Golden State Warriors summer league coach Khalid Robinson, left, celebrates with Will Richard after the team’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies in the championship game Sunday in Las Vegas.
John Locher/Associated Press
Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg, coming off an NCAA championship season at Michigan, helped Golden State beat Memphis in the NBA Summer League title game Sunday in Las Vegas.
John Locher/Associated Press
Warriors guard LJ Cryer plays against the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Summer League championship Sunday in Las Vegas.
John Locher/Associated Press
Yaxel Lendeborg posted a 27-second video last week on his Instagram story, strolling through team headquarters at a Las Vegas hotel alongside Golden State Warriors teammate Will Richard.
Lendeborg, befitting his engaging personality, chided Richard about which of them played on the best NCAA championship team.
“Yo, can you guys please tell William,” Lendeborg said into the camera, a wry smile on his face, “that the Michigan team from last season will spank the (2024-25) Florida team whenever they want?”
“That’s cap, that’s cap,” Richard replied, calling the statement a lie.
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Lendeborg soon came upon another teammate, LJ Cryer, who rolled his eyes upon seeing the loquacious rookie. Cryer played on Baylor’s title team in 2021 and the Houston squad that lost to Richard’s Gators by two points in the ’25 championship game. “We will spank both of them,” Lendeborg said on the video.
He promised to put the question to a poll on his Instagram account. Michigan came out on top, a result Cryer quickly protested.
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“It’s gonna be biased, because there’s more Michigan fans following him,” Cryer said the next day in a Chronicle interview. “So I asked ChatGPT, and it said Baylor had the best team out of those.”
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This playful dialogue highlighted an inescapable truth about Golden State’s NBA summer league team. The Warriors, who earned the championship with Sunday’s 94-90 win over Cameron Boozer and Memphis, fielded a starting lineup bursting with players who have big-time winning backgrounds.
Not only did Lendeborg, Richard and Cryer secure NCAA titles (nearly twice in Cryer’s case), but check out their college records. Cryer’s teams were 145-30 in three years at Baylor and two at Houston; Richard’s teams went 101-41 in one season at Belmont and three at Florida; and Lendeborg’s teams were 84-28 in two years at Alabama-Birmingham and one at Michigan.
Golden State’s two other summer starters also boast a strong résumé. Graham Ike’s teams went 123-41 in two seasons at Wyoming and three at Gonzaga. Malevy Leons’ teams at Bradley were 65-36 over three years.
Yes, it’s common for NBA players to emerge from successful college programs, but these numbers count as extreme, and three players with an NCAA title to their name clearly is not the norm.
So maybe it’s no coincidence the Warriors rolled through their summer schedule — 2-0 with that starting lineup in the California Classic in San Francisco, then 5-1 in Las Vegas (Richard missed one game with a sprained ankle). Worth noting here: Richard, Cryer and Leons all have NBA experience, unlike most summer league players.
Still, the championship bond between Lendeborg, Richard and Cryer highlights a point that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has made several times. There’s value in adding players who understand what it takes to win at a high level.
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“We know our games,” Cryer said of the parallels between himself, Lendeborg and Richard. “We don’t try to go out there and be something we’re not. I feel like that’s the main thing.
“If you look at a lot of losing teams, it’s guys trying to do too much. But I feel like Will knows his game, I know my game and so on. Guys are comfortable in their own skin, and we just go out there and try to play to the best of our ability.”
That worked out nicely in Las Vegas, where the Warriors lost only once (July 14 to the Grizzlies) and avenged that defeat with Sunday’s fourth-quarter comeback. Cryer, who could make Golden State’s roster as a backup point guard, ran the offense efficiently, Richard played his typical hounding defense and Lendeborg showed off his all-around game.
They also displayed willingness and proficiency as passers, something Cryer traced to their college success.
“It’s definitely selflessness,” he said. “I mean, Will is on a standard contract in his second year, and he could have come out here to summer league like, ‘I’m gonna shoot more than everybody else,’ or ‘I’m going to get in my bag.’
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“But he’s working on the things that are going to get him on the floor with the big team. I feel like that’s what we’re all doing. The team asked me to get up as many 3s as I can, so I go out there and do that. I’m sure they’re asking Yax something else, but we just go out there and do what we’re told.”
Khalid Robinson, the Warriors’ summer-league coach, spoke of the “winning habits” players such as Cryer, Richard and Lendeborg bring. Cryer specified some of those habits: defense, rebounding and taking care of the ball.
That last item merits special mention, given Golden State’s perpetual problem with turnovers. When Cryer played at Houston, the team had to run sprints after every turnover in practice — so he got the message, and it helps explain his caution with the ball.
Cryer noted another thread among winning teams: strong leadership. He provided that during Houston’s march through the 2025 NCAA tournament, which ended with a 65-63 loss to Richard and Florida. Cryer (19 points) and Richard (18) were the top scorers in the title game.
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They’re both more soft-spoken than their new teammate with a national championship in hand. Lendeborg not only hassled Richard and Cryer during summer league, he also offered a memorable response during his session with reporters after Sunday’s victory in Las Vegas.
Lendeborg was asked if his latest championship gave him “bragging rights” over former Michigan teammates Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara, who also competed in Vegas. Lendeborg smiled and said, “Yeah, I’m definitely going to brag to those losers.”