Golden State's Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg's Hard Road

Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is living the best days of his life in the NBA today. However, the young player's journey was far from easy at the start. When Lendeborg took part in the Rookie Dinner program, he described the jobs he worked from 9 in the morning to 5 in the evening.

The player said he had worked seven different jobs. He especially noted that warehouse work left a distinct mark on his character. Seeing that his mother was doing the same heavy job made this experience even harder. Saying this period was a turning point for him, he said, "I never wanted to do this again."

His mother, Yissel Raposo, is one of the biggest factors in Lendeborg reaching the NBA. According to Lendeborg, after the death of his grandfather, whom he saw as a father figure, he drifted away from sports and fell into a bad path. The young man, who took on aimless jobs after high school, says he was not interested in any sport during this time. His mother steering him back to a camp in New York changed his path.

Noticed at the camp, Lendeborg received a JUCO offer from Arizona Western. JUCO, meaning junior college, became the starting point of his basketball journey.