Yaxel Lendeborg opened up about the difficult period he experienced following his grandfather’s death, revealing that he stopped playing sports and worked in a warehouse before his mother encouraged him to attend a basketball camp that changed his career.
Lendeborg explained that baseball was originally his main sport, largely because of his grandfather, who introduced him to the game and served as his primary father figure.
His grandfather’s death had a significant impact on him, leading him to lose interest in athletics.
“For me, growing up, I was always like a baseball guy. My grandfather introduced me to that. So, when he passed away, I kind of like lost it mentally ‘cause he was my father figure pretty much my whole life. I stopped playing sports and was just going down a really bad dark path.”
Lendeborg said his struggles continued into high school, where he lacked motivation and was no longer involved in organized sports.
Instead, he spent time working at a warehouse and had little interest in pursuing an athletic career.
However, his mother eventually insisted that he attend a basketball camp in New York, giving him an opportunity to return to competitive sports.
“I get to high school, I’m just goofing off. I don’t really care about anything. I’m not playing no sports. I’m just had nothing. Went back to working at a warehouse job. And then I got forced again by my mom to go play at a camp in New York. It was like a Dominican camp.”
The decision proved important for Lendeborg, who attracted attention at the camp and received an opportunity to play college basketball at Arizona Western College.
“And I got recognized there. Got an offer from a Juco in Arizona Western, and that kind of started my basketball journey.”
