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Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua (12) react in the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

How Puka Nacua's Ascencion Happened So Rapidly

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Jan 17, 2026 3:31 PM ET

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. 2025 wasn't the easiest year for Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua. While there were many highlights, including his league-leading year for receptions and the birth of his first child, there were also some bad spots.

Nacua was heavily criticized for his involvement in a live stream, in which he inadvertently made a gesture that came across as anti-sematic. Nacua has apologized for his actions, stating he did not know the gesture was anti-sematic in nature and vowed to learn from his actions.

Nacua has done so and during his Thursday presser, the Rams pass catcher sounded in his element, answering questions with poise and tact. With such growth, Nacua spoke about his issues, how Davante Adams was by his side, with Sean McVay adding his perspective on the steps Nacua has taken to be better.

Adams' Support

Nacua was asked about how Adams supported him off the field, leading to Nacua detailing the extent of their relationship.

“It was honestly very quickly on the bus on the travel back, but then obviously just throughout the week he was checking in on me, just being there to communicate and asking if there's anything that I want…obviously, all of the things going on in the media, but is there something that I needed to communicate to the guys or to just get off of my chest to be able to feel free? I know he was a listening ear and it was greatly appreciated,” stated Nacua.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Nacua has continuously named Adams as a mentor-like figure. As a player, Nacua had respect for Adams' craft, but as two men, men who share many similar viewpoints and who are united in one common goal, there is a bond that transcends the game, leading to improvement on and off the field.

McVay Loves Nacua's Growth as a Person

On Friday, during head coach Sean McVay's presser, McVay spoke about Nacua's growth as a person and how that came from Nacua's inner goodness. While recognizing the past, McVay cited Nacua's accountability and the steps taken to not let history repeat itself as Nacua's greatest factors for continuous growth in everything that he does.

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

“Number one, like I've told you guys when we've talked about him, he has a great heart," stated McVay. "When you're around people and you just have that intuition of you want to work with people… he's got this zest and this warmth. It's like anything else. I think about when I was a younger guy and still you always try to be able to learn from your mistakes, take advantage of the platform you had and this guy, he's accountable. I love the human being. I love our players."

"It's your job to be able to help continue to help them grow. I would be a hypocrite if I didn't say that I didn't have a bunch of learning ‘opps’ [opportunities] and growth to be had. When people's hearts are right, you want to invest in them and you want to give them every opportunity to be able to succeed. That's not exclusive to Puka, that's all our players. I've really seen him continue to grow. I've seen accountability. I've seen him continue to understand the valuable platform that he's earned to be able to influence and affect positive change."

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"You look at the way that he interacts with fans and those types of things, this is a great guy. He's great with you guys. That's his authentic personality. Then like anything else, you continue to learn and if you see people that can have that ownership, that accountability and then be able to learn and continue to grow, those are the fun parts of being able to put your arm around people and help them whether it's Puka or any of our players.”

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