The INSANE Rise Of Yaxel Lendeborg

He played 11 games of high school basketball. Three years later, the Golden State Warriors made him the 11th pick in the NBA Draft. This is the story of Yaxel Lendeborg — from a bedroom in Ohio, to a junior college in the Arizona desert, to an NCAA championship at Michigan, to the NBA lottery. Lendeborg's path has no modern comparison. Cut from his high school team for poor grades. No D1 offers out of high school. Three years at Arizona Western College, where he became the NJCAA's all-time rebounding leader. Two dominant seasons at UAB. Then, instead of cashing in on a reported $7-9 million NIL offer from Kentucky, he transferred to Michigan for a fraction of the money — and led the Wolverines to a national championship, playing through a re-aggravated MCL sprain in the Final Four. Now, at 23 years old, he's a Golden State Warrior. In his first Summer League game, he went 6 for 6 from the field. This video breaks down the entire journey — the mother who refused to let him fall through the cracks, the money he turned down, and the question that will define his career: is he a late bloomer about to break out, or is his ceiling already close to set? 🔔 Subscribe to Court Vision for more NBA documentary breakdowns, draft deep dives, and career retrospectives. #YaxelLendeborg #NBADraft #GoldenStateWarriors