Michigan basketball: eight alums in the NBA's summer showcase

ANN ARBOR. Eight former Michigan Wolverines played in the 2026 NBA Summer League, and Yaxel Lendeborg had the best week of anyone on the floor. The No. 11 overall pick for the Golden State Warriors put up 21 points and 10 rebounds as the Warriors beat the Memphis Grizzlies 94-90 for the championship, capping a run that averaged 14.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists a game on 48.4 percent shooting. He walked away with both tournament MVP and championship game MVP.

Other Wolverines made their own marks. Morez Johnson Jr. averaged 18.5 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Dallas Mavericks before he was shut down after two games, and Aday Mara put up 9.2 points and 7.0 rebounds for the Oklahoma City Thunder over five. Kobe Bufkin led the New Orleans Pelicans in scoring at 21.3 points a game, and Roddy Gayle Jr., now with the Detroit Pistons, shot 61.5 percent from the field. Only one other player in NCAA and NBA history has won a national championship and a Summer League title in the same year. Now Lendeborg has too.