Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Jonah Laulu, who was born and raised in Vegas, has witnessed the city’s growth as a sports hub throughout his life.
Since the founding of the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, the city has become a major destination for sports franchises, and it is now also home to the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces and of course, the NFL’s Raiders.
It is also currently planned to be the future home of the Athletics and has hosted other major sporting events including a Formula One race.
In an official Raiders segment entitled Morning Commute which was reshared by the Raiders on X on Tuesday June 3, 2025, Laulu joined host Levi Edwards from Raiders.com and touched on his excitement for all of the sports that Las Vegas has to offer. But he also hinted that there is one more league he would like to see come to Las Vegas as soon as possible.
“Hopefully we’re getting a basketball team,” Laulu said.
Laulu and Edwards had already referenced the Aces in the clip, so it’s clear that Laulu wants to see an NBA team join them in Vegas.
What Has the NBA Said About Vegas Expansion?
There have been ongoing discussions about bringing the NBA to Las Vegas, with ESPN even suggesting Los Angeles Lakers megastar LeBron James back in September 2024 as a prospective owner for a Las Vegas franchise after he retires.
Adam Silver said on Sirius XM Radio on Tuesday May 13, 2025 that the NBA will likely discuss expansion at a meeting of the NBA’s Board of Governors in Las Vegas in July.
Given the way that Las Vegas has embraced especially the expansion Golden Knights and WNBA’s Aces, bringing an NBA expansion team to Las Vegas is very exciting for Vegas sports fans, and they’d be right there with Laulu to buy tickets for opening night.
Laulu’s Unlikely Journey to the Raiders
As previously mentioned, Laulu was born and raised in Las Vegas and attended Centennial High School.
He chose to attend college at the University of Hawaii, but was not immediately a college superstar. He redshirted his freshman year at Hawaii, but worked hard and earned the Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year award.
In his next three seasons at Hawaii, he recorded 19 tackles for loss before transferring to Oklahoma, where he was a regular part of the Sooners’ defensive rotation.
Laulu’s production for the Rainbow Warriors and Sooners was enough to earn a 7th round pick in the 2024 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts.
But he didn’t stick in Indy – the Colts unfortunately cut him before the season started on August 27, 2024.
Fortunately, Laulu’s hometown Raiders picked him up the next day – August 28, 2024.
Not only was he able to stick with the Raiders all season, but he played in all 17 games – including seven starts.
He recorded 35 tackles for Las Vegas and even got his first sack in Week 15 against the Atlanta Falcons, dropping Falcons QB Kirk Cousins to the ground.
Laulu seems to be carving out a regular role for himself with his hometown team, which is all a testament to his hard work and perseverance.
Hopefully his hometown gets that NBA team he is hoping for, and he sticks with the Raiders long enough to be in town when they play their inaugural game.
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