Helping the Michigan Wolverines win only their second ever NCAA title, Yaxel Lendeborg already is having a year to remember. And now, the newest Warrior is gearing up to be a key player for the franchise from the jump, ready to prove that his older age for a rookie (soon to be 24 years old) will come in handy.
Golden State’s rookie spoke exclusively to The Athletic’s Nick Friedell for a recent story, and recalled his emotional first moments with the Warriors after he was selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Lendeborg never watched the NBA Summer League growing up, only tuning in to the competition for the first time last season, when he followed Cooper Flagg shine for the Dallas Mavericks. But barely one year later, as Lendeborg prepared to take the floor as a pro for the first time, he got emotional reflecting on how he got to this point.
“When we were going to the game in Vegas, I was about to cry on the bus,” Lendeborg told Friedell. “Like, this is crazy. I’m about to play in the summer league in Vegas in front of a bunch of people … Three or four tears kind of like dripped...