All About His 4 Brothers and Sister

Puka Nacua has a fierce love for his siblings on and off the field.

Born Makea “Puka” Nacua on May 29, 2001, to Penina and Lionel Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams star is the second youngest of six children. Puka’s siblings include his four brothers, Kai, Isaiah, Samson and Tei, and his sister, Chanel.

The Nacua siblings grew up in Las Vegas and Provo, Utah, and their dad — who died from diabetes complications in May 2012 — trained his sons to play football. All of five Nacua sons played football for Brigham Young University (BYU) — and like Puka, Kai and Samson went on to play in the NFL.

“Lionel was old school, like they’re gonna be strong. They’re gonna be big. They’re gonna, you know, ball out,” Penina told Deseret News in January 2024. “We always had to just keep them playing in football when we lived [in] Las Vegas.”

So, who are Puka Nacua’s siblings? Here’s everything to know about his brothers, Kai, Isaiah, Samson and Tei, and sister Chanel.

Chanel Nacua

Chanel is Penina and Lionel Nacua’s oldest child and only daughter. She leads a quiet life, which includes a private Instagram account.

Chanel is mom to one child, daughter Coco Laulile, per Deseret News. Chanel, her boyfriend and Coco were all on hand to watch Puka’s first NFL touchdown from Penina’s home in Provo, Utah, as were three of Chanel’s brothers.

“We literally jumped off the couch, we were screaming, and we were just crying because watching Puka on TV and seeing him in his element and scoring that last touchdown to win the game, that was just the sweetest moment to see,” Penina told the New York Post in October 2023. “And we all felt like it was coming.”

Kaimana Kenneth Nacua

The oldest of the Nacua brothers, Kaimana “Kai” Kenneth Nacua, was born on March 3, 1995, in Las Vegas, per Fox Sports. He attended Liberty High School and lettered in football, basketball and volleyball, according to his athlete bio.

Kai was a defensive back at BYU, where he majored in exercise and wellness. He played in 46 games and started in 24, making 14 career interceptions.

From 2017 to 2022, Kai played in the NFL. He had stints with the Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets and was on practice squads for the Baltimore Ravens and Carolina Panthers.

He made his UFL debut with the Michigan Panthers in 2024, becoming teammates with his younger brother, Samson, per Sports Illustrated.

Kai has been a steady influence in Puka’s life. He encouraged his younger brother to stay positive during the NFL Draft and continued to do so when Puka made his debut with the Rams in 2023.

According to The Ringer, Kai once told Puka that “every day [in the NFL] is your interview,” and “everyone can do it once, but let’s see how consistent you can be. That’s what the greats do.”

Kai married aesthetician Alexa Revelles Nacua on April 6, 2018, per Instagram. The couple share two children, sons Kaimana Kenneth Nacua Jr. and Mateo Rodolfo Nacua, born in April 2020 and December 2023, respectively.

Isaiah Nacua

The second-oldest Nacua brother, Isaiah, played football at Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas before graduating from Timpview High School in Provo, Utah, where the family moved back to after patriarch Lionel died in 2012, per Deseret News.

“Even though we’re LDS [members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints], none of us really liked Utah,” Penina told the outlet in February 2014. “Isaiah and Kai really didn’t like the state growing up, but I felt strongly it’s where we needed to be.”

Lionel took Kai and Isaiah to a BYU camp shortly before his death, and both sons ended up playing for the Cougars. Kai and Isaiah formally accepted scholarship offers in June 2012, and while Kai held his commitment, after receiving other offers, Isaiah began to question his.

“Of all my boys, Isaiah is the one who is a bit of a knucklehead,” Penina told Deseret News. “He’s a middle child and has always been intent on figuring things out on his own and doing it his way no matter what we say. He brushes off what we tell him all the time and just has to do things his way. It’s just the way he is.”

After a tough conversation with his future BYU head coach, Isaiah did ultimately become a Cougar. He was a defensive lineman for one season before withdrawing from the program in 2015, per the Las Vegas Sun.

After withdrawing from the team, Isaiah planned to attend Snow College but instead put in mission papers to serve for the LDS, doing so in Colorado, according to KSL.

Samson Lionel Nacua

Samson Lionel Nacua was born in Las Vegas on Jan. 20, 1998, according to Fox Sports. He later moved with his family to Provo, where he was a first-team All-State football player at Timpview High, according to Deseret News.

Samson started his college career at the University of Utah. He played for the Utes from 2016 to 2020 and led the team in touchdowns in 2018 and 2019. There, he majored in sociology, per his athlete bio.

Both he and Puka — who started his collegiate career at the University of Washington — transferred to BYU in 2021 after their grandmother, Fa’atamali’i Saole, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She died in September of that year.

After playing his final collegiate season as a wide receiver with BYU, Samson went undrafted by the NFL in 2022. He was later signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent but was cut before the regular season began.

In 2023, he joined the UFL, playing for the Pittsburgh Maulers. The next year, he joined his brother, Kai, on the league’s Michigan Panthers, where he nabbed 11 receptions for 125 total yards, per Sports Illustrated.

In 2024, Samson returned to the NFL when he was signed by the New Orleans Saints, but he was waived in late August. He re-signed with the Panthers that September, once again becoming teammates with his older brother, Kai.

Samson has always stood behind Puka. In December 2018, he told the Deseret News that he was most impressed by his little brother’s work ethic.

“I think he puts in more work than anyone I know,” Samson said of Puka.

Tei Nacua

Born in Provo, Tei Nacua is the youngest of the Nacua siblings.

Tei graduated from Timpview High in 2024. He was a wide receiver, helping to earn his team a state title, and the No. 20 overall recruit in Utah, according to Deseret News. In December 2023, Tei followed in his brothers’ footsteps and committed to BYU.

After signing with the Cougars, Tei wrote on X that he was “continuing the dream my father started with my older siblings not realizing that us younger boys would follow the legacy.”

In the past, he’s regularly shared posts boasting about his brother Puka’s NFL accolades.

“Learn from the best, more to witness,” he wrote on X in September 2023.

Puka has publicly returned the love for his younger brother.

“I’m excited to see the Cougs always rocking and it’ll be a good year for them,” the Rams star told KSLTV in July 2024. “They got the juice ramped up and my little brother is going to be on the team, so I’ll be watching every game, obviously, as an alum, but also to watch my brother as a fan.”