Yaxel Lendeborg leads Warriors to NBA Summer League title

Yaxel Lendeborg captured his second championship in four months on Sunday, powering the Golden State Warriors to a 94-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Summer League final at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV.

Lendeborg, who starred on the NCAA championship team at the University of Michigan last season, recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds, outplaying Cameron Boozer in a fierce matchup between two 2026 draft lottery selections. He became just the second player to win both an NCAA Division I championship and a Las Vegas Summer League title in the same year, joining Davion Mitchell.

"Coming into this program, I just wanted to prove that I'm a winner," said Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick in last month's draft. "Doing things like this, not caring about the stats and just worrying about the outcome. I'm going to keep pushing that next season with the Warriors, which is bigger. At Michigan, we played as a team. Here, we play as a team. That's what wins games and championships."

Summer League Success

The Warriors (5-1) secured their second Summer League championship, joining the Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers as the only teams to win the tournament multiple times since its inception in 2013. Golden State prevailed in a tightly contested game that was tied at halftime.

Boozer, the third pick in the draft from Duke, led the Grizzlies with 19 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. He hit a three-pointer late in the third quarter to give Memphis its first double-digit lead. However, Lendeborg responded in the clutch, scoring three consecutive baskets to spark the Warriors' comeback in the final quarter.

Warriors guard Deivon Smith added 21 points off the bench, joining Lendeborg and guard LJ Cryer among five Golden State players who finished in double figures. The Grizzlies had multiple opportunities in the final minute to win or force overtime, but Boozer missed a potential game-winning three-pointer and Olivier-Maxence Prosper lost an inbound pass.

Role Alongside Curry

While the Warriors deployed Lendeborg—listed at 6-foot-9—as a forward and primary scorer during summer league, he is expected to serve as a complementary player alongside veteran stars Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III.

Warriors summer league coach Khalid Robinson praised Lendeborg's versatility and energy as ideal for that role.

"[He fits because of] his skills, his physique, his size for his position, and his competitive spirit," said Robinson. "We saw it tonight: we were down and that competitive spirit kicked in. Yaxel said, 'Let's go get it!'"