Michigan commit Yaxel Lendeborg withdrawing from NBA Draft, will play for Wolverines

Michigan commit Yaxel Lendeborg is withdrawing from the NBA Draft and will play for Dusty May and the Wolverines next season, he told On3.

Lendeborg was the No. 1 ranked player in the transfer portal this offseason after averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals per game this season at UAB, taking home Defensive Player of the Year honors in the AAC.

ESPN’s most recent NBA Mock Draft projected Lendeborg to be taken with the 26th pick.

With Lendeborg now headed to Ann Arbor, Michigan has the makings of a top-5 team in the sport.

Yaxel joins a strong transfer haul, joining Aday Mara from UCLA, Morez Johnson from Illinois, and Elliot Cadeau from North Carolina.

The Wolverines will also welcome in two freshmen — four-star SG Trey McKenney (No. 21 NATL) and four-star Winters Grady (No. 59 NATL).

In Year One of the Dusy May era, Michigan won the Big Ten tournament, taking down Wisconsin 59-53 in the championship game. The Wolverines made a run in March Madness, reaching the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Auburn, 78-65. Their overall record on the year was 27-10, a huge jump from their 8-24 record the season prior.

Two Michigan Wolverines earn invites to USA Basketball U19 National Team training camp ahead of World Cup

Michigan Wolverines basketball has two players that have received and accepted invites to USA Basketball U19 National Team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., beginning June 14: sophomore guard L.J. Cason and sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr.

In total, 33 athletes will participate in the tryout, with 12 roster sports on the line before the team departs for the 2025 FIBA U19 Men’s World Cup in Switzerland.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound Cason appeared in 30 games at Michigan last season, averaging 4.3 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1 assist in 11.8 minutes per contest.

Johnson, meanwhile, had a standout freshman year at Illinois and transferred to Michigan with a commitment soon after the 2024-25 season ended. The 6-foot-9, 225-pounder registered 7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 17.7 minutes per game with 30 appearances.

Training camp participants recently concluded their freshman year of college or will represent the high school graduating classes of 2025 and 2026. Team selections will be made by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee.  

Cason and Johnson are two of the seven returning college players that will be in the training camp, joining San Diego’s Tony Duckett, Purdue’s Daniel Jacobsen, Marquette’s Royce Parham, San Francisco’s Tyrone Riley IV and Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner.

Clayton Sayfie contributed to this story.