According to Yaxel Lendeborg, there is no college star or NBA contract without his mother Yissel Raposo. He simply refunded her accordingly.
The Golden State Warriors rookie recently achieved a “lifetime goal” by surprising his mother with a new home, documenting the reveal in a YouTube video titled “This One’s for Mama Yax.” Raposo is overcome with emotion when she is told, “Welcome home,” fighting back tears as she walks toward the door.
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Lendeborg reveals in the video that securing the house took two to three months.
Lendeborg’s statement in the video:
“There’s no gesture big enough to properly say thank you for all the love, sacrifice and support my mother has given me, but that moment was pretty special and one I’ll never forget. She deserves it all. To me, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s about making sure the people who believed in me get to enjoy the blessings too.”
The 24-year-old isn’t overstating the impact his mother, who was diagnosed with stage 4 appendix cancer last year, had on him.
As Lendeborg recalled in an article in The Players’ Tribune in February, titled “How My Mom Saved My Life,” there was a time when he struggled to finish high school to the point where he was not only academically ineligible for the basketball team, but in danger of not graduating.
He says Raposo pushed him to take a heavy workload at a local community college, which allowed him to play basketball during his senior year. She then quietly arranged to find him a spot in a showcase for Dominican players, which led to an offer from Arizona Western College, which she got him to accept despite his significant reservations.
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What followed was a tremendous success story in the transfer-rich world of modern college basketball. Lendeborg played at Arizona Western, transferred to UAB and excelled there, then joined Michigan for just one season. He was the leading scorer on a historically good Wolverines team, winning an NCAA title, All-American honors and the Big Ten Player of the Year award.
Despite being one of the older players in his draft class, the Warriors selected Lendeborg 12th overall. Her mother was there, of course, and they shared an emotional moment once her name was called.
Lendeborg’s NBA career is already off to a good start. His 21.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per game both rank him second in his draft class, while his 4.1 assists per game rank him fourth. He is one of the favorites for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.
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After an 0-3 start, the Warriors have won six straight games.
Gn sports
