UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg Has a Decision to Make

The prospect will have enticing NIL offers, but could also go pro.

Mar 16, 2025; Fort Worth, TX, USA; UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) reacts against the Memphis Tigers during the second half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Alabama-Birmingham (known as UAB) has one of the best-kept secrets in all of college basketball in superstar forward Yaxel Lendeborg, who just finished a no-holds-barred domination of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.

He put up absolutely blistering numbers over the course of three games that resulted in the UAB Blazers playing for a conference title. One of the most impressive performances of the year for any player in college basketball came versus East Carolina in round one: 30 points, 20 rebounds, eight assists, four blocks, and five steals. He had a 30-20 double-double, was two assists shy of a triple-double, and was one block shy of a five-by-five.

He was no slouch in the two games after, either – against North Texas, he had 23 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two blocks, and two steals; against Memphis in the AAC Title Game, he had 19 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two stocks.

Though UAB lost and was left out of the tournament field, they will be playing in the NIT, facing Saint Joseph's in the first round. This will be an excellent opportunity to showcase his ability, as Saint Joseph's forward Rasheer Fleming is another big-time NBA Draft prospect.

There are some problems with Lendeborg, however. When UAB played Memphis, opposing forward Dain Dainja was similarly dominant, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He was able to back down and blow by Lendeborg on a few occasions, raising questions about the UAB forward's defense at the next level.

The other problem is that Lendeborg is going to be 23 years old in September, meaning if he were to return to college, he would be 24 by the time the NBA season started.

This is the titular decision – should Lendeborg put his name in the draft, return to UAB, or transfer somehwere else and get a huge NIL deal? Given UAB's proximity to schools like Auburn and Alabama, he would probably be able to procure a high-dollar deal, but doing so may hurt his draft stock.

It will come down to his performance in the NBA Combine, likely. Should he have a good run, he may declare, but if he struggles, he will likely be a terror in the SEC next season.

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