WATCH: Full interview with Michigan transfer commit Yaxel Lendeborg at NBA Draft Combine
CHICAGO — Michigan Wolverines basketball transfer commit Yaxel Lendeborg, a former UAB standout, met with the media for nearly 20 minutes at the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago. Watch video of his press conference below.
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Lendeborg is torn between playing at Michigan and staying in the NBA Draft.
“I know I just said 60-40 with Michigan, man, but this whole process is really opening my eyes,” Lendeborg stated. “I feel like now I’m definitely equal. I’m super stuck — quicksand, whatever you want to call it. I’m stuck in between, for sure.
“This whole NBA thing has been insane. I’m pretty even. I love Michigan. I love the idea of going over there and developing, but the NBA is just what everybody wants, so I’m dead in the middle now. It’s hard.”
Lendeborg and his camp are seeking a promise from an NBA team that they will select him in the first round if he’s available.
“I just want to be in a position where I’m safe, where I know I can get the opportunity to play, opportunity to prove myself,” Lendeborg said. “Hopefully, a guaranteed contract would be cool.”
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Added Lendeborg, of what he’s aiming for: “A team saying that they’ll take me for sure, so I can know. We’ll have those conversations in the background and making sure we’re all set.
“I hope it happens before May 28. Me and my agency are gonna talk as much as we can to try to get a promise from one team, just one team. That’s all we need. If it doesn’t happen by then, the decision’s gonna be really hard to make.”
It wouldn’t be a done deal that Lendeborg would stay in the draft with a guarantee, but it could tip the scales in that direction.
“Thinking about it now, my ultimate goal would be to try to crack the top 20,” the Michigan commit said. “Hopefully, I can get that. If not, then it’ll be a little easier to make my decision, because you never know how that goes above 20. Above 30, it gets worse. Hopefully, I can grab that top 20 and see where I go from there.”
