NEW YORK, NY — Yaxel Lendeborg’s journey to where he is today, one of the top College Basketball players in the nation, is nothing short of impressive and exemplifies Latino excellence.
Born in Puerto Rico with Dominican roots from both his mother and father, the six-ten Michigan Wolverines graduate forward, known for his elite skillset in baseball during his teenage years, but a two-sport athlete, playing basketball as well, pursued the latter head on as his high school years continued; a sport that’s been ingrained in his family DNA.
“I picked up baseball from my grandfather,” Lendeborg said in an interview with Latino Sports. “He was a big baseball fan in the D.R., but my family comes from a basketball family. My dad played for the national team for a very long time. So did my mom, so, you know it was always in our blood. Just like them, I wanted to represent the Dominican Republic as well as I could, so I took to basketball. I was really more of a baseball fan, but basketball stuck with me, so I had to stick with what was better for me.”
Yaxel Lendeborg was a two-sport athlete during his teenage years, playing baseball and basketball but picked up on his skills in basketball much later – Image Credit: Michigan Men’s Basketball
He played in just 11 varsity basketball games as a senior at Pennsauken High School in New Jersey throughout 2019-2020 while entering a dual-enrollment program with Camden County College to improve on his academics and grades in the classroom.
Successfully standing out on the court and much more importantly, progressing his way with the books by graduating on time, Lendeborg was able to take part in an exposure camp for Dominican basketball players located in New York, which he strived in, and soon after, got “forced” by his mother to move across the country to attend Arizona Western College, a JUCO program.
“Getting to where I am now, I would say it was all because of a Dominican camp,” he noted, also crediting his mother for knowing what was best for him in the long run. “After my senior year of high school, I graduated and went to a camp in New York. It was for Dominicans and I ended up starting my basketball journey there.”
Yaxel Lendeborg grew up idolizing Albert Pujols, David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, Kyrie Irving and Magic Johnson as his favorite baseball and basketball players – Image Credit: Michigan Men’s Basketball
From that point forward, Lendeborg’s work-ethic and development both on and off the hardwood ascended on levels beyond belief.
Now, after spending two years at Arizona Western College (2020-2022), and the last three at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB—2022-2025), where Lendeborg was named the back-to-back American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, leading the Blazers to a 2024 NCAA Tournament appearance and the 2025 NIT Quarterfinals, he’s become a household name in College Hoops.
To such a degree now, during his decision process of transferring to Michigan this past offseason and later, being invited to the NBA Draft Combine, testing the waters while receiving professional scouting feedback, he was ranked as the No. 1 player in this year’s transfer class on 247Sports.com.
Furthermore, he recently came in at No. 5 overall on ESPN’s Top 100 men’s NCAA basketball players list going into 2025-2026 and is projected to be a first round NBA Draft selection next June, perhaps even a NBA lottery pick (1-14).
Yaxel Lendeborg was recently named a 2025-2026 Preseason All-American by the Associated Press – Image Credit: Michigan Men’s Basketball
When asked of potentially joining the likes of fellow Dominicans Al Horford (2007: selected third overall by Hawks), and Karl-Anthony Towns (2015: selected first overall by Timberwolves), each hearing their name called early in the NBA Draft as lottery picks, Lendeborg was all smiles:
“That would be an honor. I want to get on the national team with those guys just to embrace our side and play with that competition. Hopefully I get to meet them soon and be able to share the court with them.”
During the summer of 2022 in the Bahamas, Yaxel Lendeborg played for the Dominican Republic national team against Kentucky in an exhibition game – Image Credit: Michigan Men’s Basketball
So far out of the gate with just two exhibition games played, a pair of Wolverine wins against Cincinnati and No. 5 St. John’s, Lendeborg’s already put the College Hoops world on notice along with NBA team scouts—dropping 55 points combined with 22 rebounds—30 points and 12 rebounds vs. Cincinnati and 25 points and 10 rebounds vs. the Red Storm.
“It’s amazing and an honor. Every time a Dominican (social media) page posts me, you see so many comments with just the flag and the people from the island supporting me. I want to do whatever I can to support you guys and just show you I really care.” -Yaxel Lendeborg on having the support of Latinos everywhere he goes
His early takeaways of the Wolverines as he continues to adjust with their regular season opener right around the corner (November 3rd vs. Oakland) has revolved around the winning culture and style of coaching Michigan’s head coach Dusty May brings to the table.
“He’s a super genuine guy, super honest guy as well,” Lendeborg said of May. “He doesn’t yell at you, he doesn’t scream. He always keeps a mellow tone and just wants to show you that he cares. And that’s something I really cherish in my heart. Some days I feel like I get a little arrogant and try not to listen to him, but at the end of the day, I gotta realize, he just wants the best for me. It’s been amazing just learning from him.”
Dusty May’s coaching style played a major impact in Yaxel Lendeborg opting to sign at Michigan for his final collegiate season in 2025-2026 – Image Credit: Michigan Men’s Basketball
In regards to what he would like to better himself with off the court this season, Lendeborg revealed:
“Just having a more professional mentality in general. If we gotta be somewhere, I gotta get there like 20 minutes earlier just to make sure I’m on time and I’m ready to go. And also, just not getting into a lot of outside drama. Keeping everything mellow, keeping my circle tight and just focusing on basketball.”
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