Puka Nacuas father, Lionel Nacua, died in 2012 due to complications related to diabetes when he was just 45 years old. Puka was very close to his father, and his passion for football is something he inherited from him. Lionel encouraged Puka to study football film instead of watching cartoons when he was young, and he spent many mornings encouraging his son to focus on football. Puka still gets emotional before every game, and many suspect its because hes thinking about his father and how much his father loved the game he now plays professionally. In the wake of his fathers death, all of Pukas brothers honored their late fathers wishes by playing football at BYU, his favorite school.