Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg turned the team’s annual rookie karaoke into a full show on Sunday, belting Carl Carlton’s 1981 funk classic “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” at the Warriors’ open practice at Chase Center, per ClutchPoints. Danny Emerman of The San Francisco Standard shared the clip on X, and Lendeborg worked the crowd the whole way through.
The open practice cost $5 to attend, with proceeds going to the Warriors Community Foundation.
The IAHHM Take
Of all the songs a 2026 rookie could pick, he went with “Bad Mama Jama.” That is a cookout record, a wedding reception record, a grown-folks record. Somebody raised him right. Picking a 45-year-old funk classic and owning it in front of a full building tells you a lot about his confidence.
And the confidence is backed up on the court. Golden State took Lendeborg 11th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft after he helped Michigan win a national title as a First-Team All-American (15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds). His road there was anything but direct: three years of junior college, two seasons at UAB, then one year at Michigan.
In the preseason, he started next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green against Sacramento and put up 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 10 rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes. He added 17 in a win over the Lakers in Las Vegas.
He is going to get every chance. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are out for at least a few months, and Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely. Steve Kerr put it simply: “We need him to be a scorer.”
The real show starts Wednesday, Oct. 21, when the Warriors open the season against the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Rookie of the Year sleeper, or just a great karaoke night? Tell us.
More from the Bay: Gabby Williams hit Warriors practice before WNBA Finals Game 2 and all IAHHM Sports.
Source: ClutchPoints
