{"id":2052234,"date":"2026-07-20T13:15:46","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:15:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2052234"},"modified":"2026-07-20T13:15:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T10:15:46","slug":"warriors-rookie-yaxel-lendeborg-wins-summer-league-mvp-and-keeps-turning-heads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2052234","title":{"rendered":"Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg wins Summer League MVP \u2014 and keeps turning heads"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LAS VEGAS \u2014 When the Golden State Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick in last month\u2019s NBA Draft, the 23-year-old still couldn\u2019t quite believe it. For a young man rarely at a loss for words, the pick, by one of the league\u2019s premier franchises, was hard to comprehend.<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, I didn\u2019t even have any words,\u201d Lendeborg told The Athletic<\/i> at the beginning of his Las Vegas Summer League run. \u201cI was just in such shock at the fact that these guys actually took a chance on me. When I worked out here, they were super nice. They were telling me everything I wanted to hear \u2014 but a lot of the teams were doing that, so I didn\u2019t know if it was gonna be true or not.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThese guys actually believed in me, so I\u2019m like, \u2018Man, I really have the opportunity to play in the NBA for a prestigious organization like this.\u2019 It\u2019s like, \u2018Damn, I can\u2019t believe this.\u2019 It was just an emotional time for me. The only words I had was just my tears, in a way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lendeborg\u2019s emotions were present again Sunday night in the form of a big smile across his face, as he earned Las Vegas Summer League Championship Game MVP honors. Lendeborg, who acknowledged after the draft that he was hopeful the Warriors would take him, finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 94-90 Golden State win over the Memphis Grizzlies and No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer.<\/p>\n

Now that his dream has become a reality in recent weeks, he\u2019s made a solid first impression on his new team. His shot, the one that helped him become a first-team All-American last season at the University of Michigan, looks ready-made to help immediately. Lendeborg has a comfort level from the outside that usually takes young players years to grow within their respective games.<\/p>\n

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Where will LeBron James end up?<\/div>\n
The Athletic NBA Staff and Jeshua Kidd<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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