Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has always been vocal about the love for his mother, Yissel Raposo. Together, they shed tears of joy when his name was called at the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to the Warriors in June.
Lendeborg has been vocal about the sacrifices that his mother made for him and one of his goals was to pay her back. He debuted a new YouTube channel showcasing "behind-the-scenes, life outside of basketball and everything in between" where a video released on Friday, Nov. 6 had a surprise reveal of a recently purchased house for his mother.
"On behalf of everybody that came to show up, welcome home," Lendeborg said to Raposo, moving her from New Jersey to California.
Raposo was speechless as happy tears trickled
down her face and she took the keys out of a box Lendeborg handed her and she opened the door as they took a tour of her new home.
Lendeborg said it took him 2 to 3 months to finalize the house. To keep his mom from finding out, he and his sister would often disguise phone conversations around visiting Hawaii; instead, they were talking about how to get their mom to her new house without suspicion.
"There is no gesture big enough to properly say thank you for all the love, sacrifice, and support my mom has poured into me but this moment was pretty special and one I’ll never forget," Lendeborg said in his video description. "She deserves it all. For me, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s about making sure the people who believed in me get to enjoy the blessings too."
Lendeborg has always discussed the bond that he and his mother share and how she's directly responsible for his achievements in basketball and finding early success in the NBA.
"I got here because of her," Lendeborg said in June after getting drafted. "She pushed a dream, forced me to go out there and step into the world and become a man. I had no choice but to go out there and do the best I could. So I vowed every day to be a better man, be a better person and just do the best I can for her."
Sharing the moments of success with his mom means everything to Lendeborg because of the sacrifices that she made for him and his sisters, having to work multiple jobs to ensure they have what they need. Raposo also battled Stage 4 appendix cancer, another thing that fuels Lendeborg.
"She put her whole life on hold for my life and I'm super proud of her for fighting so hard and I'm glad we get to share this moment together," he said in a June interview after being drafted.
Lendeborg has been a bright spot for the Warriors on the court, who are on a six-game winning streak as they face the Orlando Magic in a 5:30 p.m. PT (8:30 p.m. ET) tip-off on Saturday, Nov. 7 at Chase Center in San Francisco, California.
The rookie averages 21.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game through his first 9 games of the 2026–27 NBA season.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg surprises mom with new house in amazing moment
