Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is making headlines beyond his play on the court. In the debut episode of a new YouTube vlog series, Lendeborg surprised his mother, Yissel Raposo, with a new home, moving her from New Jersey to California.
“Welcome home,” Lendeborg told his tearful mother in the video, before handing her the keys.
The video, titled “This one’s for Mama Yax,” marks the first installment of a series Lendeborg plans to produce throughout his rookie NBA season, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at his life on and off the court.
In the description accompanying the video, Lendeborg wrote about his gratitude toward his mother’s sacrifices over the years.
“There is no gesture big enough to properly say thank you for all the love, sacrifice, and support my mom has poured into me, but this moment was pretty special and one I’ll never forget. She deserves it all. For me, it’s bigger than basketball. It’s about making sure the people who believed in me get to enjoy the blessings too.”
In the video, Lendeborg explained that family members kept the surprise under wraps by telling his mother they were doing something else entirely, allowing them to catch her off guard before revealing the new house.
“Today is the first episode; I will be surprising my mom with a new house. On the move from Jersey to California,” Lendeborg says at the start of the video.
Family members, along with a camera crew, were present as Raposo arrived at the home. “On behalf of everybody who showed up, welcome home,” Lendeborg told her before presenting the keys.
Lendeborg said in the video that it took him two to three months to find the right home, with help from one of his sisters. Toward the end of the episode, he called his two younger sisters, who were stunned by the news.
“Shelly, he got the house in California! He got the house! In California!” one of Lendeborg’s younger sisters said.
Lendeborg closed the video by thanking viewers and saying he hoped they enjoyed his first episode.
A Family Built on Basketball
Basketball runs deep in the Lendeborg family. Raposo played college basketball and volleyball at American University of Puerto Rico, while Yaxel’s father, Okary Lendeborg, played for the Dominican National Team.
Yaxel grew up especially close to his mother, who primarily raised him in New Jersey while his father worked long hours. Okary told USA Today in March that Yaxel’s mother was his role model.
In February, Yaxel wrote about that bond in a Players Tribune essay titled “How My Mom Saved My Life,” describing how he nearly quit basketball during his senior year of high school while grieving the death of his grandfather.
A Strong Start in Golden State
Lendeborg has made an immediate impact for the Warriors, who are riding a six-game win streak. He has emerged as a key contributor alongside future Hall of Famer Steph Curry, averaging 31.8 minutes per game and already posting two 30-point performances this season.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login