Steve Kerr already has plenty to praise about the Golden State Warriors rookie. But Yaxel Lendeborg’s latest gesture of buying a dream house for his mother gave the head coach another reason to admire him.
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It was the second big gift that the young forward recently bought for his mother, Yissel Raposo. Kerr was among those touched by the gesture, especially knowing everything the rookie’s mother has done to help him reach the NBA.
“I saw it this morning, it’s incredible, you know, just such a heartwarming moment, and it is life-changing for these guys to make the NBA, and life-changing for themselves and their families, and we always love to see someone like Yaxel, who’s taking care of his mom, taking care of his family, it’s beautiful, it’s really nice,” Kerr said to the media on Saturday.
Yaxel Lendeborg’s mother has been central to his journey. Raposo supported and sacrificed to keep his NBA dream alive when she was suffering from Stage 4 cancer. After surprising her with the house, the Warriors rookie shared an emotional message about what the moment meant to him.
“There is no gesture big enough to properly say thank you for all the love, sacrifice, and support my mom has poured into me but this moment was pretty special and one I’ll never forget. She deserves it all. For me, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s about making sure the people who believed in me get to enjoy the blessings too.”
Raposo, a former national-level volleyball player, was competing in both basketball and volleyball at the American University of Puerto Rico when she gave birth to Yaxel. She later took an active role in his development, even coaching him at home and making sure he stayed on track academically.
When Yaxel Lendeborg struggled to attract attention from basketball scouts, Raposo stepped in. The Warriors rookie’s mother used her connections with the Dominican national team to help him secure a place at a basketball camp in New York. That’s why, time and again, the 24-year-old has credited his mother.
“All that I do, anything I have or will accomplish, I owe it all to her. She is my guardian angel. My hero,” he wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
Her support became even more important after she was diagnosed with Stage 4 appendix cancer. Raposo has been undergoing treatment and chemotherapy, but she remained determined not to let her illness interfere with her son’s biggest opportunities. During Michigan’s NCAA Tournament run, she even scheduled chemotherapy sessions around his games so he could remain focused on basketball.
The dream house is not the first major gift Yaxel Lendeborg has given her. Last year, he surprised his mother with her dream car. And now, the Warriors rookie bought a house, which was just another opportunity for him to keep showing love and respect for Raposo.