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00:00With the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors select Yaxel Lendebord from the University of
00:10Michigan.
00:11Now, back to Will and Dibby on 95.7 The Game.
00:16Yeah, I don't want to make it about you, but then again, it's a radio show.
00:21Sure, yeah.
00:22So, like, we can make it a little bit about you.
00:24I'll take it, yeah.
00:25You were on this before anybody.
00:27I was.
00:27Yeah.
00:28You know, and I do.
00:29What was that?
00:29But go back to the beginning.
00:31Why did you circle him?
00:34Quite frankly, it feels like it was.
00:37Stalkerish?
00:38Well, no, no, no.
00:39I'm trying to think calendar-wise.
00:41Was it during the tournament, or was it right after?
00:44I would say even a shade before.
00:46Okay.
00:46As we were starting to yuck in.
00:48So, it's June 24th.
00:50That means that you are saying right about mid-March.
00:55Or even a shade earlier.
00:56Yeah, that you brought up Yaxel.
00:59Yes.
01:00Well, you know, and you were making fun of me because every day I was doing my pencil and paper
01:05thing with the daily matchups for college basketball, trying to perfect my system so that when I go to Vegas
01:11that my gambling system is all fine-tuned and ready.
01:14So, starting in about December, I was watching a lot of college basketball and mid-majors and all the rest
01:20of it.
01:20And then you start to see the cream rise, and then you do a little bit of a deeper dive
01:24on those teams, and you look at Michigan, and he stands out.
01:28And you look at him, and you go, wow.
01:30You start to search up mock drafts, and he was mocked in that 10 to 15 range.
01:36Right, but at that time, we didn't even know what pick the Warriors had.
01:39We didn't.
01:39Their season wasn't even over yet.
01:41I mean, it kind of was when Jimmy got hurt.
01:43You know what I mean.
01:44Like, the regular season was still going.
01:46Yes.
01:46You didn't know that the Warriors were going to even be in the lottery, let alone what pick would they
01:51have in the lottery.
01:53And you're like, Yaxel.
01:56Lundenborg.
01:57Yes.
01:57And I'm like, the country?
01:59That little country?
02:00What's it?
02:01I don't even know what you're saying to me right now.
02:03Yeah.
02:03And now he's a Warrior.
02:04He is.
02:05And ultimately, when the Warriors get knocked out in the play-in, and then they go in the lottery, and
02:11they don't move off of 11, you look at it at 11, and you say, yeah, he probably will be
02:16there, and he might be the best fit.
02:18So we'll go ahead and say Yaxel Lundenborg.
02:21And we were right.
02:22So there you have it.
02:23You were right.
02:24Yes.
02:25Well, everyone else is right, too.
02:27Say it.
02:28Say it.
02:29I had it first.
02:30Say I was right.
02:32Off my Yaxel signing, and all the rest of you, and Larry Beal, who I love, y'all were later.
02:38Late to the party.
02:39Oh, that's why it's fine to be late.
02:41Like, you can still be into it.
02:43Like, I'm allowed to root here at the World Cup.
02:46I will not have any of this crap.
02:48I don't like it when people do.
02:51It's funny.
02:51It's almost like a much, much calmer, more playful thing than all the stuff that happens in the political and
02:58social arena.
02:59But the lovely Christy and I are having a kind of a World Cup off.
03:03Because she's like, I don't like it when people don't watch soccer, and then the World Cup comes around, and
03:08they're like, yeah, soccer!
03:09And I'm like, well, first of all, that's not what it is.
03:13I just don't have a team.
03:15So there's soccer on.
03:17I always appreciate soccer, but I don't yawk in.
03:20Yep.
03:20Because I don't have a team.
03:22I always enjoy the sport, and I love the tournament, the World Cup.
03:26And so then I fire back.
03:27I'm like, I don't like it when people try to be bouncers at the World Cup.
03:32And, like, don't.
03:33Don't keep people out.
03:35You know, we had that whole segment two weeks ago about the WNBA, who I feel like sometimes it's like,
03:41eh, let the red ropes down.
03:43I understand all the social aspects of it, but invite people in.
03:48Invite people in.
03:49Right.
