The Michigan Wolverines finished the 205-26 college basketball season with a dominant 31-3 record, earning a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Michigan’s powerhouse status can be partially attributed to 6-foot-9 forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who leads the Wolverines in scoring with 14.6 points on 50.9% shooting from the field.
Following his two seasons with mid-major UAB and a decision to withdraw his name from the NBA draft, Lendeborg was the top-ranked transfer portal prospect heading into the 2025-26 college basketball season. The Big Ten Player could’ve gone anywhere, but he chose to join Dusty May and the Wolverines on what is now a championship-hopeful run.
During a recent interview with the Associated Press, Lendeborg said the Kentucky Wildcats were prepared to make him the highest-paid player in college basketball.
“They started the number with $7 (million) to $9 (million),” Lendeborg said. “They were pretty much going off on the route like we’ll pay him anything to get here.”
Lendeborg would have earned about three times more money if he’d played for Mark Pope and Kentucky this season.
“I was raised without it and I went my whole life without it,” Lendeborg said. “Anything was going to make me super, super happy at the time.
“I was thinking long term. What if I mess up my career because I chased the money instead of a future? Another big reason why I went with Dusty was he didn’t talk about money at all. It was all about making me better and helping me achieve my goals.”
Lendeborg and Michigan will begin their NCAA Tournament run with a matchup against No. 16 seed Howard on Thursday.