Yaxel Lendeborg, a projected late first-round decide, will withdraw his identify from the 2025 NBA draft and spend his closing collegiate season at Michigan, he advised ESPN on Tuesday.
“Whereas it has been and nonetheless is a dream of mine to play within the NBA, I really feel the event and development as a participant and an individual I’ll acquire on the College of Michigan might be very useful,” Lendeborg advised ESPN.
The NCAA deadline for gamers to withdraw from the NBA draft and keep faculty eligibility is Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. ET.
Lendeborg, the No. 26 prospect in ESPN’s NBA draft projections, was some of the productive gamers in faculty basketball, averaging 17.7 factors, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per sport whereas taking pictures 55% from 2-point vary and 36% from 3. He helped lead UAB to the NIT quarterfinals and have become one among solely two gamers in Division I historical past to publish 600-plus factors, 400-plus rebounds and 150-plus assists in a season, together with Larry Chicken.
He was named Defensive Participant of the Yr and first-team All-AAC in every of the previous two seasons.
“I might prefer to thank Coach Might and employees for permitting me to undergo this course of with none strain, the Champions Circle collective for serving to make this chance attainable, and all of the NBA groups I labored out for, permitting me to expertise the predraft course of,” Lendeborg mentioned. “Go Blue!”
Lendeborg was the No. 1 large man within the NCAA switch portal, committing to educate Dusty Might in early April. He spent the previous six weeks exploring the NBA draft course of, collaborating within the NBA draft mix and personal staff exercises.
It is uncommon for a projected first-round decide to forgo the NBA draft in favor of an extra season in faculty, however the 22-year previous Lendeborg’s distinctive backstory contributed to his resolution. He performed solely 11 varsity highschool video games as a senior and was moved throughout the nation to a small junior faculty in Arizona by his mom after standing out in an publicity camp for Dominican gamers in New York.
“I used to be extra into video video games than basketball for many of my life,” Lendeborg advised ESPN. “I’d play 19 hours a day; it was a faith for me. I wasn’t the perfect scholar. My mother compelled me to get on a airplane to Arizona. That was the perfect factor that ever occurred to me.
“I went from there to UAB, the place Andy Kennedy was a father determine for me. This previous summer season was actually the primary time I ever had an actual organized exercise plan. I am simply scratching the floor on the participant I can evolve into, and with extra work I can attain that potential.”
Lendeborg will step into the void left by 7-footer Danny Wolf, a projected top-20 draft decide coming off a standout season at Michigan by which he performed level guard, energy ahead and middle.
Lendeborg mentioned Wolf’s success and the heavy utilization he noticed pushing the ball off the defensive glass and facilitating the offense as a pick-and-roll ball handler performed a component in his decision-making course of.
“It is superb what Dusty Might did with Danny Wolf,” Lendeborg mentioned. “I’d watch his video games this season and say, ‘Man, I want that was me.’ I am making an attempt to convey the identical sort of versatility he delivered to Michigan.”
Michigan will look vastly completely different subsequent season, including three different affect transfers in North Carolina level guard Elliot Cadeau, Illinois large man Morez Johnson and UCLA’s Aday Mara, in addition to freshman wing and McDonald’s All American Trey McKenney from the highschool ranks.
Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft skilled and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a non-public scouting and analytics service utilized by NBA, NCAA and Worldwide groups.
