The Golden State Warriors came into the 2026 NBA Draft with a lottery pick at No. 11, and while they reportedly discussed trading the pick, the organization ultimately pitted to hold on the pick. The Warriors used No. 11 to select Yaxel Lendeborg from Michigan, and the big man took to social media to express his enthusiasm for joining the team.

It’s safe to say that Yaxel Lendeborg is excited to be joining a team like the Warriors following the NBA Draft, and fans will no doubt be waiting to get their first look at him during summer league.

Lendeborg was a player that was reported to be teetering on the borderline of being taken in the lottery or falling to the late first round, with multiple teams attempting to trade up to get him. Instead, he gets to begin his career with a team that’s looking to compete and win right away.

He had a bit of an unorthodox pathway to the NBA, starting his college basketball career at Arizona Western College and playing there for three seasons before making the leap to Division 1 with the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

After two seasons at UAB, Lendeborg entered the transfer portal and tested the NBA Draft waters before returning to college and committing to Michigan. He was a major part of the Wolverines’ run to the 2026 national championship.

He appeared in 40 games in his final year of college, including 39 starts, at a little over 30 minutes per game. He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.2 blocked shots with splits of 51.5 percent shooting from the field, 37.2 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 82.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.