STATELINE, Nev. – Yaxel Lendeborg’s journey from college basketball to the Warriors was long and stellar yet perhaps under appreciated for his ability to adapt to his surroundings. He was a transformer in the purest sense.The 6-foot-9, 240-pound Lendeborg spent two seasons at University of Alabama-Birmingham, where his dominating play at power forward and center made him the most coveted big man to enter the NCAA transfer portal in April 2025.
Lendeborg chose the University of Michigan, where coach Dusty May scanned his rebuilt roster and opted to move Lendeborg to small forward. Alongside fellow transfer students Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., Lendeborg became a super-size wing.
After moving from the paint to the perimeter in his final college season, Lendeborg was the best player on a Wolverines team that rolled to a national championship.
Jay Bilas, a college basketball analyst at ESPN since 1995, believes Lendeborg’s adaptability was a factor when Golden State selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
“I think it’s difficult for the average player,” Bilas told NBC...