Meet Yaxel Lendeborg: NBA rookie records career-high during Warriors vs Clippers & first for Golden State since 2010

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg starred with a career-best 37 points to shrug off the absence of Stephen Curry as Golden State Warriors defeated Los Angeles Clippers 124-112 on Sunday in a match of NBA 2026-27. It was Golden State Warriors' fourth straight win of the season.

Lendeborg, who was picked 11th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, racked up the highest points tally yet of his fledgling career while also providing six assists and grabbing four rebounds. His 37 points were the most by a Warriors rookie in a game since Curry had 42 in 2010.

Curry, now a 38-year-old veteran, had averaged 33 points over the past three games, including 44 against the Timberwolves, but missed Sunday's game to manage his troublesome right knee. It was fourth time in the season Lendeborg scored 20 or more points.

The 24-year-old rookie scored scoring five straight midway through the third quarter that gave the Golden State Warriors their biggest lead to that point at 83-68. He shot 13 for 19 — 6 of 11 from 3-point range — and his points were the most by a Warriors rookie since Curry in 2010, at Portland.

With two 30-point performances among his initial seven games, Lendeborg joined Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only other Warriors to do so. Lendeborg bounced back from a tough outing in a win against the Lakers on Friday in which he fouled out.

Born on 2002, Yaxel was born in Lendeborg household with basketball in the bloodline. His mother Yissel Raposo is a former basketball and vollyball player at the American University of Puerto Rico. Yaxel and his family moved to the United States when he was two years old.

Yaxel is also a Dominican national by descent, with both his parents having been natives. Yaxel attended the Pennsauken High School in New Jersey and made the squad as a freshman. However, he was benched mid-season due to poor academic performance and missed the next two seasons due to the same. Post high school, basketball was not in Yaxel's plans.

It was his mother who encouraged Yaxel to pursue college basketball and signed for Arizona Western Matadors. Following his run with Arizona Western Matadors, Yaxel moved to UAB Blazers in 2023, and two years later to Michigan Wolverines.

It was during his time at Michigan, Yaxel was honoured with Big Ten Player of the Year and helped lead the team to a deep NCAA tournament run. Yaxel landed at Golden State Warriors as the 11th overall pick at the 2026 NBA draft at the age of 23.

He signed his first professional contract with the Golden State Warriors in July earlier this year, worth $28.1 million over four years, including $12.5 million guaranteed. The third and fourth seasons are team options.

Koushik lives and breathes sports. After transitioning from his own aspirations of becoming a professional athlete, he successfully channeled that lifelong passion into a prolific career, documenting the action both from the sidelines and the editorial desk. With over eight years of industry experience, Koushik joined LiveMint as a Deputy Chief Content Producer in 2024, following impactful stints at Outlook India, India.com, Sportskeeda, Women’s CricZone, and OrissaPOST. A 2017 Journalism and Mass Communication graduate from Maharaja Manindra Chandra College, Kolkata, Koushik has reported on high-profile events including the FIFA U17 World Cup 2017, Ranji Trophy, FIH Pro League, FIH World League finals, the Indian Premier League, and Lionel Messi’s historic visit to Kolkata in 2025. <br><br> While he possesses a versatile command over all sports, he finds his niche in cricket, specializing in breaking news, long-form interviews, global sporting updates, and high-energy live blogs. Koushik’s professional perspective was further sharpened through the 2020 AIPS Young Reporters Programme, where he gained invaluable insights from renowned international journalists, including Keir Radnedge and Riccardo Romani from the United Kingdom, and Martin Mazur from Argentina. Currently based between Kolkata and Delhi, Koushik remains at the forefront of the breaking developments that shape the public sporting discourse. When he isn't tracking scores or deconstructing plays, he can be found exploring new landscapes on his travels or channeling his creative energy into the kitchen. <br><br> If you have a compelling story to share or know an individual who deserves the spotlight, please reach out via email at <a href="[email protected]">[email protected]</a>.