Yaxel Lendeborg is headed to the Bay Area, as the Golden State Warriors selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Lendeborg now gets to play with the great Stephen Curry, but his comments in his press conference afterward suggest he would have been a little bit happier if the Dallas Mavericks had picked him.
“It’s a full circle moment for me,” Lendeborg said, via the Warriors. “I’ve been saying this every time I get asked this question, but 2016, I’m a big Kyrie [Irving] guy, so I used to hate Steph Curry. So now that I’m actually going to be able to be on the same team with him, play, and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot.
“I met him a couple of times,” Lendeborg added. “He’s a very great guy, genuine person, and it’s going to be an honor to be able to watch him do what he does in person. So I’m very excited.”
Mavericks star Kyrie Irving played a big role in what was the darkest day of the Curry era. The Warriors were famously up 3-1 over Irving’s Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals, but spectacularly blew that advantage.
In the do-or-die Game 7, Irving hit a huge clutch three-pointer over Curry in the final minute to give the Cavaliers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. They won 93-89 that night to complete the greatest comeback in NBA history.
Irving had been Lendeborg’s favorite player growing up, and he’d have had a big smile on his face when he made that shot over Curry. The 23-year-old couldn’t have imagined back then that he’d one day play with the man he was fervently rooting against.
The Warriors did make a good pick in Lendeborg, a versatile 6’9″ two-way wing. He is much older than most prospects, but they need players who can contribute right away. The Warriors are in win-now mode as we are in Curry’s final years in the NBA, and some 19-year-old wasn’t likely going to be ready to help out right away.
Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game as a senior for Michigan in 2025-26. He was a big reason why the Wolverines went all the way and won the national title.
Michigan had three players go in the first round on Tuesday, and the Mavericks actually chose one of them. They selected Morez Johnson Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick.
Earlier in the day, the Mavericks also announced they had hired Dusty May as their new head coach. May, of course, was Michigan’s head coach, and Lendeborg was asked about him selecting Johnson over him.
“I’m definitely mad at Dusty right now because we know who his favorite is now,” Lendeborg said. “But I’m happy that it was Morez. If it was anybody other than a Michigan guy, I might have blocked coach for real. But I’m super happy for Morez. He definitely deserves it, and he’s going to be a great pro for sure.”
Speaking of Michigan, there is, of course, a big rivalry with Michigan State. The Warriors have a very notable former Spartan among their ranks in Draymond Green, and he also happens to wear No. 23, which was Lendeborg’s number in college. He was asked here how he would respond if Green offered him the number on the condition that he wears Michigan State gear for the whole season.
“Nah, I’m not doing that,” Lendeborg said. “I hate those guys. I’ve only been there for one year, but I definitely hate those guys. All that they were saying, and they can’t really say much because I went 2-0 against them this year. So, they’re going to be little brother for me forever, and I’m not going to represent the losers ever.”
That’s about the answer you’d have expected. Green isn’t going to be too happy hearing that, though. Expect some additional rookie duties to come Lendeborg’s way this upcoming season.
