Draymond Green and Yaxel Lendeborg are different in so many ways. The former is 36 years old, has completed 14 seasons in the NBA, and is putting the finishing touches on a Hall of Fame career; the latter is 23, and just beginning an NBA journey that began on Tuesday, when the Golden State Warriors used the 11th overall pick in the 2026 Draft on him. Green is a basketball lifer who was an All-American in high school and heavily recruited by countless big-name colleges; Lendeborg took to the sport as a teenager, played in junior college, and spent four years at small-name institutions before breaking into the ranks of a big-time D1 school. One chose the Lansing segment of a Michigan rivalry; the other chose the Ann Arbor option.
But for those stock differences, Green and Lendeborg are alike in many ways beyond being employed by the Warriors. They’re both versatile forwards who can do a little bit of everything on the court. Each can pass far better than a player of their size usually does. Both bring a bulldog mentality to the defensive end of the court, where they’re comfortable guarding any player of any size at any position.
And they both can talk a little trash.
Lendeborg, who spent his super senior season at Michigan (where he won the 2026 NCAA championship), has worn No. 23 throughout his career. Green, who spent four seasons at Michigan State, also wears No. 23 (the number has since been retired at his college, and one day will be by the Warriors).
After getting drafted, Lendeborg wasted no time taking a shot at his new teammate and mentor. At his introductory presser, Lendeborg (who will wear No. 1 with the Dubs) was asked if he would be willing to wear his collegiate rival’s gear all year if it meant getting to keep his jersey number.
“Nah. Nah.” the consensus first-team All-American said with a laugh. “I’m not doing that, man. I hate those guys. I only been there for one year, but I definitely hate those guys.”
Lendeborg not only showed his disdain for Michigan State, but got in some smack talk as well, saying, “They can’t really say much, because I went 2-0 against them this year. They’re gonna be little brother to me forever, and I’m not gonna represent the losers ever.”
While those are fighting words, it was clear from Lendeborg’s demeanor that it was some light-hearted trash talk. He kept the playful pokes coming when he liked an Instagram post of someone throwing a punch with the caption, “Draymond Green when he realizes Yaxel went to the same college as Jordan Poole.”
It’s impossible to know how locker room dynamics will play out until we get to see them in action, but this certainly has the makings of a hilarious, good-natured rivalry between Lendeborg and the veteran that he’ll try to emulate on the court. Green, for all his controversies over the year, can (usually) get it as good as he gives it, as his frequent banters with Charles Barkley have proven. Something tells me this isn’t the last we hear from the intrastate rivalry … and something tells me these two are going to get along just fine.
