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 heads 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 the AAC Tournament MVP in 2024 and earned first-team All-AAC and AAC Defensive Player of the Year each of the last two seasons.
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 6-8.5 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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