Yaxel Lendeborg’s path to NBA-caliber buzz is anything but smooth: cut for poor grades, sidelined by academics, then rebuilt his record through dual enrollment and junior college success before excelling at UAB and Michigan. Now, with a 2026 Draft door open, h
When people talk about “NBA potential,” they usually mean the highlight reel. With Yaxel Lendeborg, the leap feels just as wild as the highlights—because his climb to a 2026 Draft berth started with setbacks that didn’t look temporary.
He was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Ohio when he was 2 years old. The family later moved to New Jersey when he was 8. His parents are Yissel and Okary—Okary played professional basketball in the Dominican Republic, while Yissel played college basketball and volleyball in Puerto Rico.
Lendeborg grew up playing baseball, but shifted to basketball before his freshman season. That first step didn’t go cleanly. He was cut from his team during that freshman year because of poor grades. and academics kept him from playing his sophomore or junior seasons. Instead of stepping away, he enrolled in a dual-enrollment program at Camden County College to improve his grades. When his senior season came, he played only the final 11 games.
At Arizona Western junior college, his production didn’t explode in his first season. The next season, everything changed: he became a third-team NJCAA All-American and won his conference’s player of the year award.
From there, the story moved to UAB. At UAB, his profile sharpened into something NBA teams could point to. He won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award on his way to first-team All-AAC honors. He was also named most outstanding player at the AAC tournament while leading UAB to the NCAA Tournament. The Blazers lost in the first round to San Diego State as a No. 12 seed.
He came back for his senior year and again earned first-team All-AAC honors along with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Then he entered the transfer portal for his final season of collegiate eligibility. At the same time, he entered the 2025 NBA Draft.
The decision that followed pushed his attention into a higher spotlight. He committed to Michigan to play for Dusty May. May had coached against him while Lendeborg was at UAB and May was at Florida Atlantic.
In a 2025 scenario, Lendeborg might have been headed for the pick range of No. 20 to 35. Instead, he helped lead Michigan to the 2026 national title.
That’s where the numbers and awards started stacking in a way that can’t be brushed aside. He won the Big Ten Player of the Year award. made the Big Ten All-Defensive team. and was a consensus first-team All-American. He did it while carrying a team that was described as one of the most dominant in recent college basketball history. Michigan’s run didn’t just land a trophy—it turned his defensive identity into a centerpiece.
As the next turning point, he’ll turn 24 before the start of the NBA season, and he is automatically eligible for the 2026 NBA Draft.
Yaxel Lendeborg 2026 NBA Draft Michigan Dusty May UAB Big Ten Player of the Year defensive player of the year NJCAA All-American