03:49So I'm kind of, we're kind of in that, and I know there's a lot of that out there, as
03:55if you need to, like, earn your fandom to the World Cup or something.
03:59No, just, it's on.
04:01Go crazy.
04:02It's on, and it's during the day, and.
04:04It's all day, every day.
04:05Like, today there's six matches.
04:07I love sporting events like this.
04:09Two matches concurrently three different times today, so we've got two screens right now.
04:14Our screens are watching the World Cup, and yesterday we were out at Laughing Monk, the gastropub here in the
04:19city.
04:19And I happened to bump into Chris Brown.
04:22Yeah.
04:23The head coach of USF, USF men's soccer coach, who is a P1 listener.
04:27What up, Chris?
04:28And his coaching staff were there, and we're chatting it up and talking soccer.
04:32And he's like, hey, is Willard into soccer?
04:34And I said, not so much, but he's into this.
04:37And I said, he likes soccer.
04:40He appreciates it.
04:40But come World Cup time, he's all about it.
04:43Yeah.
04:43No.
04:44And my daughter was a high school soccer player.
04:46So, like, there's no shortage on the appreciation for the sport.
04:51I just don't watch it every day.
04:55Right.
04:55But I don't get to the World Cup and feel like I need some sort of entrance ticket.
05:00Just, no.
05:02And I love sporting events.
05:04That's one of my favorite things about the NCAA basketball tournament and the World Cup.
05:10Like, if it's off, we go to bed.
05:12When we wake up, it's back on.
05:14I love that.
05:15Yep.
05:15Let's do this for a whole month.
05:17There's just soccer on.
05:19Whenever you want it to be on.
05:20And that's kind of how I feel about the Olympics, too.
05:22Yeah.
05:23And then we learn about countries.
05:24I don't know what the hell a Capo Verde was.
05:27Right.
05:27I do now.
05:28Yep.
05:29Sweet.
05:29That's the beauty of it.
05:30And I think the event is so great because Capo Verde has got 500,000 people, I think.
05:36And the U.S. has more than 300 million.
05:39And for 90 minutes, that tiny little country can be better than the big, bad United States.
05:44And it's just kind of the purity of the event.
05:47But it's offset by the impurity of the organization that runs the event.
05:52So I try to.
05:53That's a good point.
05:54I try to forget that part of it because, you know, so much about sports, the innocence of the actual
06:00event
06:00can be corrupted, point intended there, by the organization.
06:05Nice job.
06:07Nice job.
06:07But anyway, Yaxo Lundeborg.
06:10So here we are.
06:12And they make the pick.
06:14And I do think that, you know, in many ways, this is the first representation, if you will,
06:24of what Steve Kerr kind of called a transitional period.
06:28And so I'm not going to stand on a bunch of boxes and scream that Yaxo is going to be
06:34amazing.
06:35But I really do think I'm interested.
06:40I'm interested to see how they do this.
06:42And I will.
06:43I don't want to ever sound like, you know, I'm responding to people who didn't even call our show.
06:48But I've heard a lot of people throughout the day, a lot of 95-7 the game for me today.
06:53Running a lot of errands, doing some things.
06:55The radio was on the whole day.
06:57Smart speaker, all the stuff.
06:58And I heard a lot of you do the whole, like, I don't even know why we care who the
07:03Warriors picks.
07:04Not like Steve Kerr is going to play them.
07:06And I'm like, okay.
07:09I understand the wounds that are there.
07:12I'm fully aware of the wounds that are there.
07:15And maybe I'm the gullible one.
07:17But we've been listening to what the Warrior organization has been talking about throughout the end of last season and
07:24into this offseason.
07:26And I firmly believe that the Warriors are aware.
07:31They are aware that it is time to do a few things differently.
07:37And I would be, and I mean all caps, shocked if Yaxel did not, from the jump, play a lot
07:48of minutes this year.
07:49And I think that Mike Dunleavy and Steve Kerr, if you're listening closely enough, have already told you that.
07:56They've said it.
07:57Yeah, they've said they need people.
07:59They have four healthy players under contract.
08:02And Yaxel, not yet under contract.
08:04They just drafted him.
08:05They have to sign him.
08:06I think that they will.
08:07And hopefully they trot him out in one of the various summer leagues.
