- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,129,887
- Reaction score
- 59
Yaxel Lendeborg has had a huge impact for Michigan basketball this season. But according to a recent interview, the Big Ten player of the year could easily have been wearing a different shade of blue this year.
In an interview published by the Associated Press, Lendeborg asserted that Kentucky offered him much more money to transfer from UAB to the Wildcats, but that he ultimately chose to play in Ann Arbor.
"They started the number with $7 [million] to $9 [million]," he said. "They were pretty much going off on the route like, 'We’ll pay him anything to get here.' "
SHAWN WINDSOR: Michigan basketball's chance to snap 25-year curse as good as any
Lendeborg was the most highly sought-after transfer candidate ahead of the 2025-26 season following his senior year at UAB, where he averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Lendeborg officially transferred to Michigan in May and has largely lived up to his billing, winning the Big Ten player of the year and first-team All-America honors in 2026.
Though it has not been reported how much the Wolverines are paying Lendeborg, the star forward says Kentucky offered him about three times more money than Michigan did. But Lendeborg told the AP he chose Michigan and coach Dusty May because he 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," he said.
Lendeborg has helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And though this will be his only year in Ann Arbor, he has a chance to leave a legacy among the greats to have passed through Crisler Center.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg says he turned down huge Kentucky offer
Continue reading...
In an interview published by the Associated Press, Lendeborg asserted that Kentucky offered him much more money to transfer from UAB to the Wildcats, but that he ultimately chose to play in Ann Arbor.
"They started the number with $7 [million] to $9 [million]," he said. "They were pretty much going off on the route like, 'We’ll pay him anything to get here.' "
SHAWN WINDSOR: Michigan basketball's chance to snap 25-year curse as good as any
Lendeborg was the most highly sought-after transfer candidate ahead of the 2025-26 season following his senior year at UAB, where he averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Lendeborg officially transferred to Michigan in May and has largely lived up to his billing, winning the Big Ten player of the year and first-team All-America honors in 2026.
Though it has not been reported how much the Wolverines are paying Lendeborg, the star forward says Kentucky offered him about three times more money than Michigan did. But Lendeborg told the AP he chose Michigan and coach Dusty May because he 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," he said.
Lendeborg has helped lead Michigan to a Big Ten regular-season title and a No. 1 overall seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. And though this will be his only year in Ann Arbor, he has a chance to leave a legacy among the greats to have passed through Crisler Center.
Need to catch up on the news during your lunch break? Sign up for our Sports Briefing newsletter to get daily summaries of Detroit sports!
You can reach Christian at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg says he turned down huge Kentucky offer
Continue reading...
