5 things Yaxel Lendeborg wants Warriors fans to know about him after 2026 NBA Draft

SAN FRANCISCO – The overwhelming first impression of Yaxel Lendeborg, the Golden State Warriors’ 11th overall pick, after his introductory presser is his charisma.

For a guy who’s 6-foot-9, 240 lbs frame looms large in whatever room he walks into, it’s Lendeborg’s smile, his swagger, the pep in his step, and his honesty that loom even larger in every question he answers. Lendeborg exudes joy. He exudes pride. And why wouldn’t he, given his improbable journey to the league? From barely playing basketball in high school to walking across the stage to shake Commissioner Adam Silver’s hand, it’s only natural to be proud of the work it’s taken to get to this point.

And given his joyous, extroverted personality, Lendeborg had a lot to say. So to condense it down, here are five things, relevant, random, or otherwise, that we learned about Lendeborg in his formal introduction with the Warriors.

1. Lendeborg considers himself a small forward.

When you draft a player as versatile and multi-faceted as Lendeborg, the debates about their true position are bound to pop up. With his size, rebounding, and limited but quick lateral speed, Lendeborg probably projects to be a power forward. But at the same time, given the Warriors’ history with small ball, there could be minutes for the Michigan rookie at the five.

However, if you ask Lendeborg, he doesn’t see himself primarily playing in the frontcourt.

“Small forward, I definitely feel like it will be the easiest position to develop or just flow into,” Lendeborg said, saying he needs to get stronger to be a small-ball center.

“But I mean, like I said, I’m willing to do whatever the team needs, and bending maybe a small ball of five that can just space the floor out, and I feel like I’ll be able to use that against bigger players,” Lendeborg said.

As a wing, Lendeborg will need to continue to work on his shooting. He shot 41.0% on unguarded catch-and-shoot 3-pointers but only hit 30.6% on guarded looks of the same type. But the Warriors will need his size in the frontcourt, which means he’ll have to get used to setting screens, which he admitted wasn’t his forte.

“I’m not the best screener; I hate screening, so I’ll just learn to love it,” Lendeborg said. “I like on-ball screening better than off-ball.”

2. If Lendeborg were an actor, he’d be Will Ferrell.

During the pre-draft process, someone asked Lendeborg what he’d be doing if he weren’t a basketball player, and he said he’d be an actor. So naturally, with all kinds of questions being tossed at Lendeborg, a reporter asked what kind of actor Lendeborg would be if he went down that career path.

“I feel like I can have bits of both [serious acting and comedic acting],” Lendeborg said before pausing to recall the actor that came to his mind. “Maybe Will Ferrell. Maybe that kind of role. Being able to be like a mix between goofy and serious all over.”

Maybe Lendeborg’s nickname will be “Elf” or “Jackie Moon” in honor of Ferrell.

3. The NBA players Lendeborg is excited to play against are not what you’d expect.

Usually, when a rookie stepping into the NBA is asked about the players they are most excited to play against, they usually mention the long-time legends. LeBron James tends to top the list. Kevin Durant, for how he inspired a sea of tall, lengthy forwards. Paul George is also oddly cited by Gen Z for his smooth style and his trademark shoes.

However, Lendeborg’s answer to this question was a little different. He first cited his teammates, including Stephen Curry, as expected, and then took a different route.

“Probably Cooper Flagg and AJ Dybantsa,” Lendeborg said without missing a beat. “Those guys who are considered generational talents.”

Is there a little bit of spice to read into that answer? A chip on his shoulder, perhaps? Maybe. Given that all Lendeborg’s heard through the pre-draft process is that he’s too old to become a true superstar, why else would he cite the last two first overall picks?

3. Lendeborg is a gamer and has an opinion about his 2k rating

Lendeborg loves video games and listed out his Mount Rushmore, plus one more for good measure. In order: 1. NBA 2k20. 2. Fortnite. 3. Rocket League. 4. The Madden series. 5. Backyard Football.

And with the NBA 2k series being at the top of his list, Lendeborg had a request for Ronnie 2k regarding his rating.

“I think I deserve an 80,” Lendeborg grinned. “I feel like I’m a very versatile piece; I don’t need nothing above a 90 in my stat rates, but 80 is probably good.”

Only ten rookies have been rated an 80 overall on release date, a list that includes Greg Oden, Derrick Rose, Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Cade Cunningham, Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Zion Williamson, Cooper Flagg, and Victor Wembanyama. With all of those players being the first or second overall picks in their respective drafts, Lendeborg will probably have to prove he’s worthy of an 80 overall rating.

4. Lendeborg’s locker will be right next to Stephen Curry’s

After Lendeborg shared in his post-draft press conference that he used to be a Kyrie Irving fan and “hated” Curry as a result, his introductory presser was full of Irving jokes. So, when asked whether the fact that he’s Curry’s teammate has hit him yet, Lendeborg got a kick out of the question.

“Yeah, ironically, they put my locker right next to Steph’s,” Lendeborg revealed. “I know we’ve got a lot of work to do to become best friends and all, but I’m definitely excited. I’m going to be able to learn as much as I can from him. Hopefully, some of his shooting can rub off on me, and we can go a long way.”

A reporter later asked general manager Mike Dunleavy if it was intentional that they placed the rookie next to Curry’s locker.

“Eric Housen will have to answer that for you,” Dunleavy joked. “He handles all that stuff. That’s way above me.”

5. The reason why Lendeborg chose No. 1 for his jersey.

With No. 23 taken by Draymond Green, Lendeborg will be rocking No. 1, his first jersey number in the NBA. Lendeborg told reporters that it’s to honor his player development coach, Aaron Johnson, back at UAB.

“Aaron Johnson was my player development code slash mentor at UAB, and he’s been with me ever since then,” Lendeborg said. “He wore number one at UAB, so I’m doing it to honor him.”

In two seasons at UAB, Lendeorg averaged of 15.8 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks in 31.9 minutes per game. In the process, he earned two All-American Conference First Team selections and was named the All-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year in both 2024 and 2025.

With Lendeborg donning the No. 1, it’s clear his time at UAB holds a special place in his heart.

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