08:11And you get a chance to see him in Vegas or maybe even the California Classic in Sacramento.
08:16But yes, they need bodies.
08:18They need human beings who can play.
08:20And this is not your fresh out of college 19-year-old.
08:25The guy's going to be 24 in September.
08:27Going to be.
08:28And just looking at it, he won't be the youngest on the team, assuming he signs.
08:33No.
08:33Pods is younger, right?
08:35Pods is younger.
08:36And Will Richard is younger.
08:37Sure.
08:38And Guy is just a tiny bit older.
08:40As is Moses Moody, who's been here forever.
08:43That's crazy.
08:45Mike Dunleavy was asked, how much do you think Yaxel's going to play this year?
08:48I think it's tough.
08:49You know, any time a guy's changing levels, whether you're going from high school to college, college to the NBA.
08:54So it's hard to say.
08:55But generally, guys like this guy who's physically ready, he's played at the highest level of college, won a national
09:01championship.
09:02Maybe those guys can play sooner.
09:03And so next year, to be frank, whether we want him to or not, given our roster constraints and injuries
09:10and stuff like that, the opportunity will be there.
09:12Whether we want to or not, he's playing.
09:16He's playing.
09:17So I totally understand that some of you might go into I'll believe it when I see it mode.
09:24But Yaxel's going to play this year.
09:25Yaxel is not going to be on the G League team.
09:28No.
09:29He's going to play, and he's going to play a lot until you get to a spot where he proves
09:34that he's not quite NBA ready, which I don't think is going to happen.
09:38I have faith that his game will translate, but he's going to get a crack.
09:42And think about Will Richard and how much he played.
09:45He played a lot early, and then he kind of fell out of favor, and he fell back into favor.
09:50And I think that Yaxel plays a position, as you just mentioned, that they're so desperate for.
09:55They almost have no choice but to play him.
09:57Well, and I look at that, too.
09:58I mean, the investment matters, and the way you acquired a player matters.
10:04You know what I mean?
10:05So when you compare Yaxel to Will Richard, these are two completely different paths to the Warriors.
10:11One is a second-round pick, and the other is not just a first-round pick.
10:15It's a lottery pick.
10:16And one came in at a time where the Warriors, I think, to a degree, were still kidding themselves.
10:21And another one comes in at a time where the Warriors, I don't think, are kidding themselves anymore.
10:25And they're much more aware of their position.
10:27I look at that almost like Zach Littell and Rafi Devers.
10:31Both of them can yell at the manager.
10:32One of them is going to get DFA, and the other one is going to back clean up tomorrow because
10:37they are two completely different kinds of investments who found their way to their respective teams in a completely different
10:44way.
10:45So Yaxel is one of one.
10:48This is the one and only lottery pick of Mike Dunleavy's career as Warriors general manager.
10:54And he's going to play.
10:55Yeah.
10:56And he's going to play a lot, I would bet.
10:57I would bet he plays more than Will Richard played last year, which Will Richard played a good amount.
11:03He wound up playing in 69 of the 82 games, and he averaged 20 minutes a game.
11:09That is, I mean, that's an example of a head coach playing somebody.
11:13And I know that some of the circumstances were Steph was gone for a while and Jimmy Butler out for
11:18the year.
11:19But Will Richard was given a little bit more of a long leash than many people would have thought.
11:25And I loved Will Richard last year.
11:27Yes, you did.
11:28When I saw him at Florida and I met him at Summer League.
11:31Past tense?
11:31I still do.
11:32Are you sure?
11:33Yeah, no doubt.
11:34It doesn't seem the same.
11:35It is the same.
11:36I think that the magic is gone.
11:38Well, you know, you're a year in.
11:40And so the newness and the freshness.
11:42Yeah, the sizzle.
11:43Grandy and I sat down with him at Summer League, and I got a chance to see the moxie and
11:47the self-confidence and the gravitas.
11:49And, you know, another guy who came in off a natty, off the national championship.
11:54And so he came in with that same sort of I belong vibe.
11:58And, yeah, Yax was kind of the flavor of the month now.
12:02He's the new kid on the block.
12:03You're listening to 95.7 The Game, KGMZ FM and HG1 San Francisco and Odyssey Sports Station,
12:07the home of the Golden State Warriors and Valkyries.
