yaxel lendeborg is heading to next month’s NBA draft after helping Michigan win a national championship, a rise that has pushed the 23-year-old into first-round consideration. He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game during the title run.
Raposo’s push changed the path
Lendeborg never expected college basketball to be part of the plan before Yissel Raposo pushed him toward it. He said, "I definitely didn’t want to go," when she helped secure a scholarship to Arizona Western College through phone calls and emails from New Jersey.
Raposo drove him to the airport and sent him to Yuma, Arizona, less than 15 miles from the Mexican border. Lendeborg said, "I begged and pleaded for her not to take me."
At Arizona Western, the move hit hard. He said, "When I got to Arizona, it was a complete culture shock. I’d never been away from my mom [at that point], so being there by myself was awful."
Michigan turned promise into production
The route from junior college ran through UAB before Michigan brought him into one of the most-heralded transfer classes in the country. By the time he arrived in Ann Arbor, his resume already included a Junior College All-America nod, and the 6-foot-9 frame that once had him working in a warehouse fresh out of high school was now carrying a national championship roster.
Lendeborg said, "If you saw me five years ago, you wouldn’t think anything of that kid," as he reflected on how far he had come. His production backed that up: 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while Michigan finished on top.
Raposo said, "I’m a mom, and a mom always wants the best for her child," and she kept her cancer diagnosis secret late last year so he could stay locked in on his final season of college eligibility. When he learned the news, he said, "I immediately threw my phone and broke down," and added, "I felt like my whole world came crashing down."
Ann Arbor and the next step
Raposo later found a way to get him in front of scouts and coaches, and the result is a projected first-round call next month. Her son’s rise has gone from a 17-year-old with no direction to a player with an NCAA championship, a Big Ten Player of the Year trophy and an NBA path that once seemed out of reach.
She said, "I told my daughter I feel like a celebrity! The kids, the love, the support, it makes me feel very happy," after the reception in Ann Arbor. For Lendeborg, the draft is the next stop after Michigan, but the route there was built long before he ever put on the maize and blue.
