Dusty May Dismisses Idea Purdue Finds Motivation in Yaxel Lendeborg's Viral Video

Several months ago, Michigan superstar Yaxel Lendeborg made some interesting comments about Purdue being ranked No. 1 in the country. Unfortunately for the forward, that profanity-laced video went viral on social media just days before the Wolverines head to Mackey Arena to play the Boilermakers.

The video, which can be viewed here (NSFW), features Lendeborg talking about how he thinks Michigan will clobber Purdue when the two teams play this season. Now that it's made the rounds on social media, the forward probably wishes he had never made those comments.

But Michigan coach Dusty May jumped to Lendeborg's defense, saying it was a mistake made several months ago by the Wolverines forward. He also doesn't believe Purdue's big three — Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn and Fletcher Loyer — are going to use it as motivation for Tuesday night's clash between the top-ranked Wolverines and seventh-ranked Boilermakers.

"I can't imagine that Loyer and TKR and Braden Smith are sitting around motivated by what Yaxel Lendeborg said in an over-21 establishment four months ago," May said on Monday. "I think they're killers as is, so as far as bulletin board material, I'm not sure that means much when it comes time to execute pick-and-roll defense or transition defense."

To May's point, Smith, Loyer and Kaufman-Renn already have plenty of motivation heading into Tuesday night's Big Ten clash. Purdue would love to take down the nation's top-ranked team, prove they're a national championship contender and remain in the hunt for a conference title.

But will Lendeborg's comments be ignored entirely by Purdue's locker room? It's hard to imagine that video doesn't provide with a little added motivation entering Tuesday's clash.

May says Lendeborg is disappointed in himself

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts after scoring against the Northwestern Wildcats. | David Banks-Imagn Images

When May was asked about Lendeborg's viral video, he didn't scold the Michigan forward. Instead, he used it as a teachable moment and wrote it off to a player making a poor decision in front of a camera.

May also said that Lendeborg was remorseful about his actions, especially the way he may be perceived among the Michigan fanbase.

"I've seen the video; it's been well-circulated to this point," May said. "I spoke at length with Yaxel about it. The most disappointing part of it is that he feels really bad about how he's perceived by children and those who look up to him."

Lendeborg is averaging 14.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He's considered one of the top players in the country and a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. But being a professional is more than just stats.

May said Lendeborg has to learn from his mistake if he wants to be successful at the next level.

"It's one of the reasons he's here, he wanted to learn to be a better pro," he said. "To be a better pro, you need to have the mindset that you're probably always being recorded and if there's ever a moment that someone can use that information against you, [they will] ... Moving forward, it's a good learning lesson."

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May says Lendeborg is disappointed in himself

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