Johnson Jr., Lendeborg, Mara Selected Within Four Picks in First Round of NBA Draft
6/23/2026 9:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
• Michigan 2026 NBA Draft Notes
BROOKLYN, N.Y. -- For the first time in 36 years, a trio of University of Michigan men's basketball players were selected in the first round of the NBA Draft as Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara heard their names called Tuesday night (June 23) at Barclays Center.
Michigan became the fifth program in NBA Draft history to produce at least three lottery selections in a single draft since the lottery expanded to 14 picks in 2004. Johnson (No. 9), Lendeborg (No. 11) and Mara (No. 12) gave the Wolverines their first trio of lottery picks and marked the first occurrence since Duke accomplished the feat in 2025.
U-M joined North Carolina (2005), Florida (2007), Kentucky (2010, 2015, 2017) and Duke (2019, 2025) as the only programs to have three players or more selected among the top 14 picks in a single draft. North Carolina (2005) and Kentucky (2015) remain the only schools to produce four lottery picks in one draft, while Duke and Kentucky are the only programs to accomplish the feat multiple times.
Fresh off helping Michigan capture its first national championship in 37 years, the three standout big men became the 81st, 82nd and 83rd Wolverines selected in the NBA Draft and increased Michigan's total of first-round selections to 35.
Michigan matched a program record with three first-round selections in the same draft, equaling the 1990 NBA Draft, where Rumeal Robinson (No. 10, Atlanta Hawks), Loy Vaught (No. 13, Los Angeles Clippers) and Terry Mills (No. 16, Denver Nuggets) were all selected in the opening round.
The trio also became the first Wolverines selected in the first round since Franz Wagner was chosen eighth overall by the Orlando Magic in 2021. It marked the first time since 2014 -- and the 10th time in program history -- that Michigan had three players selected in the same draft, further extending the program's tradition of producing NBA talent.
Morez Johnson Jr., F | No. 9 Overall | Dallas Mavericks
After transferring from Illinois, Johnson quickly became a key piece of Michigan's national championship team, starting all 40 games and averaging 13.1 points and a team-best 7.3 rebounds. He scored in double figures 30 times, including five 20-point performances, and posted a career-high 29 points against No. 24 USC.
Johnson anchored the Wolverines on the glass, leading the team with 293 rebounds and averaging 7.3 per game. He grabbed at least five rebounds in 32 games and recorded a team-best nine double-doubles, highlighted by a 12-point, 10-rebound effort in Michigan's national championship victory over UConn. His best rebounding performance came at Washington, where he collected a career-high 16 boards while adding 18 points.
Offensively, Johnson ranked second on the team with 524 points while shooting 62.3 percent from the field. He expanded his game beyond the paint, knocking down 12 three-pointers after not making one during his freshman season at Illinois. He also added 48 assists, 44 blocks and 27 steals.
For his efforts, Johnson earned All-Big Ten second-team honors from the coaches, third-team recognition from the media and a spot on the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. He was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team following Michigan's championship run.
Yaxel Lendeborg, F | No. 11 Overall | Golden State Warriors
Lendeborg made an immediate impact in his lone season at Michigan after transferring from UAB, helping lead the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship, Final Four appearance and NCAA national title. He averaged a team-high 15.1 points to go along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors and becoming Michigan's first recipient since Nik Stauskas in 2014.
Playing in all 40 games, Lendeborg scored in double figures 31 times, including 10 games with 20 or more points. He posted a season-high 29 points at Maryland and recorded seven double-doubles. A versatile offensive threat, he shot 51.5 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range.
A consensus All-American, Lendeborg earned All-Big Ten first-team honors from both the coaches and media and was selected to the Big Ten All-Defensive Team. He was also named the NCAA Midwest Regional Most Outstanding Player after helping guide Michigan to its ninth Final Four and first since 2018.
Over his Division I career, Lendeborg played in 112 games (107 starts), averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Before arriving in Ann Arbor, he became just the second Division I player to record at least 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a season, joining Larry Bird. Across his collegiate stops at Arizona Western, UAB and Michigan, Lendeborg amassed more than 3,000 career points and 1,700 rebounds.
Aday Mara, C | Pick No. 12 | Oklahoma City Thunder
After spending two seasons at UCLA, Mara transferred to Michigan and became the first Spanish player to win an NCAA national championship. In his lone season with the Wolverines, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists while playing in all 40 contests. He scored in double figures 28 times, highlighted by a career-high 26 points in Michigan's Final Four victory over Arizona.
Mara established himself as one of the nation's top defensive players, becoming the first Wolverine in nearly 40 years to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors, joining Gary Grant (1986, 1987). He led the conference with 2.6 blocks per game and 103 total blocks, setting a Michigan single-season record and becoming the first player in program history to reach 100 blocks. Mara recorded at least one block in every game, posted 18 games with three blocks or more and matched a career high with six blocks against Penn State.
He also made a major impact offensively, leading Michigan with a 66.8 field-goal percentage while making a team-best 201 field goals. Mara recorded 19 games with at least five field goals and grabbed five or more rebounds 33 times, including six games with double-digit rebounds and five double-doubles.
In addition to his Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honor, Mara was named to the All-Big Ten Defensive Team, All-Big Ten Tournament Team, NCAA Midwest Regional All-Tournament Team and NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.
