Awards and Honors: Lendeborg Earns Big Ten Player of the Week
10/27/2025 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 1 -- Yaxel Lendeborg
Big Ten Player of the Week
USBWA's Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week
» Earning MVP honors, Yaxel Lendeborg led Michigan to three wins in three days as the Wolverines claimed the Players Era Festival championship in Las Vegas.
» He averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks, shooting 63.0 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from three across the event.
» U-M won all three games by 30-plus points -- San Diego State (94-54, +40), No. 21 Auburn (102-72, +30) and No. 12 Gonzaga (101-61, +40). With research completed, Michigan's back-to-back 30-plus–point victories over ranked opponents mark the first time in college basketball history that feat has been achieved.
» Lendeborg opened with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists and a block vs. SDSU and followed with 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals vs. Auburn. He closed with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double vs. Gonzaga, adding three assists, two blocks and four steals.
» Lendeborg's 11 assists doubled his season total, his four blocks nearly doubled his season total, and his six steals tripled his season total.
Nov. 10 -- Yaxel Lendeborg
Sporting News Preseason All-America Second Team
» Yaxel Lendeborg has been named to the Sporting News Preseason All-America second team.
» He becomes the first Michigan player since Hunter Dickinson (2022) to earn a Sporting News Preseason All-America selection. He is also the first transfer in program history to receive this recognition.
» He is one of four Big Ten players to garner a spot on one of the three teams, as Purdue's Braden Smith was on the first team, UCLA's Donovan Dent made the second team, and Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn was on the third team.
» Joining Lendeborg on the second team list are Dent (UCLA), Milos Uzan (Houston), Cameron Boozer (Duke), and Mikel Brown (Louisville). » Members selected to the first team are Smith (Purdue), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Otega Oweh (Kentucky), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), and AJ Dybantsa (BYU), while the third team list includes Zuby Ejiofor (St. John's), Kaufman-Renn (Purdue), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Alex Karaban (Connecticut) and Graham Ike (Gonzaga).
Nov. 3 -- Yaxel Lendeborg
Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List
» Yaxel Lendeborg has been named to the Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy Player of the Year Watch List, presented by AXIA Time and the Atlanta Tipoff Club.
» Lendeborg is one of 50 players nationally -- and one of 13 from the Big Ten Conference -- to earn a spot on the prestigious preseason list. He joins Illinois' Tomislav Ivišic and Andrej Stojakovic, Indiana's Tucker DeVries, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz, Northwestern's Nick Martinelli, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton, Oregon's Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad, Purdue's Trey Kaufman-Renn and Braden Smith, UCLA's Donovan Dent, and Wisconsin's John Blackwell.
» The Naismith Trophy will be trimmed to a midseason top-30 team before finalists are announced in March. The national winner will be recognized at the Final Four.
Oct. 31 -- Aday Mara
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List
» Aday Mara has been selected as one of 20 players named to the Naismith Starting 5 - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes the nation's top centers in men's college basketball.
» Mara is one of five Big Ten big men on the list, joining Illinois' Tomislav Ivišic, Nebraska's Rienk Mast, Oregon's Nate Bittle and Purdue's Oscar Cluff.
» The remainder of the preseason list features: Malique Ewin (Arkansas), Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati), Owen Freeman (Creighton), Patrick Ngongba (Duke), Alex Condon (Florida), Chris Cenac (Houston), Flory Bidunga (Kansas), Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky), Ernest Udeh Jr. (Miami), Henri Versaar (North Carolina), Robbie Avila (Saint Louis), Magoon Gwath (San Diego State), Zuby Ejiofor (St. John's), Felix Okpara (Tennessee) and Tarris Reed Jr. (UConn).
» The watch list will be trimmed to 10 players in late January, with the Final Five announced in March. The Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner will be recognized at the Final Four in Indianapolis.
» Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of basketball's greatest players, a six-time NBA champion and six-time MVP who remains the league's all-time leading scorer. Known for his trademark skyhook and dominance at both UCLA and with the Los Angeles Lakers, he helped define excellence at the center position.
Oct. 30 -- Yaxel Lendeborg
National Association of Basketball Coaches Player of the Year Watch List
Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List
» Yaxel Lendeborg has been named to two of the nation's premier preseason watch lists -- the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Player of the Year and the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year, presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
» The NABC will conduct a nationwide vote among Division I head coaches at the conclusion of the regular season to determine its National Player of the Year, which will be announced during Final Four week.
