Kentucky loses out on No. 1-ranked basketball player in the transfer portal
The top-ranked player in the college basketball transfer portal won’t be playing for Kentucky.
Yaxel Lendeborg — a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Pennsauken, New Jersey — committed to Michigan on Saturday morning. Lendeborg is projected as a possible first-round pick in the 2025 NBA draft and will continue to go through that process with the hope of being guaranteed a multiyear contract in the league, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
A former junior college player, Lendeborg played the past two seasons at UAB, where he was named the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in both of his seasons there.
This past season, he averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game for the Blazers.
Lendeborg is ranked as the No. 1 player in the transfer portal by 247Sports and On3.com, and he’s been one of the most hotly pursued players in the country in recent days.
Auburn had been viewed as the most likely landing spot for the highly versatile frontcourt player, though Mark Pope and the Kentucky’s coaching staff had multiple conversations with the 22-year-old transfer this past week, and the Wildcats have a clear need for a player with his skill set and experience.
Instead, Lendeborg committed to Michigan, which will enter its second season under Dusty May, who led the Wolverines to a 27-10 record and a Big Ten Tournament title in his first season with the program. Michigan was a 5 seed and lost to Auburn in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Of course, Lendeborg could still opt to keep his name in this year’s NBA draft.
A few hours after Lendeborg committed to Michigan, the Wildcats landed a pledge from former Pittsburgh point guard Jaland Lowe, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 20 overall prospect in the transfer portal.
And the search for transfer portal players will continue for Pope and the UK coaching staff.
Kentucky is expected to return five players from the 2024-25 roster — Otega Oweh, Brandon Garrison, Collin Chandler, Trent Noah and Travis Perry — and the Wildcats have signed three high school recruits: combo guards Jasper Johnson and Acaden Lewis, as well as McDonald’s All-American center Malachi Moreno.
So far, UK has two additions out of the transfer portal: Lowe and former Tulane wing Kam Williams, a 6-8 player who shot 41.2% from 3-point range as a freshman this past season and can defend multiple positions.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 9:36 AM.
