#5 Las Vegas native Kyle Busch
Kyle Busch is the biggest badass in all of NASCAR, and while a lot of fans can’t stand him at times, Las Vegas has always shown love to one of their favorite athletes. What makes Busch so special, you might ask? It has to do with a unique combination of talent, aggressiveness, and outright dominance that simply separates him from the rest of the pack.
With two championships, over 200 wins in NASCAR’s top three series, and some of the most memorable moments of any driver in the sport under his belt, Busch stands out in every single way that counts. His personality is polarizing. People love to love him and love to hate him. Either way, he is a fan favorite in the Las Vegas sports and likely will be for the rest of his career.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSzsrj3BtzI
#4 Former Las Vegas Golden Knight Marc-Andre Fleury.
Let’s be honest here. There isn’t a hockey fan in Las Vegas that wasn’t saddened when Marc-Andre Fleury was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks during the offseason. He carried the Las Vegas Golden Knights in the playoffs last year and won the Vezina Trophy in the process. He even had over ten straight starts in the playoffs.
Of course, theGolden Knights eventually fell to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup semi Finals 4-2, but Fleury still came out looking like a champion. Again, it really is too bad that they traded him to Chicago. Robin Lehner is a serviceable replacement and has had quite the season, but he’s not Fleury.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4sXF97DcpE
#3 Las Vegas Raiders running back, Joshua Jacobs.
Joshua Jacobs only stands at five foot ten and 220 pounds and that might lead some to underestimate the second-year Las Vegas Raider. He's been pegged as a bit of an underdog in a league of giants. With that being said, fans love his speed, agility, and ability to punch through for extra yardage.
Despite the praise that has been heaped upon Jacobs over the last few years, he still hasn’t had quite the season that the Las Vegas Raiders were looking for. One example of this is 20221, where Jacobs played 17 games and recorded 872 yards, nine touchdowns, and an average of four yards a carry in 212 attempts. Hopefully, those numbers will improve in 2022 and Jacobs can become a successful fan favorite.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMoxTgQXTwg
#2 Las Vegas Aces forward A'ja Wilson
It's no secret that the Las Vegas sports world loves A'ja Wilson, but it was 2020 that turned her into a megastar. Not only is that evident by how she helped rally the team past multiple injuries to make it to the WNBA Finals, but also by her winning MVP honors that season. Her numbers that season were spectacular, with her averaging 20.5 points, two blocks, one steal, two assists, and eight rebounds per game. It wasn't enough to net her a championship, but it showed the level of intensity she brings to the game.
Of course, the Aces came up short to the Seattle Storm in that year's Finals, Wilson proved herself as the star capable of leading the team to great heights. In fact, she was recently awarded a max contract by the Aces during the 2022 offseason and now has all the incentive in the world to lead the team back to the playoffs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__DPWEWp0t4
#1 Las Vegas Raiders Quarterback, Derek Carr
While Las Vegas sports fans were originally skeptical about Derek Carr, especially after only making one playoff run in five seasons, everyone seemed to fall in love with him in the 2021-2022 season. In fact, Carr went from having a vocal minority calling for his job to the entire city cheering him on as their hero. Maybe that has to do with how he helped steer the ship through controversies in 2021, but it certainly endeared him to Sin City faithful.
Another thing fans love about Carr is his amazing stat sheet, which includes 4804 yards, 23 touchdowns,14 interceptions, and a passing rating of 94.0. Keep in mind, his passing numbers kept him in the top-five in the league all season long and he could have probably led the league if it wasn’t for his team constantly losing their best weapons. Las Vegas has something special with this young Quarterback.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYgrVz_Dj6c