Michigan basketball star Yaxel Lendeborg wins Big Ten Player of the Year award after standout season

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Big Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Year award was handed out on Tuesday, and Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg was given the honor.

With the award, Lendeborg, on March 10, became the first recipient of the honor since Trey Burke did so during his magical run back in 2013.

Following Sunday’s 90-80 victory against the Spartans, Lendeborg told reporters that he had three goals: to win the Big Ten championship, win player of the year, and to win a national championship with the Wolverines.

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Lendeborg led all scorers with 27 points while shooting 8-12 from the field, 5-6 from three, and 6-6 from the charity stripe.

It was the first time in his career that he had over 25 points and made five three-pointers.

“I think it’s pretty obvious why he’s player of the year. He does everything on the basketball court, and he’s incredibly unselfish while doing it, and he’s just scratching the surface of how good he can be,” Dusty May said on Sunday.

“Yeah, as coaches, we always want more. Like we’re continuing to push our players and motivate them to be better and to do more and get better in this area, that area.

But when you look back to where he was in November to where he is now, um, man, he’s come a long way, and he’s still scratching the surface, as you saw a couple of the plays last night.

He had one rebound, and I was even shocked he could jump that high. And so, because he’s so new to the game that he doesn’t understand how impactful he can be, and he’s already incredibly impactful.

I mean, to me, if he’s not Big Ten Player of the Year, then I’ll be shocked. But whatever.

I mean, he’s done everything. He, as I said, has outperformed his contract. He’s outperformed all expectations to this point, but he still has to get better. And we still have one big goal to chase.

Actually, two big goals to chase in the Big Ten Tournament championship and then the NCAA Tournament.”

Dusty May

Lendeborg

Lendeborg committed to Michigan on May 28, 2026, when he withdrew his name from the NBA draft and joined the men in maize.

The 6′9″ 240-pound transfer from the University of Alabama at Birmingham was considered to be a borderline first-round draft pick, depending on whether an NBA team would guarantee him a 2025 draft slot.

But Lendeborg, who is the No. 1-ranked player in the transfer portal after averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.7 steals at UAB last season, decided to take his talents to Crisler Center in Ann Arbor.

The 23-year-old forward, who shot 52.5% from the floor and 35.7% from the three-point line at UAB, said he was a mixture of Detroit Pistons legend Dennis Rodman and the master of the “Showtime” Los Angeles Lakers in Erving “Magic” Johnson during his draft combine workout.

After helping Michigan achieve a 29-2 record and going 11-0 on the road, including winning 10 Big Ten road games this season while averaging 14.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 50.8% from the field, he has all but cemented his status as a first-round draft pick.

With the momentum he and the Wolverines are riding, winning the Big Ten Tournament and potentially bringing a national championship back to Crisler Arena for the first time since 1989 would put him in lottery status in this freshman-heavy class.