When Yaxel Lendeborg officially withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft and signed to play with the Michigan men's basketball team for the 2025-26 season, he did so with high expectations. Adding the 6-foot-9 forward gave the Wolverines the No. 2 class in 247Sports' transfer portal recruiting rankings, Lendeborg himself would be a preseason All-American pick, and he was considered by 247Sports and other outlets the top transfer portal addition, coming off a wildly productive season with Alabama-Birmingham.
Notably, however, Lendeborg didn't downplay those expectations, outlining three main goals he had after withdrawing from the draft.
"I set goals for myself. I go to Michigan, I would want to win Big Ten Player of the Year. And at least get us to the Final Four," Lendeborg told NCAA.com's Andy Katz at the NBA Draft Combine last May. "And if not, it's going to be a bad year for me."
Tuesday, the forward checked one of those items off his to-do list, as he was named the Big Ten's player of the year by both coaches and media. He became Michigan's first winner since Nik Stauskas won the award in 2014. Other Wolverines to win the award, which has been around since 1985, include Roy Tarpley (1985), Gary Grant (1988), Glen Rice (1989) and Trey Burke (2013).
Lendeborg, a graduate transfer from Alabama-Birmingham who is also now a projected NBA lottery pick, ranked among the top 20 in the Big Ten in points per game (14.7), rebounds per game (7.2), assists per game (3.2), blocks per game (1.4) and steals per game (1.2). He ranks fourth nationally in win shares (6.2) and second in box plus-minus (17.1), and is projected to be named first-team All-American later this month.
He led Michigan to a league-record 19 Big Ten wins and the league's best in-conference record in 50 years at 19-1. Michigan is also 29-2 overall, and expected to be named a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament next week.
"It means the world," Lendeborg told Big Ten Network of the award. "I'm super grateful to have it, I'm super happy that I was named player of the year. There's more to come. When I committed here, I made three promises. I've completed two of them so far (win the Big Ten, win Big Ten Player of the Year), and hopefully we can complete a third one (win a national championship)."
Though Michigan's biggest strength this season was its overall team play and depth, Lendeborg shined as the team's star player. He scored at least 15 points in 15 of Michigan's 31 games, including standout showings against Michigan State (26 points in East Lansing Jan. 30, 27 points in Ann Arbor March 8), Duke (21 points) and Gonzaga (20 points).
He was also viewed as possibly the team's best defender, able to guard all five positions and often requesting to be put on opponents' touted guards as he tried to simultaneously impress NBA scouts and ensure Michigan kept winning. He ranked second in the Big Ten in defensive rating, third in defensive box plus-minus and third in defensive win shares.
To players and coaches, Lendeborg was willing to make sacrifices to his game necessary to be more than just a first-round prospect, but one of the most valuable players in the country.
"When you walk around Ann Arbor and you ask anyone about Yaxel Lendeborg and the type of imprint he's left here, it's phenomenal, just because of who he is on a daily basis," Michigan coach Dusty May said Sunday. "And yeah, I mean, I'm excited for the awards to come out because I think he's going to be justly recognized for how important he's been to our team and the University of Michigan. So we're very, very proud that he joined us."
Michigan had a talented roster before Lendeborg signed on, and potentially could have been a Big Ten and Final Four contender without him. Luckily for the Wolverines, they don't have to wonder, and instead have the league's best player, still on a mission for more.