 + 1 ⁄ 2  in (0.80 m) 9 + 1 ⁄ 2  in (0.24 m) 6 ft 2 + 7 ⁄

Career statistics Legend Led the league Bold Career high NFL Regular season Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles GP GS Tgt Rec Yds Avg Lng Y/G TD FD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2023 LAR 17 17 160 105 1,486 14.2 80 87.4 6 68 12 89 7.4 31 0 1 0 2024 LAR 11 11 106 79 990 12.5 51 90.0 3 47 11 46 4.2 9 1 0 0 2025 LAR 16 15 166 129 1,715 13.3 58 107.2 10 80 10 105 10.5 45 1 1 1 2026 LAR 1 1 9 5 74 14.8 41 74.0 0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 45 44 441 318 4,265 13.4 80 94.7 19 197 33 240 7.3 45 2 2 1 Postseason Year…

Career highlights Awards and honors NFL Pro Football Focus Offensive Player of the Year (2025) [ 1 ] First-Team All-Pro ( 2025 ) Second-team All-Pro ( 2023 ) 2× Pro Bowl ( 2023 , 2025 ) Ranked No. 33 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2024 Ranked No. 41 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2025 Ranked No. 7 in the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 3× NFC Offensive Player of the Week: Week 16 (2023), [ 2 ] Week 4 (2025), [ 3 ] Week 14 (2025) [ 4 ]

Why this date

Puka Nacua appears on our May 29 calendar for 2001 as a birth entry.

The world when they were born

Other entries we record for 2001.

Everything from 2001 →

Born the same day

Contemporaries — born the same year

Sources

Cite this page

“Puka Nacua”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/people/puka-nacua, accessed October 26, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about Puka Nacua

When was Puka Nacua born?

May 29 2001.

How old would Puka Nacua be today?

25 this year, based on the birth year we hold. We have no death record for them in our data, which is not proof either way.

Who else was born on May 29?

Joe Biagini, Maika Monroe, Sarah Moundir and others — the list is on this page and on the date page.

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