Michigan basketball fans will forever be indebted to Yaxel Lendeborg.
As great as Aday Mara, Morez Johnson, Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, Roody Gayle, and Nimari Burnett were, it's hard to see Michigan winning the national championship without him.
Even in the title game, when he was hobbled on one leg, Lendeborg played a massive role in the win as a defender, even though he was just 3-of-9 from the field.
Lendeborg's ability to switch onto guards, and essentially guard 1-5, is one of the things that made Michigan's defense go. It was invaluable against the Huskies, even if Yaxel couldn't finish at the rim.
A former center and JUCO star, Lendeborg became a three this season and shined. He made 39 percent of his 3-point attempts on his way to averaging 15.1 points per game, earned All-American honors, and won Big Ten Player of the Year as quite possibly the best two-way player in college basketball.
That led the Warriors to use the 11th overall pick on Lendeborg in Tuesday's NBA draft, at least the first round, which makes him teammates with Draymond Green, a former Michigan State Spartan.
Lendeborg's lone season at Michigan included two wins over the Spartans. Yaxel averaged 26.5 points in those wins, shooting 60 percent from 3-point range in addition to 15 rebounds (26.5 points and 7.5 boards). He was asked by the media if he would be willing to wear Spartans gear as part of a trade to get No. 23, the number he wore at Michigan, away from Green.
Yaxel smiled and responded exactly as you'd expect.
Yaxel Lendeborg wore #23 at Michigan.
— Hobie Artigue (@HeyItsMeHobie) June 24, 2026
His new teammate Draymond Green (and former Spartan) wears #23 with the Warriors.
Would Yax wear MSU gear all season to get to wear #23 in the NBA?
"Nah ... I only went there for one year, but I hate those guys."
College rivalries, y'all. pic.twitter.com/UqX27bSpuN
"Nah, I'm not doing that, man," Yaxel said. "I hate those guys. I've only been there for one year, but I hate those guys."
Yaxel Lendeborg gives Michigan fans one more reason to absolutely love him
That's exactly how Michigan basketball fans feel. It had to be hard for Spartan fans to watch the Wolverines dominate the NBA draft like they dominated the 2025-26 season.
Dusty May won more Final Four games this season than Tom Izzo has in the last 25 years. The Wolverines also had as many first-round picks in about 10 minutes Tuesday night as Izzo's program has had in the last 10 years.
It sucks that May is moving on, along with his best players, but Michigan fans will always remember the way Yaxel owned Michigan State, and they will love him for the pure, justifiable hatred of Sparty.
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