The Golden State Warriors are one win away from ending a Summer League drought that’s lasted more than a decade, and Yaxel Lendeborg made it clear the group isn’t satisfied just getting there.
Golden State beat the Los Angeles Lakers 92-88 in Saturday’s semifinal, avenging the only loss of their summer to reach the championship game. The Warriors had entered the playoff bracket as the No. 4 seed after going 3-1 in group play, with their lone defeat coming against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Speaking afterward, Lendeborg struck a confident tone about what’s ahead.
Lendeborg Ties the Moment to Warriors Identity
“That’s what we do, man. We’re the Warriors. You know what I’m saying? So, we’re gonna go out there, try to win it, and try to start a new legacy, man. Keep Curry’s years alive and Draymond’s years alive, and bring it into next season. You know what I’m saying? Go Warriors!”
The message went beyond confidence before a championship game. Lendeborg spoke about Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as part of a standard this group now feels responsible for carrying forward.
That kind of language from an 11th overall pick, barely a few weeks into his professional career, says something about how quickly he has absorbed the franchise’s expectations. Lendeborg is not treating Sunday as the end of a strong summer. He sees it as the beginning of something larger.
“That’s what we do, man. We’re the Warriors. You know what I’m saying? So, we’re gonna go out there, try to win it, and try to start a new legacy, man. Keep Curry’s years alive and Draymond’s years alive, and bring it into next
A Breakout Summer League Run
Lendeborg has been one of the genuine breakout stories of this year’s Summer League. He opened his Golden State career with a near-perfect shooting night for 19 points in a blowout win over the Lakers back at the California Classic, then carried that momentum into Las Vegas.
Across four group-stage games, Lendeborg averaged better than 13 points, six rebounds, and four assists, production that reflects exactly the two-way versatility the Warriors targeted when they drafted him.
Chasing a Decade-Old Drought
Golden State hasn’t won a Las Vegas Summer League championship since 2013, when Draymond Green was still working through his rookie years on the roster and Ian Clark took home championship game MVP honors.
A win Sunday would end that drought and give the Warriors their first Summer League title in over a decade, a small trophy in the grand scheme of things, but a meaningful one for a rookie class trying to set an early tone.
Final Word for the Warriors
Yaxel Lendeborg isn’t treating this like just another summer showcase. He’s talking about legacy, about living up to what the Warriors have built, and about not settling for a runner-up finish.
Talk is easy in July. But for a rookie already thinking about what it means to wear that jersey, it’s a promising sign of how seriously he’s taking the opportunity in front of him.
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