NEW YORK – Michigan Wolverines national champion Yaxel Lendeborg grew up rooting against Stephen Curry and Draymond Green; now he’ll be learning from them.

The Golden State Warriors selected him with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft on Tuesday night, adding a versatile, defense-first playmaker from a national championship team to a franchise built on championship standards.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me,” Lendeborg said after being drafted.“I’ve been saying this every time I get asked this question, but in 2016, I’m a big Kyrie guy, so I used to hate Steph Curry. So now that I’m actually gonna be on the same team with him, play and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot.”

Lendeborg said Curry’s reputation extends beyond the court.

“I met him a couple of times. He’s a very great guy, genuine person, and it’s gonna be an honor to be able to watch him do what he does in person,” Lendeborg said.

Lendeborg is coming off a breakout season at Michigan, where he helped former coach Dusty May’s Wolverines win a national championship.

He became one of college basketball’s top defenders, earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team while developing into a versatile forward who could impact the game on both ends.

“I feel like what will translate quickly for me would be just my defense, my versatility,” Lendeborg said. “Just the IQ of the game, making the right reads, making the play at the right time.”

In Golden State, Lendeborg will also have a chance to learn from veteran Draymond Green, the longtime Warriors leader and Michigan State Spartans legend, known for defense, playmaking, and voice in the locker room.

One immediate adjustment will be a new jersey number.

Lendeborg wore No. 23 at Michigan, but Green wears it for the Warriors.

Lendeborg joked that his backup choice, No. 3, is also unavailable.

“I think now that I’m stepping into the NBA, I’m going to step in with another number and start a new legacy,” Lendeborg said.

He also carried his Michigan rivalry energy with him on draft night. Asked if he would wear Michigan State gear to convince Green to give up No. 23, Lendeborg quickly said no.

“Nah, I’m not doing that, man,” Lendeborg said. “I hate those guys. I only been there for one year, but I definitely hate those guys.”

Lendeborg pointed to Michigan’s success against the Spartans during its title run.

“They can’t really say much because I went 2-0 against them this year,” Lendeborg said. “They’re gonna be little brother for me forever.”

Lendeborg also said his decision to return to college for another season helped him develop before making the jump to the NBA.

“When I was getting recruited by Dusty, he said he was going to make me a lottery pick,” Lendeborg said. “Evidently, he made me a lottery pick.”

“I went back because I didn’t feel like I was ready yet,” Lendeborg added. “I wanted to become a better person, better player. I wanted to develop pro habits.”

Michigan’s championship group shared draft night moments as several Wolverines were selected in the first round.

Lendeborg said the players stayed connected throughout the process.

“We were all super excited, super nervous,” Lendeborg said. “We were just talking about who we think is going to go first, who’s going where.”

He also joked that Dusty May would leave Michigan for the Dallas Mavericks after the title, then select teammate Morez Johnson Jr. No. 9 overall.

“I’m definitely mad at Dusty right now because we know who his favorite is now,” Lendeborg said.

Despite the banter, he said he was happy for his former teammate.

“I’m super happy for Morez. He definitely deserves it, and he’s going to be a great pro for sure,” he said.

Now Lendeborg heads to Golden State with the confidence of a champion and the chance to learn from champions.

“I’m super excited,” Lendeborg said. “I’m excited to be there and play

We had another beautiful day across the region. Temperatures were still slightly below average. Winds will continue to be off the lake but our focus for tonight will be the chance for strong to severe thunderstorms across north-central Minnesota. The biggest threats will be hail, gusty winds and lightning.

Additional showers and thunderstorms are expected Wednesday, mainly during the afternoon and early evening.

Strong or severe storms are not currently expected Wednesday. However, some of these pop up storms could produce some damaging winds.

A more summer-like pattern is expected for the end of the week into early next week with increasing moisture and temperatures.

Chances for storms are expected to return on Sunday and continue into the new week.

Tonight

Showers and thunderstorms redevelop later tonight with fog by sunrise, the low will be around 48. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Wednesday

AM Fog with afternoon showers and thunderstorms with a high near 63. East wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 15 mph.

Thursday

Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. East wind around 5 mph.

Friday

Partly sunny, with a high near 69. East wind 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday

A slight chance of showers after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69. Breezy, with an east wind 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Sunday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 74. Breezy, with an east wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Monday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 81. Southeast wind around 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

Tuesday

A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 83. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 15 mph.

.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – As more data centers are announced across Missouri, one state lawmaker wants to get rid of non-disclosure agreements.

Republican State Rep. Tricia Byrnes from St. Charles County organized a public hearing for Sept. 16 at the Missouri Capitol for lawmakers to discuss data center regulations. Any legislation that comes out of the hearing will have to wait until January to be introduced in the General Assembly. Byrnes said she hopes local communities take action before January.

The effort comes after Amazon and Google announced multibillion-dollar data center projects in Montgomery County, which Byrnes represents.

Montgomery County farmer Harry Cope said residents have concerns about how the projects have been handled.

“The transparency that’s gone on with all of this stuff in our county has been about like looking through muddy water,” Cope said.

Byrnes said Missourians are looking for state leaders to respond.

“Missourians should never take a bad deal. And right now, folks are waiting for Jefferson City to stand up and pay attention,” Byrnes said.

Byrnes is not proposing a complete statewide stop to data center projects. She said she wants to get rid of nondisclosure agreements for data center projects and create specific noise standards and water permits. She said she wants the process to happen in public.

Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, has said he supports more data centers in Missouri, saying they are better for the economy.

“It’s about opportunity, good-paying jobs, investment in our community, better efficiency. And it’s about making sure Missouri remains on the forefront of next-generation technology,” Kehoe said.

Byrnes did not directly comment on whether Kehoe will support her legislation. She addressed a comment the governor made last week, when he implied foreign adversaries such as China are spreading misinformation about data centers.

“We have extremely intelligent people all across Missouri, and what I’m hearing now is this spin that they’re hearing stuff from China. I can tell you, no one from China asked me to have you here today,” Byrnes said.

Missouri House Democratic Leader Ashley Aune said there is an opportunity for lawmakers to craft legislation based on what Missourians want.

“I don’t have a proposal top of mind about what regulation would, should, can look like across the state. But what I will say is that we have a real opportunity to work with our voters,” Aune said.