AJ Dybantsa announces he's returning to BYU, but not in the way you're thinking

The projected number-one overall pick, AJ Dybantsa, shocked approximately zero individuals when he announced his declaration for the upcoming NBA Draft from his hometown of Brockton, MA, on Thursday.

When AJ Dybantsa teased the potential of a return to BYU basketball, he made it perfectly clear that the academic side of the argument was his mother's idea. Should he return to BYU, it would be to fulfill her wish of graduation. And honestly, there was a little voice in all of us that sincerely believed there was a chance that Dybantsa was serious about a sophomore stint in Provo.

But that voice is delusion, and those with their heads on straight knew not to entertain the idea.

It's official: the best player in BYU basketball history is going one-and-done and will begin his professional career later this year.

But you remember Chelsea Dybantsa -- AJ's mother -- and her request that her son would finish his degree? AJ didn't oversell how serious she was, after all, as his NBA Draft announcement was delivered incredibly nonchalantly (almost as if it were an afterthought) before he continued to explain his academic goals.

The bottom line? AJ Dybantsa would also return to BYU, but he'd shed the "athlete" half of his student-athlete title as he continues his academic pursuits online.

"The news is already out there. Today, I'm officially declaring for the 2026 draft," Dybantsa rushed during his livestream. He continued, waving off the applause. "But, but, but, thank you, but as y'all know, my mom wanted me to stay in college to graduate, but I told my mother I'm going to declare for the draft, but I'm going to finish and get my degree online."

"I'll probably finish in the next four years. I'm going to stay at BYU, enroll in classes online. I'll probably major in mass communication."

Dybantsa continued, sharing how his parents never planned for their son to reach the NBA, but instead opted to prioritize an education. By remaining enrolled at BYU and pursuing a four-year degree, AJ can make the jump to the NBA, while making his parents proud in the (digital) classroom.

"I wanted to make both of them happy. Their ultimate goal was for me to go to college for free," Dybantsa revealed. "The NBA was super, super wild, so after my commitment to BYU, they were super, super happy, but I had more goals in mind."

"The end goal was the NBA, but I made them both happy by going to college. But I do want to make my mom proud, and I wanted to graduate."

AJ Dybantsa was a consensus All-American as a freshman at BYU, and will remain enrolled at the university depite entering the NBA later this year.

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