Ladji Dembele’s Arrival At UNLV Adds Depth And A Familiar Last Name

Over the weekend the UNLV Runnin' Rebels men's basketball team received a signed commitment from Ladji Dembele. He is a 6'8, 255-pounder from Newark, N.J. by way of Mali, West Africa. He's an impressive forward who joins the Rebels through the transfer portal from the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas, Ladji 🎰

📰: https://t.co/K3glEkkVlb pic.twitter.com/OYyi3Hybmw
— UNLV Men's Basketball (@TheRunninRebels) April 22, 2025

However, he's not just any other key piece of new head coach Josh Pastners roster. His name may just happen to ring a bell when you hear it. That's because he's the younger brother of another former Rebels men's basketball player. His big brother Cheickna Dembele also played at UNLV from 2016 to 2020.

Cheickna posted career highs during the 2016 - 2017 season when he played 19 minutes per game, starting in 19 of his 25 appearances. That season he scored 4.0 points per game while grabbing 4.4 rebounds per game and blocking 1.3 shots per game.

Adding the brother of an alumnus goes right along with the narrative that we've heard from both Pastner and Rebels football coach Dan Mullen. They have continuously said that they want their programs to feel like a family, and they want to build community around the campus and the entire Las Vegas area with both players and non-players at the school.

Pastner also took some time to speak about the addition of Ladji. He spoke about what he brings to the table and what his addition to the team will mean when the new season tips off:

“We are excited about the addition of Ladji to our team,” Pastner said. “He is a skilled player who exemplifies hard work and toughness. His ability to shoot the ball at a high percentage, combined with his strong defensive presence, will be invaluable to us. We look forward to welcoming him to the Runnin’ Rebel family.”

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