Yaxel Lendeborg will hold off on his NBA career. The projected first-round pick will withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft and instead enroll at Michigan, per ESPN. Lendeborg played for UAB from 2023 to 2025 and will head to the Wolverines through the transfer portal.
The 22-year-old explained his reasoning for playing college ball for another year, saying it’s about improving on and off the court.
“While it’s been and still is a dream of mine to play in the NBA, I feel the development and growth as a player and a person I will gain at the University of Michigan will be very beneficial,” Lendeborg said. “I’d like to thank (Michigan coach Dusty) May and staff for allowing me to go through this process without any pressure, the Champions Circle collective for helping make this opportunity possible, and all the NBA teams I worked out for, allowing me to experience the pre-draft process. Go Blue.”
Lendenborg was CBS Sports’ No. 1 ranked player in the transfer portal after starring for the Blazers and was AAC Tournament MVP in 2024 and earned first-team All-AAC and AAC Defensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.
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Players have until Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET to withdraw from the NBA Draft and maintain college eligibility under the NCAA deadline.
Lendeborg’s stock soared late
Lendeborg’s decision was watched closely by NBA and college basketball observers and was possibly a difficult one for the talented forward. He soared up draft boards after his performance in the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month.
Measuring 6-foot-8.5 with a shocking 7-4 wingspan and 9-0.5 standing reach helped Lendeborg work his way into a range in the draft that almost made it too tough for him to pass on.
“He did well for himself in addition to the measurements and looked the part of a first-rounder in scrimmages operating as a small-ball big,” wrote CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone after Lendeborg’s performance in Chicago.
Lendeborg was projected to go No. 24 in Boone’s latest mock draft and was the No. 30 pick in CBS Sports’ Cameron Salerno recent mock draft.
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Michigan wins portal prize
Landing Lendeborg was a huge coup for May, but it would have all been for naught had he decided to remain in the NBA Draft. Instead, the Wolverines will bring in a player of immense talent. Lendeborg is the most complete player in this portal cycle and is an All-Big Ten candidate who will be working to improve his draft stock for 2026.
The Wolverines return three of their top eight scorers (Roddy Gayle Jr., Nimari Burnett and L.J. Cason) from last season’s 27-10 team that advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. In addition to Lendeborg, Michigan will add Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr., North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, UCLA transfer Aday Mara from the portal to join a recruiting class featuring four-star freshmen Trey McKenney and Winters Grady.
The Wolverines are No. 8 in the CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 early preseason rankings.
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