yahoo - 3/19/2026 11:18:33 PM - GMT (+2 )
Yaxel Lendeborg has been everything Michigan basketball wanted — and then some.
In making his pitch for Lendeborg to win Big Ten Player of the Year earlier this month, Wolverines coach Dusty May said, “... he’s done everything. He’s outperformed his contract; he’s outperformed all expectations up to this point."
"Outperformed his contract" raised a few eyebrows, but such is life in college sports' new era.
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But according to a recent interview, the Michigan All-American, who did eventually win Big Ten Player of the Year, could have had a much larger contract.
Lendeborg told the Associated Press he received a more lucrative offer from Kentucky when he was deciding where to transfer from UAB.
"They started the number with $7 (million) to $9 (million)," he said. "They were pretty much going off on the route like, 'We’ll pay him anything to get here.'"
Lendeborg was the most highly sought-after transfer candidate ahead of the 2025-26 season following his senior year at UAB, where he averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. Lendeborg officially transferred to Michigan in May and has lived up to the billing, leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten regular-season title.
Though it has not been reported how much the Wolverines are paying Lendeborg, the star forward says Kentucky offered him about three times more money than Michigan did. But Lendeborg told the AP he chose Michigan because he was "thinking long term."
"What if I mess up my career because I chased the money instead of a future? Another big reason why I went with Dusty was he didn’t talk about money at all. It was all about making me better and helping me achieve my goals," he said.
Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region and will play Howard at 7:10 p.m., Thursday, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Detroit Free Press reporter Christian Romo contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Yaxel Lendeborg says Kentucky offered $7-9 million as transfer target
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