Steph Curry Plans to 'Work Hard' to Become Yaxel Lendeborg’s ‘Favorite' After Draft Pick Admits He Used to ‘Hate’ the NBA Star
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: John Nacion/FilmMagic; Steve Freeman/NBAE via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Steph Curry is welcoming his new teammate
- Yaxel Lendeborg was drafted by the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night
- Lendeborg said he "used to hate" Curry years ago, when he was a Cleveland Cavaliers fan
Steph Curry is rolling out the welcome mat for rookie Yaxel Lendeborg — and he’s bringing the jokes too.
After the former Michigan standout shared a Draft night confession — that he “used to hate Steph Curry” — the Golden State Warriors star couldn’t resist weighing in.
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“Let’s go! Welcome to the Bay!” Curry, 38, wrote in the comments of Lendeborg’s Instagram post. “I'm going to work hard to be your new favorite player.”
Yaxel LendeborgCredit: Catalina Fragoso/NBAE via Getty
For Lendeborg, the supposed animosity goes back a decade, when he was a kid and rooted for the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
"I'm a big Kyrie [Irving] guy," Lendeborg said. "So I used to hate Steph Curry."
But the new Warriors forward then quickly pivoted.
"Now that I'm actually going to be able to be on the same team with him, play and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot," he said. "He's a very great guy, genuine person. It's going to be an honor to be able to watch what he does in person."
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The Puerto Rico native actually met Curry a couple of months ago, when he attended the play-in game between the Warriors and LA Clippers in April. The two reconnected last week when Lendeborg worked out for the team, according to ESPN.
And while his former Michigan teammate Morez Johnson Jr. is now linking up with Kai in Dallas, Lendeborg is grateful for where he ultimately landed.
“Throughout all the mental warfare and all the mental collapse I accomplished something many can’t say they have,” he wrote on his Instagram page on draft night. “Always had a big heart and gave my all to this game! This is the ultimate reward, I pray that I can be a role model to somebody who was just like me with no hope and no confidence in himself. Thank you God for not letting me quit and giving me the strength to keep fighting! Next chapter begins as I am now a Warrior. Thank you Dub Nation💙.”
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