The Golden State Warriors had the fortune of a lottery pick in this year’s NBA Draft, and used it to improve their roster with the selection of Michigan Wolverines standout Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg won an NCAA championship this past season under head coach Dusty May and brings his talent and winning experience to an organization continuing to attempt to compete in the Western Conference with their superstar, Stephen Curry.
However, their first-round pick made a wild admission in a media session after the Warriors drafted him: he used to hate Curry due to rooting for Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016.
“Let’s go! Welcome to the Bay! I’m going to work hard to be your new favorite player,” Curry commented on Lendeborg’s Instagram post from draft night.
Lendeborg also expressed his excitement about the situation that he’ll get to learn from the four-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP. Curry is a surefire future Hall of Famer, and his veteran experience will go a long way to help the rookie on this team.
In addition to Curry, Lendeborg will also have veterans in Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green to lean on for their expertise or advice. Green is also a four-time champion, while Butler has played for multiple teams and is a six-time NBA All-Star.
It’s a wise move for the Warriors to add a player of Lendeborg’s caliber and experience, too. Having a strong college basketball season that included an NCAA Tournament run and a championship is big. A major example is the emergence of the San Antonio Spurs’ sophomore sensation Stephon Castle, who won a championship with UConn.
Lendeborg was one of three Michigan Wolverines to go in the first round of this past week’s NBA Draft. Teammate Morez Johnson Jr. went No. 9 to the Dallas Mavericks, where he reunites with former head coach Dusty May, the recently-hired new coach of the team.
And their teammate, big man Aday Mara, went to the Oklahoma City Thunder one spot after Lendeborg, at No. 12 overall. So all three players will be battling it out in the Western Conference in the coming season for bragging rights.
However, while Lendeborg and May get to play for teams that are already contenders for the playoffs, Johnson gets to work with his coach in an NBA squad built around former No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg hoping to eventually contend.