“Somebody must’ve promised over $4mil”: College hoops fans react as Yaxel Lendeborg joins Michigan

Yaxel Lendeborg made a major call on his basketball future on Tuesday, which has got the college hoops world talking. The 6-foot-9 forward, widely projected as a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft, has withdrawn his name and will return to college for one more season.

After two years at UAB, Lendeborg entered the transfer portal and committed to Dusty May’s Michigan Wolverines. However, with his name still in the draft pool, questions loomed over whether he would suit up in Ann Arbor, but that speculation is now over.

“While it's been and still is a dream of mine to play in the NBA, I feel the development and growth as a player and a person I will gain at the University of Michigan will be very beneficial,” Lendeborg told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

His decision drew immediate reactions after Draft Express shared the news on Instagram.

Some fans speculated that NIL money played a big role:

“Somebody must’ve promised over $4mil to play at their school,” one user wrote.

“he must’ve got a BAG,” another added.

College hoops fans react as Yaxel Lendeborg returns to Michigan. Credit: IG/@draftexpress

Others questioned the move, citing his age and next year’s draft depth.

“Bad choice. Next year draft will be better and deeper. And he will be 24,” a user said.

“Idk... going back to school may start to become worse and worse of an idea,” another added.

Still, there were plenty of optimistic takes, too.

“Final Four szn incoming,” a fan wrote.

“that’s insane, he was boutta be so good,” another commented.

With Lendeborg now locked in, Michigan has landed the No. 1 big man in the transfer portal, a huge addition to replace departing 7-footer Danny Wolf.

Yaxel Lendeborg looking to emulate Danny Wolf at Michigan

Danny Wolf's versatility was a weapon that the Michigan Wolverines utilized to their advantage last season, as he played as a center sometimes and as a guard at other times.

He averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season while playing different roles. This is something Lendeborg hopes to match next season.

"It's amazing what Dusty May did with Danny Wolf," Lendeborg said. "I would watch his games this season and say, 'Man, I wish that was me.' I'm trying to bring the same type of versatility he brought to Michigan."

Lendeborg averaged 17.7 ppg, 11.4 rpg and 4.2 apg for UAB last season.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Ribin Peter