The wait is over. President of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. has made the decision to keep the Golden State Warriors’ draft pick this year, using it to select Yaxel Lendeborg of from the University of Michigan.
Lendeborg is a 6-foot-9-inch forward who began his career in junior college at Arizona Western, where he became the NJCAA’s all-time leading rebounder. He transferred to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) for the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, securing back-to-back AAC Defensive
Player of the Year honors. In his senior year with the Blazers, he averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, joining Larry Bird as one of only two Division I players in history to record over 600 points, 400 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single season.
Utilizing his remaining eligibility, Lendeborg transferred to the University of Michigan for the 2025–26 season. He spearheaded the Wolverines to a 37-3 record and a national championship victory over UConn, playing through knee and ankle injuries in the title game. For his efforts, he was named the 2026 Big Ten Player of the Year and a Consensus First Team All-American.
Boasting a 7-foot-3-inch wingspan, fluid defensive switchability, and refined playmaker skills, Lendeborg projects as a plug-and-play option next to Steph Curry and withing Steve Kerr’s complex offense. His advanced age for a draftee (Lendeborg will turn 24 in September) may seem to work against him, but it will certainly work to the Warriors’ favor in terms of maturity, on and off the court.
