Yaxel Lendeborg reacts to Michigan being called mercenaries: 'We're the best team in college basketball'

Criticism followed Michigan basketball throughout its national championship campaign in 2026. One argument that was made against Dusty May’s squad was that they were simply bought — a team of mercenaries.

Yaxel Lendeborg, the crown jewel of the Wolverines transfer portal class and the star of the team throughout its campaign, addressed this head-on as confetti reigned down on him and his teammates after the game.

“Hey man, they might still be calling us mercenaries, but we’re the hardest playing team in (college) basketball. We’re the best team in college basketball, and we want to be one of the greats ever,” Lendeborg told CBS Sports’ Tracy Wolfson on the court.

Most competitive teams are clocking in around the $8-12 million range for its NIL budget — and the Wolverines are no different. Because of this, they were able to piece together a top-five transfer portal class that included Lendeborg — the No. 1 rated transfer in last year’s portal class — along with Aday Mara, Morez Johnson and Elliot Cadeau.

All four played a major role in the Wolverines national championship run. They combined for 52 of Michigan’s 69 points on the night, led by Cadeau’s 19 points on 5-11 shooting. Johnson logged 12 points and 10 rebounds while Mara finished with eight points.

Lendeborg finished with 13 points on 4-13 shooting, though he was playing on a sprained MCL and told Wolfson at halftime that he was feeling weak. He said he wasn’t making the plays he usually would because of the injury but still was able to finish the game playing 36 out of 40 minutes.

Regardless of what they were paid, nothing can take away their forever status as national champions. Overall, it’s the first title for Michigan since 1989, and second all-time following a 37-3 campaign. Michigan was previously 1-6 all-time in the title game, and are now back on top of the college basketball world.