600 points, 400 rebounds, and 150 assists in a single season. Only two players in NCAA Division I history have ever done that: Larry Bird and Yaxel Lendeborg. One grew up in French Lick, Indiana. The other was born in Puerto Rico with Dominican roots, and his path to this moment was anything but straightforward.

At 16, Yaxel Lendeborg was playing video games for up to 19 hours a day and had been cut from his high school basketball team for failing to meet academic requirements. Today, he is the Big Ten Player of the Year and a projected NBA lottery pick. So what does it take to go from that low to this high? As Lendeborg puts it, ‘It was all because of a Dominican camp.’

Where Is Yaxel Lendeborg From and What Is His Nationality?

Yaxel Lendeborg was born on September 30, 2002, in Puerto Rico. His mother, Yissel Raposo, was a college student at the American University of Puerto Rico at the time of his birth. As he stated in an interview, his mother relocated the family to Cincinnati, Ohio. And after that, they relocated to Pennsauken, New Jersey, just outside Philadelphia, when he was around eight years old. It was in Pennsauken where he spent the bulk of his formative years.

Born in Puerto Rico, Yaxel Lendeborg is a U.S. citizen by birth, but he holds dual nationality through his Dominican heritage. However, although he was raised and educated entirely within the United States, he still identifies with his Dominican roots. His official U.S. basketball profiles list his hometown as Pennsauken, New Jersey. But he has publicly committed his international loyalty to the Dominican Republic national team, following in the footsteps of both his parents.

What Is Yaxel Lendeborg’s Ethnicity and Family Background?

Yaxel Lendeborg is of Dominican and Latino heritage. Both of his parents, his mother Yissel Raposo and his father Okary Lendeborg, are from the Dominican Republic, and both represented the Dominican Republic at the highest level of international basketball. His mother also played for the country’s volleyball team.

That Dominican identity has remained a central and proudly worn part of who Lendeborg is. And in many ways, it is also what kick-started his entire basketball journey. After graduating from high school in 2020 with no Division I offers and an uncertain future, Lendeborg attended an exposure camp in New York specifically designed for Dominican players. It was there that he caught the eye of the right people, setting in motion a chain of events that would eventually take him to Arizona Western College, then UAB, and ultimately Michigan. 

Yaxel Lendeborg’s grandfather also played a significant role in his background. It was his grandfather, his first father figure, given that his father was playing basketball abroad when he was born, who first took him to a basketball court. Losing his grandfather was therefore one of the most pivotal moments of his life.

Which High School Did Yaxel Lendeborg Attend?

Yaxel Lendeborg attended Pennsauken High School in Pennsauken, New Jersey. To get his grades up, he enrolled in a dual enrollment program at nearby Camden County College, taking the same curriculum in a different environment, away from the distractions of his regular school setting. 

The change worked. His grades skyrocketed, he regained his eligibility, and he returned to the basketball court for the second half of his senior season, playing in just 11 games but performing well enough to catch the attention of Arizona Western College. Eleven games. That was all it took to set everything in motion.

What Religion Does Yaxel Lendeborg Follow?

Yaxel Lendeborg is a Christian, and he has always been open about his faith. After completing his remarkable turnaround, from academic struggles and near dropout to college graduate and Big Ten Player of the Year, Lendeborg opened up about the role his faith played in getting him to where he is. When reflecting on his journey, he said: “It’s a blessing to be honest with you. All glory to God and thank you to my mom as well for helping me out and digging me out of the hole that I was in.”

Lendeborg’s faith is also woven into his daily routine. Before every single game, he says a prayer. His pregame ritual always begins with a prayer that also includes listening to the same three songs on a playlist and watching Michael Jordan motivational videos. But the prayer always comes first. For him, basketball is not just a professional pursuit. He describes it as a platform, a way to “represent the kingdom of God” and use his visibility to “point all the attention back to Him.”