Yaxel Lendeborg has emerged as one of Michigan’s top stars during the 2026 NCAA Tournament, and he continues to credit his mother, Yissel Raposo, for his success on and off the court. As the Wolverines prepare for the national championship game, Raposo has also become a visible presence during the team’s run.
Despite being diagnosed with Stage 4 appendix cancer, Raposo has continued traveling to support her son, including attending games during Michigan’s postseason push
Yaxel Lendeborg Says His Mom Fuels His Play
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Lendeborg said his mother’s presence at games directly impacts how he performs. He described how he can hear her voice even in large arenas.
“The majority of the times when she’s at the game, I get a lot more aggressive,” Yaxel said to The Athletic. “She has this certain calling that she does whenever I get the ball.”
Raposo explained her courtside support.
“I just say in Spanish, ‘Vamos, Yaxel!’ You know, ‘Let’s go!’” she said.
“Sometimes I do a sound with my mouth, and I know he hear me.”
Lendeborg added, “I can hear nobody else in the stadium but her. It puts me in attack mode, honestly.”
Lendeborg Credits Mom for Guiding His Career
Lendeborg said his mother played a key role in shaping his path to college basketball. Raposo pushed him to improve academically and pursue opportunities that eventually led him to Michigan.
She required him to take classes away from his high school to improve his grades and encouraged him to attend junior college in Arizona. After three years at Arizona Western and two seasons at UAB, Yaxel transferred to Michigan.
He is now the Big Ten Player of the Year and is averaging 21 points and 7.3 rebounds during the NCAA Tournament.
“None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for her helping me out and believing in me more than I believed in myself,” Lendeborg said earlier in the tournament.
His mom played a direct role in changing his trajectory during a difficult period in his life.
In his Players’ Tribune essay, Yaxel recalled a moment that reshaped everything.
“You need to do what I tell you right now, Yax,” she said.
He described the moment in detail: “She’s crying some of the realest, saddest tears you will ever see in your life.”
The realization became a turning point in his life. “I literally remember thinking… Why would you do this to your own mom?”
He added, “My mom pretty much saved my life that night.”
Yaxel Lendeborg Shares Emotional Reaction to Cancer Diagnosis
Lendeborg revealed in a February essay for The Player’s Tribune that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer. Raposo initially kept the diagnosis private to avoid distracting him during the season.
“She said she had kept it from me, and didn’t want to say anything, because she knew how important this season was for me,” Yaxel wrote. “Didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my future.”
Raposo later described the moment she told her son.
“He stopped the car and started crying a lot,” she said. “I was crying a lot too. I told him how to be strong and told him I was going to be OK.”
Lendeborg has continued to speak about his mother’s impact.
“Sometimes I’m at a loss for words when I think about where I am right now. I owe it all to my mom,” he said.
Raposo said she has undergone 11 chemotherapy treatments and plans to continue treatment as Michigan advances in the tournament.
She said she often feels tired but continues to attend games when she has the energy.
“I’m alive,” Raposo said. “That’s the good thing.”
The Michigan Star Calls His Mom His ‘Hero’
Lendeborg has repeatedly described his mother as the driving force behind his journey.
“All that I do, anything I have or will accomplish, I owe it all to her,” he wrote. “She is my guardian angel. My hero.”
Raposo said she was surprised by how openly her son has spoken about her.
“I’m surprised that he told all this about me,” she said. “I’m surprised, but I’m happy at the same time.”
She added, “I always say, ‘Yaxel, you have talent, God gave you the talent. So you have to be good in life.’”
The 2026 Men’s NCAA Basketball National Championship game between the UConn Huskies and Michigan Wolverines is on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8:50 p.m. ET on TBS, TNT, and truTV, and available to stream on NCAA March Madness
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