Michigan Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg has become a superstar in his first season in Ann Arbor.
Lendeborg spent time at Arizona Western before going to UAB. Then, he transferred to Michigan and just won Big Ten Player of the Year for one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
Ahead of March Madness, Lendeborg revealed that the Kentucky Wildcats offered him a NIL deal in the range of $7 to $9 million, via Larry Lage of the Associated Press.
“They started the number with $7 to 9 (million),” Lendeborg said. “They were pretty much going off on the route like we’ll pay him anything to get here.”
Lendeborg said he was “thinking long term” instead of chasing the big payday.
Lendeborg is averaging 14.7 points per game with 7.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists entering March Madness. He is also projected to go 17th overall in the latest NBA mock draft from ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, so Lendeborg has become a household name to watch in college basketball.
Kentucky has spent a ton of money in previous years since NIL became prevalent in college sports, and A recent report stated that Kentucky spent around $20 million in NIL this past season.
A 22-year-old turning down a $7 million payday is not easy to do, but Lendeborg has found plenty of opportunities at Michigan, and the Wolverines are among the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament.
No. 1 seed Michigan will take on the winner of No. 16 seeds Howard and UMBC, with the Round of 64 game on Thursday at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.
