The Golden State Warriors believed Yaxel Lendeborg could be a plug-and-play option when they selected him with the 11th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, and the former Wolverine showcased that ability throughout the Las Vegas Summer League.
Lendeborg became the 2026 NBA Summer League Championship Game MVP after leading the Warriors to the Summer League title on Sunday night. He had 21 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and two steals across 23 minutes in a 94-90 win against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Across six Summer League games, Lendeborg averaged 14.8 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists.
Lendeborg was one of three Wolverines to become lottery picks in last month's NBA Draft: Morez Johnson Jr. went No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks, where he reunited with his collegiate head coach, Dusty May, and center Aday Mara went at No. 12 to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
It represented the first time Michigan has had three lottery picks in a single NBA Draft. And it was the first time three Wolverines were taken in the same NBA Draft since 2014 (Nik Stauskas, Mitch McGary, Glenn Robinson III) and the first time the program has produced three first-round picks since 1990 (Rumeal Robinson at No. 10, Loy Vaught at No. 13 and Terry Mills at No. 16).
Johnson Jr., Lendeborg and Mara were all Transfer Portal additions ahead of the 2025-26 season. Johnson Jr. came from Illinois, where he had worked his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman before a wrist injury halted his progress. Lendeborg had tested the NBA Draft waters after the 2024-25 campaign at UAB but chose to spend his final year of eligibility in Ann Arbor. Meanwhile, Mara was a reserve big for Mick Cronin and UCLA before blossoming into a superstar with Michigan.
All three were instrumental in leading the Wolverines to a 37-3 record, a Big Ten title and the national championship in what was arguably the best season in Michigan basketball history.
Lendeborg earned the most accolades, becoming an All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year after averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. Mara was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year for a season in which he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 blocks. Johnson Jr. was a physical force for the Wolverines; May said that conversations among his staff often included the line: "Well, we have 'Rez and they don't."
The Michigan trio of Johnson Jr., Lendeborg and Mara become the 79th, 80th and 81st Wolverines selected in the NBA Draft and the 33rd, 34th and 35th first-round picks, respectively.
Here's what Lendeborg said at the NBA Draft after he was selected by the Warriors last month:
Q. Obviously it's always special to get drafted, but to go to an organization like the Warriors and to play alongside Steph Curry, what comes to mind when you put that into words?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: It's a full-circle moment for me. I've been saying this every time I get asked this question, 2016, I'm a big Kyrie guy, so I used to hate Steph Curry. So now that I'm actually going to be able to be on the same team with him, play and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot. I met him a couple times. He's a very great guy, genuine person. It's going to be an honor to be able to watch what he does in person. So I'm very excited.
Q. What was the group chat like between you and the other Michigan draftees that got selected, last night? What were you talking about? What part of the NBA are you excited to see?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: In the group chat, we were all super excited and nervous.
Morez was actually kind of pushing it -- his suit didn't come in until this morning. So who knew if he was going to look nice or not?
We all were just talking about who we think is going to go first, who is going to go where. Morez would always say he was going last, so it's funny that he went first. He got the first dinner no matter what. But I'm super excited for him and super happy.
I feel like what will translate quickly for me will be my defense and my versatility. That and just IQ of the game, making the right reads and making the right play at the right time.
Q. What was your reaction what you saw Dusty May was leaving Michigan to go to Dallas?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: I was shocked. I was driving at the time. I think I screamed right away, like no way, like what happened?
But you know, he's a great coach. He's going to be a Hall of Fame coach anywhere he goes. I definitely believe that. I'm excited for him. I definitely was shocked. Could have fell to my knees if I wasn't driving. But it was definitely shocking.
Q. When Dallas was on the clock, did you feel some type of way that coach didn't get you drafted at Dallas?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: I'm definitely mad at Dusty right now because we know who his favorite is right now. But I'm happy it was Morez. If it was anybody other than a Michigan guy, I might have blocked Coach, for real.
I'm super happy for Morez. He definitely deserves it, and he's going to be a great pro, for sure.
Q. Your journey wasn't a typical five-star path, so when things weren't guaranteed, what kept you believing that you belong here?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: My mom. She pretty much put me on this path. So there's many times where I wanted to give up and I wanted to quit and I would think, how would my mom feel about this?
She always kept the extra chip on my shoulder and extra motivation. I feel like just the fact that nobody believed in myself and nobody saw my talents or thought that I could amount to something, definitely made me want to out there and show everybody else that even if you were a five-star from day one, I'm going to go out there and outwork you.
Q. You're really big on TikTok Live. Will you go live to share this moment with everybody?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: I was getting told a lot to stay off of Live. Roddy [Gayle Jr.] and Trey [McKenney] are here, so I definitely will be getting on TikTok Live for just a little bit. I'm not going to go wild, but I've got to talk to some of the Michigan fans and hopefully some of the Bay Area fans. I'm very excited for that. Go Blue.
Q. You mentioned you bring versatility, defensive intangibles and IQ, and you get to play with one of the most versatile guys in Draymond Green on that side of the ball, high-IQ player, Steph Curry, Steve Kerr even coaching you. What's that going to be like to learn from them and be a sponge the entire year?
YAXEL LENDEBORG: I'm super excited. Draymond was a pivotal, pivotal piece to all the championships that they have won. He's a phenomenal player and passer and all that stuff. He does all the little things well.
So I feel like learning from him and trying to get him to be my vet would be the most crucial part for me in my development. He's a good guy. I know he's a Michigan State guy; I'm really not too fond of that. But I'm definitely excited to be able to meet him and speak to him in person and learn. Just learn everything I can.
Story photo by Marc-Grégor Campredon / MGoBlog.com.