Yaxel Lendeborg was only a Michigan basketball player for one season, yet his legacy with the Wolverines will loom much larger than that.
The 2025-26 Big Ten Player of the Year, who was also the best player in the NCAA Tournament before suffering an ankle injury in the Final Four, will live on in the annals of Michigan basketball history as one of the greatest players to wear the Maize and Blue.
Despite being hurt, the future first-round pick gutted it out, playing at about 50 percent in the national championship game, and still scoring 13 points. He finished 4 of 13 from the field, but played 36 minutes, and was essential on the defensive end of the floor, especially guarding the 3-point line.
Lendeborg only had one season of eligibility when he came to Michigan. So, it was always going to be a one-year deal, but it was the best one-season career in Michigan history. Chris Webber and Trey Burke, arguably the two best players in U-M history, played just two seasons in Ann Arbor.
Yaxel played one but delivered the national championship Webber and Burke couldn't, although Trey got robbed by the refs against Louisville. On Thursday, Lendeborg posted his goodbye for Michigan players, coaches, and fans.
Yaxel Lendborg's goodbye to Michigan basketball fans was perfect
Thank you Michigan for the best year of my life! ❤️ Go blue forever !〽️ pic.twitter.com/zTH1I8S1R9
— Yaxel Lendeborg (@Yaxel_Lendeborg) April 15, 2026
"Thank you Michigan for the best year of my life," Yaxel posted.
Lendeborg thanked the coaches for pushing him to "never settle." He thanked his Michigan teammates for "grinding with me" saying it was an "honor."
The Michigan superstar also talked about the legacy they will share: "What we built wasn't given, it was earned, and our legacy is forever stamped in Michigan's history. We shocked the world. Job complete."
Lendeborg thanked his mom. Their close relationship was well-documented, and he also thanked Michigan basketball fans for making Ann Arbor feel like, "home."
It was an incredible goodbye, one that mirroed his one incredible season as a Michigan basketball player.
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