12:09He's always live on the free Odyssey app, coming to you live from the Laughing Monk Studios.
12:12I've been telling you about the opportunity to play golf at the beautiful Silverado Resort in Napa and to do
12:19it with one of us.
12:20All six of us hosts here are going to pair up with a winner.
12:22So six winners, and we will play on Monday, July 13th.
12:26So step one, be available on Monday, July 13th.
12:29Once you've confirmed that, then you need to submit a 30-second or less video of your golf swing.
12:35We hope it's good.
12:36Your best golf gear, it has to be good.
12:39And then an explanation of why you want to play around with us.
12:43And you can be as playful as you want.
12:45You can say, because I hate your take so much that I want to accidentally hit you with a golf
12:50ball.
12:50I'm not saying you'll win, but I don't know that you won't.
12:54Anyway, that's what you do at 957thegame.com.
12:58Submit your video.
12:59And then maybe you'll be at the beautiful Silverado Resort in Napa on Monday, July 13th, playing golf with us.
13:05The beauty of this contest from our standpoint is you get to pick someone, and so do I.
13:10So your criteria may be more golf swing.
13:13Mine might be the comedy of your video.
13:16So, you know, you just never know what video is going to resonate with whom.
13:20It's kind of like golf speed dating.
13:22Right?
13:23We're going to do a little video, and you already know us a little bit.
13:27We're going to get to know you and find out if we want to swipe right.
13:32Yeah, we'll see what kind of judge of character we all are based on, you know, what you're exactly looking
13:38for, you know.
13:39I definitely would look for somebody who's at least competent on the golf course.
13:44Well, sure.
13:45Yes.
13:45A certain amount of competence.
13:47The fit probably matters less to me, but I'm looking for somebody with whom I can spend four hours or
13:53four and a half hours and enjoy their company and be entertained.
13:57Like, don't just be a bump on a log, a guy who's a four handicap, who's not going to talk
14:02to anybody with a beautiful swing and a nice, fancy white belt.
14:05That feels like a lot of pressure.
14:07Not really.
14:08And what do you got against white belts?
14:09I just think it's a little bit played out.
14:12It's a little bit of a bag move.
14:15I know what I'm wearing on that day now, for sure.
14:18Wear your white belt.
14:19You're damn right I am.
14:20Sure.
14:21White pants, too.
14:22There you go.
14:23I guess in the summer you can get away with it.
14:25Get away with it any damn time I want.
14:27You sure can.
14:27I can wear whatever I want.
14:29Yeah, and I get a chance to play golf with you again, which is always fun.
14:33Who knows?
14:34I might even write something on my pants.
14:36You should.
14:36Yeah.
14:38Hi, dibs.
14:40Go to the biblical verse.
14:41Right on my butt.
14:42Yeah.
14:44I think I'll come up with maybe something from Ephesians.
14:46Hey, dibs.
14:47How far to the hole from back there?
14:50Seriously.
14:51Hey, dibs.
14:52Your chips stink.
14:55And they do.
14:55I go Texas Wedge a lot.
14:57I want to make sure that, like, now that you said that, the listener I pick, I don't want
15:02that kind of pressure on you.
15:03You don't need to entertain me for four and a half hours.
15:05I don't need you coming out with some sort of comedy sketch.
15:09Like, just, yeah.
15:11Let's go hit the ball.
15:13I'll tell you what.
15:14I don't, don't be slow.
15:16Don't be slow.
15:17I don't want someone that, hey, with a finger in the air and hold on back off.
15:21Right.
15:22No.
15:23Like, just, let's just, yeah.
15:25Let's go have a good time.
15:26You can talk as much as you want.
15:28Not too much.
15:29Not too little.
15:31And let's drink.
15:33Because we're going to play before our show.
15:35That's right.
15:35So, I think we should drink.
15:37Probably not a good idea.
15:38Why?
15:39Why?
15:39No, because we're allowed to in this format.
15:43Let's drink.
15:43Yeah, let's drink.
15:44Let's have a screwdriver.
15:46Yeah, I don't think that the company policy is as forgiving of that as you may think.
15:51Why?
15:52We're allowed to drink.
15:53We're not allowed to drink during the show.
