Yaxel Lendeborg looked like an obvious pick for the Golden State Warriors by the time Summer League rolled around. Rewind two years, and Golden State wanted nothing to do with him.
Lendeborg originally declared for the draft after two seasons at UAB, and his interview with the Warriors back then didn’t go well. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the team told him directly that he came across as a “jackass” during that conversation.
Lendeborg Reflects on a Rough First Impression With the Warriors
GettyYaxel Lendeborg of the Golden State Warriors.
Lendeborg admitted he was caught off guard by how poorly that early meeting with Golden State went.
“I was like, damn, I did that bad?” Lendeborg said.
Looking back, he acknowledged his answers weren’t especially polished at the time. He’d been honest to a fault, describing a version of himself that coasted through practice and games while still producing results on the floor, a level of candor that didn’t exactly project the professionalism teams look for.
A Turning Point That Led Back to College
That interaction appears to have served as a wake-up call. Rather than entering that year’s draft, Lendeborg returned to college, transferring to Michigan, where he helped lead the program to a national championship and established himself as arguably the best player on the floor throughout the run.
The improvement wasn’t just statistical. By the time this year’s draft process arrived, Lendeborg approached his second opportunity with the Warriors entirely differently.
Lendeborg Wins Over Steve Kerr
GettyHead coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors.
Roughly two weeks before this year’s draft, Lendeborg sat down for a film session with head coach Steve Kerr, and the meeting went considerably better than his previous interaction with the organization.
“I pretty much gave all the right answers,” Lendeborg said.
He described a moment during the session when Kerr asked what areas of the team needed improvement, and Lendeborg’s answer lined up closely with what Kerr himself was already thinking.
“I kind of read his mind in a way,” Lendeborg said. “I feel like that gave me a little bit of an edge. I won him over.”
Final Word for the Warriors
Yaxel Lendeborg’s path to Golden State wasn’t a straight line. It took a blunt piece of feedback, a return to college, and a much stronger second impression to get here.
Given how his Summer League run played out, it’s safe to say the second interview went considerably better than the first.
Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg Reveals Brutal Feedback From First Interview