Michigan Forward Yaxel Lendeborg Earns Elite Honor From Sporting News

The accolades keep coming for the Michigan star

Feb 24, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) is defended by Minnesota Golden Gophers guard Cade Tyson (10) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

On Tuesday, Michigan basketball star forward Yaxel Lendeborg earned numerous Big Ten honors, including the Player of the Year and selections to the conference's first team and all-defensive team.

However, the accolades for Lendeborg for the week didn't stop there as he was also named to the Sporting News All-America First Team for the 2025-26 season, joining Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., Duke's Cameron Boozer, BYU'S AJ Dybantsa and Iowa State's Josh Jefferson.

Yax was named to the @sportingnews All-America first team ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Ap9pLwACue

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) March 11, 2026

Lendeborg finished the regular season averaging 14.7 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest, including 26 and 27 point performances in the Wolverines' two wins over the Michigan State Spartans that helped the team clinch an outright Big Ten title.

Sporting News' overview of Lendeborg's season

In the article explaining the choice for Lendeborg being named to the first team, Sporting News' Mike Decourcy gave an overview of Lendeborg's spectacular season with Michigan, which will be his only one with the Wolverines before heading to the NBA Draft next year.

"Lendeborg’s conversion from exceptionally dynamic power forward to oversized-but-still-plenty-quick small forward has been the key to Michigan’s emergence as a leading contender for the 2026 championship," Decourcy wrote. "If he had not been able to manage the transition, Michigan still would have had an extraordinary three-man frontcourt rotation of him, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson but not quite enough elite talent on the wing. Lendeborg has demonstrated he can defend smaller players because there aren’t many more electric than him, and they have a heck of a time handling his combination of strength and skill. Although often stationed away from the basket, he’s produced seven double-figure rebounding games. Although not yet an elite long-distance shooter, he’s made multiple threes in a dozen games. He’s also one of the most impactful perimeter defenders, able to switch onto most any opponent and establish an effective (often overwhelming) degree of control."

Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) cuts the net to celebrate Big Ten regular season title after wining 90-80 over Michigan State at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, March 8, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lendeborg and the Wolverines will now look to carry their success into the postseason, beginning with the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago this weekend.

Michigan will play the winner of the Iowa-Ohio State game at Noon EST on Friday in the quarterfinals, with the conference tournament wrapping up this Sunday just before the the Selection Sunday show on CBS, when the Wolverines will find out their path to a potential run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Wolverines are a projected No. 1 seed going into the NCAA Tournament.