15:54You can't tell me that I'm not allowed to have a cocktail with breakfast.
15:57You should take a look, look, look at the company and book, book, book.
16:01Is that true?
16:02Can we?
16:03No, no, no.
16:03For real.
16:04If I had a cocktail, if I had a mimosa this morning, if somebody, if it was my birthday
16:08and we went to brunch and I put my pinky in the air and I went, I'll have a mimosa
16:13at
16:14nine o'clock this morning.
16:16Let's go to Dibs, half in the bag.
16:17Is that against company policy?
16:19If you are impaired, then yes.
16:22I didn't say let's get impaired.
16:23I said let's have a, let's tip one.
16:25Now, if you are tipping one at a company sanctioned event, then I believe that would be a violation
16:32sensation of the company policy.
16:36And you won't be surprised at this, but I recently, I recently went through the company
16:41handbook just to, uh, just to kind of.
16:44Just because you're such a ref.
16:46I just wanted to see.
16:48You're such a ref.
16:48I wanted to see if there's anything that perhaps I am doing that might be, um, not within the,
16:54the parameters of this great company.
16:57If the cart person comes by and I said cart person, right?
17:01If the cart person comes by and I'm like, uh, Hey, what'd you have a truly, are you going
17:08to blow the whistle on me?
17:10What am I?
17:11Uh, too short?
17:12I mean, I hate referee Dibs.
17:16Seriously, dude.
17:16Is that the fit you're going to come out there with?
17:18Do you?
17:19A colored black and white striped golf shirt?
17:22I have one.
17:23Of course you do.
17:25Do I strike you as a snitch?
17:28Yes.
17:29Now that's hurtful.
17:31Shut up, Grandy.
17:33Back there cackling your head off.
17:35I am not a snitch.
17:36It's just a great drop I'm going to get now.
17:39Does he look like a snitch?
17:41Yes.
17:43When I am officiating, that is my job.
17:46And thus I will enforce the rules of the sport that I am officiating.
17:51Oh my God.
17:51When it comes to like, so life and this, of course I'm not going to snitch.
17:56I just, so again, for all of you submitting videos, uh, do they get to say which hosts
18:03they want to play with or is it just a general thing?
18:05It's a general thing.
18:06Are you sure?
18:07They can say that, but you're kind of limiting yourself if you say, oh, I really want to
18:12play with Stiney.
18:12Just so you know, if you want to play with dibs, Captain Fun over here is going to blow
18:17the whistle on you.
18:18If you try to throw back a screwdriver or a bloody, not the listener, or if you hit the
18:24ball the wrong way or at the wrong time or wear the wrong thing, or if you're not funny
18:28enough.
18:28First of all, I can't blow the whistle on a listener.
18:31They're not beholden to the Odyssey company handbook as you are.
18:35And if you want to have a mimosa with your pinky in the air, I'm not going to rat you
18:40out.
18:40I actually don't want a mimosa.
18:41I'm not a big mimosa guy.
18:43Yeah.
18:43I mean, champagne kind of gives me a headache.
18:45Yeah.
18:45It's just, you know, I'm not that into it either.
18:48It'll be too early for a beer.
18:49I mean, you're allowed to, but I'm not a big beer at eight 30 in the morning guy.
18:55That's the other thing y'all.
18:57Obviously we're going to be playing these rounds around our shows.
19:00So you and I will go off first.
19:03Yep.
19:03So hopefully we've got morning people.
19:06And then the Joes will go off right after their show.
19:09So circa 10 30 and then a stunning goo get twilight.
19:14Yep.
19:14Which is probably good.
19:15Probably about two 15, two 30.
19:17They'll be out there.
19:18So what we should do, actually, I got it.
19:22Let's get wasted after our show and heckle Stiney and goo as they come in on 18.
19:28Sounds good.
19:28Now we're talking.
19:30Perfect.
19:31Go ahead and book the room.
19:32That way we can really get after it.
19:35Yeah.
19:35Old fashioned on the rocks.
19:36No doubt.
19:37Okay.
19:37And I love those Silverado digs up there.
19:40Those rooms.
19:40Oh, they're so good.
19:41It's like a condo.
19:43It's amazing.
19:44It has everything.
19:45It's just like a home away from home.
