The former BYU star was in Maui for the Rams mini camp in June.
Puka Nacua had the opportunity to reconnect with his Polynesian heritage in June when the Los Angeles Rams held their mini camp in Maui.
Nacua and the Rams’ experiences were chronicled in a new SportsCenter Feature, “Maui Camp,” that was released Sunday.
The nearly seven-minute video covered the Rams’ efforts to help rebuild homes for victims of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires as well as Nacua’s roots and impact on the Polynesian football community.
“This is a place of my culture, and the first thing they want to do is give you a lei and it starts with a hug and then a kiss and then the POG juice comes out. And so, there’s just so many things that just invite a welcoming spirit,” Nacua said.
While in Maui, Rams players attended a traditional luau. There, they were thanked by Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.
“Mostly, I’m just here to say thank you for what you’re going to do for our youth. Maybe we have the next Puka Nacua,” Bissen said in the video.
At the luau, Nacua joined the performers and tried his hand at fire dancing.
“I was like, ‘Yo, you have to let me try to spin it a couple times,’ and I’m sure that coach and them probably got a little nervous,” Nacua said.
Fortunately for Rams fans and fantasy football owners, Nacua appeared to come out of the experience unscathed.
Puka Nacua on being an example
Nacua’s family comes from Hawaii and Samoa, as the Deseret News has previously reported, and Nacua is proud to wear and represent his family’s last name, he said.
“Coming out here too, and they recognize me and see me as somebody that everybody wants to be I guess,” he said.
Nacua had his own Samoan football stars that he looked up to while growing up.
“The people that I looked up to are the Marcus Mariotas and the JuJu Smith-Schusters in the world, so to think that people see that in me, it’s a huge blessing,” he said.
Category: General Sports
