Yaxel Lendeborg: age, draft and early Warriors numbers

Lendeborg was a 23-year-old senior when the Warriors drafted him [5]. The Warriors picked him on Day 1 of the 2026 draft [3]. NBA.com lists it as Round 1, Pick 11 [1].

Curry, Green and a thin wing spot

Lendeborg said he had been a Kyrie Irving fan and, for that reason, hated Steph Curry. "It's an incredible situation," he said of playing for Curry's team [9]. The Warriors' wing spot was "currently thin and injured at that spot," and they were waiting on Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody to return from "lengthy rehabs for serious knee injuries" [10].

Coach Steve Kerr put him in the starting lineup. Kerr called him "unbelievably coachable" and said he "deserves it" when asked about his minutes: "He's going to play a ton. Frankly, he deserves it. He's one of our best players already" [10]. Draymond Green said, "It looked like we had been playing together for a long time" [10]. Mike Dunleavy described him as "a good passer" who "defends both on and off the ball" [9].

Summer League and the first NBA season

In Summer League the Warriors beat the Lakers 92-88 to reach the championship. Lendeborg scored 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting and made all three of his free throws in that game [8]. Newsweek wrote that he "continues to give the Golden State Warriors plenty of reasons to feel good about their newest addition" [8].

NBC Sports Bay Area wrote that any chance of early success for Golden State "is largely dependent on Lendeborg" [2]. NBA.com lists per-game averages of 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists [1]. The profile does not list his games played, so those are the published averages and nothing more.

A preseason ankle tweak

Heavy reported that Lendeborg tweaked his left ankle in the Warriors' 101-89 win over the Lakers, after stepping on Kevon Looney's foot while driving in the third quarter [11]. Kerr said, "Yeah, he's fine," and added, "He practiced fully today" [11].

Injury listing before the Timberwolves game

FantasyPros reported on 28 October 2026 that Lendeborg remained listed as questionable with foot inflammation [4]. The foot detail came from a reporter's post [4]. He took part in shootaround ahead of the Warriors' game against the Timberwolves that day, which FantasyPros called a good sign for his status [4].

College path: UAB, then Michigan

NBC Sports Bay Area says he played "three levels of college basketball" [2]. He spent two seasons at the University of Alabama-Birmingham and then one at Michigan [3]. At UAB he averaged 11 rebounds a game before transferring [2]. As a junior he had 26 double-doubles, which NBC called "tops in the nation" [3].

At Michigan he shot 37.2 percent from three-point range [2]. He led the team to the national championship in the 2026 NCAA Tournament and was named Big Ten Player of the Year [3]. In total, NBC counts 112 major-college games, the last six of them in that tournament [3].

Size and birthplace

NBA.com lists him at 6 feet 9 inches and 247 pounds [1]. NBC Sports Bay Area gives his weight as 240 pounds [2]. NBA.com also gives his birth date as 30 September 2002 [1].

Acento says he was born in the United States to Dominican parents [7]. Claro Sports describes him as Puerto Rican [6]. The sources disagree on nationality, so this page does not choose one.