19:46Yep.
19:47All right.
19:48Yaxel used to hate Steph Curry.
19:50It's a full circle moment for me.
19:53You know, I'm just saying this every time I get asked this question, but 2016, I'm a big
19:57Kyrie guy.
19:58So I used to hate Steph Curry.
19:59So now that I'm actually going to be able to be on the same team as him, play, you know,
20:03and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot.
20:06You know, I met him a couple of times.
20:07He's a very great guy, genuine person.
20:10And it's going to be an honor to be able to watch him do what he does in person.
20:12So I'm very excited.
20:14I hope everybody gives Yaxel the pods treatment.
20:17Quote, I used to hate Steph Curry.
20:20Can't be saying that crap around this town.
20:23So that's the end of that.
20:25Yaxel's canceled.
20:26Big Kyrie Irving guy.
20:29Yaxel Lendeborg flat earther?
20:31Question mark?
20:33I mean, for Christ's sakes.
20:36That's the classic.
20:37Why has everything got to be so political with you?
20:39I don't know.
20:40Yeah.
20:40It really.
20:41Jeez.
20:41I like the answer, though.
20:43Like, good honesty.
20:442016.
20:45You're a Kyrie guy.
20:46And at the time, Lendeborg was only 19 back in 2016.
20:51So I get it.
20:53He thinks his defense is going to translate to the NBA.
20:57I feel like what will translate quickly for me would be just my defense, my versatility, that.
21:03I just think of the game, making the right reads, making the right play at the right time.
21:07And then one more I want to play for you.
21:09I haven't heard this yet, other than I probably heard it last night, but I don't know sort of which.
21:13The way these things are on our board here is you get a little blurb in terms of what they're
21:19about.
21:20This is my favorite media word.
21:22Since today is a day where we're all mad at the media, the Giants have had it up to here
21:29with the media.
21:31My favorite media word is mindset.
21:35How are you going to get your mindset for the NBA?
21:39I don't even really.
21:40It just feels so overused to me.
21:43Do you use that in your day?
21:45Like, when we do a show, are you like, all right, what's our mindset today?
21:50Usually not.
21:50But anyway, this is how he answered it as he enters the league.
21:55I definitely work a lot on just positive self-chatter.
21:58My entire life, I was my worst critic.
22:00I still kind of am now, but I've gotten a lot better at using meditation, using prayer, music, using all
22:07of that stuff,
22:08just to slow my mind down, ease my system, and find somewhere deep down to believe in myself
22:13and know that I'm actually worth everything that I've been doing, and I actually deserve this.
22:18Okay.
22:18Positive self-chatter.
22:19Love it.
22:20And if you look at his journey, it's something that he had to really figure out and dig out of.
22:26Made the freshman, or made the varsity team as a freshman, cut midseason due to bad grades,
22:31couldn't play the next two years because of bad grades.
22:33Finally, halfway through senior year, the grades are right, and he plays 11 games and off to junior college.
22:40So, kind of an academic struggle that prevented him from even playing.
22:44And then, you know, the COVID thing and six years of college, and now here he is in the lottery.
22:49He admitted last night, part of his story, and I can't wait to dig a little deeper on this,
22:54I do expect that on one of the next three Willard and Dibbs shows that Yaxo will appear.
23:01I don't know which one, but I expect on one of the next three Willard and Dibbs shows, I feel
23:09good.
23:10My Calci bet is that Yaxo will appear, and I can't wait to ask him about some of this.
23:16He said that he came damn near quitting basketball.
23:22And I want to know, like, what, so A, what got you to that point, but B, what was the
23:29turning point that took you out of that?
23:31I love stories like that, where it came that close to going one way and then the other.
23:37And, you know, he was very emotional sitting next to his mom last night as they brought him through the
23:44process,
23:44and this all became reality.
23:46It's a very, very cool story.
23:47Great story, and a super come-from-behind story where your grades are in a spot where you can't even
23:53play,
23:53and it goes on and on and on.
23:54And I could see where you'd be down and thinking about giving it up.
23:58And someone somewhere inspired him to, you know, get his house in order,
24:03turn it around, and be able to go on to do what he's done.
24:06He said that person was his mom.
24:07Awesome.
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