Yaxel Lendeborg did not wait long to let the world know how he felt about landing with the Golden State Warriors. Minutes after the team made him the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the former Michigan big man fired off a tweet that basically summed up his entire mood.
“DUB NATIONNNNNNNNN💙💙💙💙💙💙” he wrote. That’s it. That’s the tweet. And honestly, it’s hard to blame him.
The Warriors held onto that lottery pick despite plenty of chatter they might trade it. They had conversations, according to reports. But in the end, they kept the selection and used it on a guy who just helped lead the Wolverines to a national championship. Lendeborg started 39 of 40 games this past season and averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting over 51 percent from the field and nearly 37 percent from three. He also shot 82.4 percent from the free-throw line. Those are solid numbers for a big man who can stretch the floor and handle the ball a little.
His path to the NBA was not exactly the straight-line, one-and-done route. Lendeborg started at Arizona Western College, played three seasons there, then transferred to UAB for two more years. He tested the NBA Draft waters after that, decided to come back, and eventually landed at Michigan for his final season. It worked out. The Wolverines won it all, and now he gets to start his pro career with a team that is trying to win another ring with Stephen Curry still on the roster.
There was some speculation leading into draft night that Lendeborg could slide to the late first round. Multiple teams were reportedly trying to trade up for him. Instead, he went right where the Warriors were sitting at No. 11, which means he will likely get a chance to contribute early. Golden State is not exactly in rebuild mode. They want to compete now, and Lendeborg’s two-way potential and positional size should help.
Warriors fans are already buzzing about getting their first look at him in summer league. The tweet did not hurt. It’s not every day a lottery pick posts that kind of raw excitement about joining a specific franchise. Usually, you get the standard “blessed and honored” stuff. Lendeborg went with all caps and a bunch of blue hearts. Hard to fake that.
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