Yaxel Lendeborg couldn’t help himself. After dropping 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Warriors in Summer League, he crashed his old teammate’s postgame press conference. The bit was simple. He sat down, grabbed a mic, and asked Morez Johnson Jr. a question in the third person.
“How does it feel to play against Yaxel Lendeborg? I know you guys were teammates last year,” Lendeborg said.
Johnson didn’t miss a beat. “Who’s that?” he shot back, straight-faced.
The whole thing lasted maybe 30 seconds. But for anyone watching the NBA Summer League in Vegas on Thursday night, it was the best moment of the night. These two won a national title together at Michigan in the 2025-26 season. Then they went back-to-back in the NBA Draft — Johnson at No. 9 to the Mavericks, Lendeborg at No. 11 to the Warriors. This was their first time facing each other as pros.
How the game actually went down
Golden State beat Dallas 101-90. It wasn’t that close. The Warriors led by one after the first quarter, then blew the game open with a 35-19 second quarter that the Mavericks never recovered from. Vegas Summer League is sloppy by design — guys fighting for roster spots, weird lineups, a lot of forgetting to box out — but both these teams had stretches where they looked legit.
Johnson was the best player on the floor for Dallas. He finished with 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. He shot 12-of-17 from the field and didn’t miss a free throw. Ryan Nembhard added 15 points and 11 assists. John Poulakidas chipped in 14. Not bad for a Summer League squad still trying to figure out rotations.
The Mavericks play the Lakers next on July 11 at 10 p.m. ET. Johnson vs. Bronny James? Worth keeping an eye on.
Lendeborg and Johnson will probably laugh about that press conference moment for a while. But they’ve got bigger things ahead. Both guys look ready for real NBA minutes. And if their college chemistry was any clue, these two aren’t done trading friendly jabs yet.
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