Yaxel Lendeborg is about to learn from one of the players he used to root against. The Michigan forward was drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, and the first thing he did after putting on the hat was confess his Kyrie Irving fandom and his Steph Curry baggage.
“I’m a big Kyrie guy,” Lendeborg told reporters according to Anthony Slater of ESPN. “So I used to hate Steph Curry.” It is the kind of comment that would have gone viral on Cleveland Twitter a decade ago. Lendeborg was a kid when LeBron James and Kyrie were leading the Cavaliers and Curry was bringing home back to back MVPs and a championship. Picking a side was a big deal back then.
The 23 year old quickly clarified that his feelings have evolved. “Now that I’m actually going to be able to be on the same team with him, play and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot. He’s a very great guy, very nice person. It’s going to be an honor to be able to watch what he does in person.” Translation: please don’t read the old tweets, Steph.
This is the kind of moment that gets at why the Warriors took a swing on Lendeborg. He is older than most rookies and he has been around the block in college basketball. He played for Dusty May at Michigan and led a national championship run with averages of 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He brings a polished offensive game and a frame that translates to the next level.
The fit makes sense in theory. Lendeborg is 6 foot 9 and 241 pounds. He plays with skill and physicality. He can defend bigger wings and switch onto smaller guards in a pinch. The Warriors needed a young player who can hit the ground running as part of the second unit while Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green continue to lead the starting group.
The draft night itself was reportedly chaotic in the Warriors war room. ESPN’s broadcast caught Joe Lacob and Mike Dunleavy Jr. having what looked like a heated discussion just before the pick was sent in. Lacob is famously hands on. Dunleavy is trying to thread the needle between immediate contention and a longer term roster overhaul. Whether they agreed on Lendeborg or compromised on him will be one of the more interesting subplots of training camp.
The age issue is real. Lendeborg turns 24 before the start of next season. That makes him older than several established NBA starters and limits his upside in the eyes of some scouts. The argument for taking him at 11 is that he is more ready to contribute now, which matters more to a Warriors team trying to win one more title with Curry than to a rebuilding club hunting for the next 22 year old upside swing.
The challenge for Lendeborg is to maximize the runway he has. Two or three solid seasons in this rotation, and he is set up to be a useful NBA player into his thirties. Get hurt or struggle, and the limited developmental window closes fast.
Learning from Curry will help. Lendeborg is a capable shooter but he is not yet a great one. Spending two seasons in the same shootaround as Curry is the kind of development opportunity most rookies can only dream about. He has a real chance to improve his stroke and pick up the little tricks that make Curry the player he is.
And no, Steph did not seem to mind the confession. He has been around long enough to know that every NBA locker room is full of guys who used to hate him. Now Lendeborg gets to be one of those guys who gets to wear his jersey.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