» Lendeborg is one of five Big Ten players named to the NABC Watch List, joining Purdue's Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, Iowa's Bennett Stirtz, and UCLA's Donovan Dent.
» The remainder of the NABC preseason list includes Nate Ament (Tennessee), Cameron Boozer (Duke), Alex Condon (Florida), AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Zuby Ejiofor (St. John's), PJ Haggerty (Kansas State), Graham Ike (Gonzaga), Alex Karaban (UConn), Otega Oweh (Kentucky), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Labaron Philon (Alabama), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Milos Uzan (Houston), and Darrion Williams (NC State).
» Lendeborg is one of five Big Ten forwards selected for the Karl Malone Award, joining Iowa's Alvaro Folgueiras, Northwestern's Nick Martinelli, Kaufman-Renn, and UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau.
» The remainder of the Malone preseason list features Boozer (Duke), Donnie Freeman (Syracuse), Keyshawn Hall (Auburn), Thomas Haugh (Florida), Bryce Hopkins (St. John's), Ike (Gonzaga), Joshua Jefferson (Iowa State), Karaban (UConn), Baye Ndongo (Georgia Tech), Malik Reneau (Miami), Koa Peat (Arizona), Michael Rataj (Baylor), Toppin (Texas Tech), Joseph Tugler (Houston) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina).
» The Karl Malone Award watch list will be trimmed to 10 players in late January, with the Final Five announced in March. The award winner will be recognized during the Final Four in Indianapolis.
Oct. 27 -- Elliot Cadeau
Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List
» Elliot Cadeau has been selected as one of 20 players named to the Naismith Starting 5 – Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List, presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes the nation's top point guards in men's college basketball.
» Cadeau is one of five Big Ten guards on the list, joining Iowa's Bennett Stirtz, Ohio State's Bruce Thornton, Purdue's Braden Smith and UCLA's Donovan Dent.
» The remainder of the preseason list features: Labaron Philon (Alabama), Darius Acuff (Arkansas), Tahaad Pettiford (Auburn), Robert Wright III (BYU), Boogie Fland (Florida), Milos Uzan (Houston), Tamin Lipsey (Iowa State), Darryn Peterson (Kansas), Jaland Lowe (Kentucky), Mikel Brown (Louisville), Josh Hubbard (Mississippi State), Markus Burton (Notre Dame), Ja'kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), Christian Anderson (Texas Tech) and Silas Demary Jr. (UConn).
» The watch list will be trimmed to 10 players in late January, with the Final Five announced in March. The Bob Cousy Award winner will be recognized at the Final Four in Indianapolis.
» Bob Cousy was a Hall of Fame point guard who starred for the Boston Celtics from 1950–63, winning six NBA championships and earning 13 All-Star selections. Nicknamed the "Houdini of the Hardwood," he was celebrated for his exceptional ball-handling, court vision, and creative passing that helped revolutionize the point guard position.
Oct. 21 -- Yaxel Lendeborg
Associated Press Preseason All-America Team
» Graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg was selected to the 2025 Associated Press Preseason All-America Team, becoming the first Wolverine honored since Mitch McGary (2013-14).
» Lendeborg (30 votes) joins a five-man squad featuring Purdue's Braden Smith (57), Texas Tech's JT Toppin (52), BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa (22) and Florida's Alex Condon (16).
» One of college basketball's most complete players, Lendeborg made history last season at UAB -- joining Larry Bird as the only players ever to post 600-plus points, 400-plus rebounds and 150-plus assists in a single season. The two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 15.8 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game over two standout seasons before transferring to Ann Arbor.
Additional Accolades
• Lendeborg Earns Spot on Preseason All-Big Ten Team (10/27/2025)
Yaxel Lendeborg
Preseason All-America Team
• Associated Press
• Blue Ribbon Yearbook (first team)
• CBS Sports (second team)
• CBS' Jon Rothstein (second team)
• ESPN's Jay Bilas (first team)
• USA Today (second team)
Preseason All-Big Ten Team
• The 24th Wolverine in program history and first since Hunter Dickinson (2022-23)
Preseason All-Big Ten
• Athlon, Blue Ribbon Yearbook, BT Powerhouse & USA Today (first team)
Preseason Newcomer of the Year
• Blue Ribbon Yearbook & USA Today
