Yaxel Lendeborg's sister, Yisendy Lendeborg, is also a basketball player
Credit: Gregory Shamus/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- University of Michigan basketball player Yaxel Lendeborg has three sisters
- His sister Yisendy plays basketball at Pennsauken High School, which Yaxel also attended
- Yisendy has spoken about how their mother, Yissel Raposo, did an “amazing job” at supporting Yaxel
Yaxel Lendeborg is known to many as the University of Michigan's star basketball player, but at home, his sisters know him as their big brother.
The University of Michigan basketball forward, who is leading the Wolverines as they compete in the final round of the 2026 March Madness Tournament on April 6, was born in Puerto Rico to his parents, mom Yissel Raposo and dad Okary Lendeborg, per MLive.com.
The family moved to Cincinnati when Yaxel was young, though his dad's job eventually brought them to Pennsauken, N.J., where he grew up with his sisters.
Although he hasn't spoken publicly about his siblings, Yaxel has discussed how his upbringing influenced his decision to play for the University of Michigan.
"I don’t know if it was something about growing up in northern Ohio, not too far from Michigan, or what, but there’s always been something about that Block M for me," he wrote in a February 2026 essay for The Players' Tribune. "That legacy. And every conversation I had with Coach [Dusty] May, it all just kept sounding better and better."
He continued, "Plus, Mom was excited about Michigan. Always talking about it and smiling at me. I ended up committing without even taking a visit."
Here's everything to know about Yaxel Lendeborg's sisters.
Yaxel has three sisters
Credit: Michael Reaves/Getty
Yaxel has three sisters, according to CNN. The basketball player hasn't spoken publicly about them, though his dad, Okary, has shared some glimpses into their life at home on his social media.
In December 2022, Okary shared a photo on Instagram with Yaxel and his siblings posing in front of a Christmas tree, wishing his followers a Merry Christmas from the Lendeborgs.
Yisendy is a sophomore in high school
Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty
Yaxel's sister Yisendy is a sophomore at Pennsauken High School, Yaxel's alma mater, per CBS News Philadelphia.
"I'm so happy that people have someone to look up to, the basketball players too, that someone made it where you're from," Yisendy told the outlet in April 2026 of her brother making it to the final round of March Madness.
Yaxel isn't the only basketball player among his siblings
Credit: Aaron J. Thornton/Getty
Yaxel comes from a long line of basketball players, as both of his parents played for the Dominican Republic's national basketball team.
"I played with Yaxel in my belly for two months and no one knew," Yaxel's mom Yissel told CBS News Philadelphia. "After the season, I told everyone, and they were so happy."
But, he isn't the only one his parents passed their athletic genes on to.
Yisendy is on the basketball team at Pennsauken High School, where she has been playing since her freshman year.
Yisendy said their family always believed in him
Credit: Yaxel Lendeborg/X
Yaxel has been vocal about his mother's support over the years, including writing in his essay for The Players' Tribune that she "saved [his] life" when he thought he had "nothing at all going for [himself]."
Ahead of the final March Madness round, Yisendy told 6ABC Philadelphia that their family never gave up on Yaxel amid his struggles growing up.
"My mom, too, she did an amazing job making sure he knew he was good. I know he doubts himself sometimes," Yisendy said in April 2026.
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