After months and months of speculation, rumors, rising, falling, and every stage of pre-draft frenzy, Commissioner Adam Silver took the Podium in Brooklyn, New York, to announce that BYU's freshman star AJ Dybantsa is officially the first overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Anicet Dybantsa Jr., as he requested to be called in honor of his father, Ace, is bound for the nation's capital in Washington, D.C.
He'll join a roster that was juiced up at the trade deadline this past season, with veteran stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis landing with the Wizards following injury-riddled 2025-26 seasons. Those players fill the roles of star players at guard and center (unless Davis continues to insist he plays power forward), leaving room for Dybantsa to take command from the forward slot.
It's a roster built to compete in the Eastern Conference Playoffs next season, and adding a player with the star punch of Dybantsa only strengthens their case for a deep run through the East in year one. That is, so long as Young and Davis can keep their names out of the injured reserve in defiance of Father Time.
Dybantsa led the nation in scoring, dragging an injury-depleted "Hunger Games" team, in the words of head coach Kevin Young, to two victories in the Big 12 Tournament and a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Dybantsa stands at 6'9" with a plus wingspan and superhuman athleticism. That burst was on full display at the NBA Draft Combine, where he led all participants with an unearthly 42" vertical. And here's the best part about Dybantsa as a prospect: that blend of size and explosion is only the icing on the cake.
At just 19 years of age, AJ commands the basketball with the wisdom, patience, and confidence of a 29-year-old NBA veteran. With a refined scoring palette of pull-up midrange jumpers -- which he hit at an outstanding clip in Provo -- and a wide array of spins, pump-fakes, and dribble packages to turn a defender's knees into aluminum foil, AJ Dybantsa is a puppet master with the ball in his hands, and an underrated playmaker who only stands to improve from that standpoint with the increased spacing of the NBA game.
His defensive effort needs a boost, but he has the size and strength to instantly convert effort into production at that end. His dribble is also a bit too loose to be a primary ball handler at this moment in his career, though he's no slouch by any means.
Darryn Peterson jockeyed for that number-one spot down the home stretch with Dybantsa, even going so far as to cancel his workout with the Utah Jazz after his meeting in Washington went well enough to convince his camp that he'd be the top pick. That scored Peterson some points in the mock drafts, but his hold of the top spot quickly lost its structure amidst reports that he went to Utah for a workout in the final weekend before draft night.
AJ Dybantsa's selection is a foundational moment for BYU basketball
AJ Dybantsa was the projected pick, and he was the actual pick. Though his future NBA career remains a mystery for the moment, this moment belongs to the former BYU superstar and future Washington cornerstone.
From Egor Demin, to AJ Dybantsa, and soon Richie Saunders, Bruce Branch III, and more, this is a milestone moment and a core memory for BYU basketball. Put this one in the history book, because a BYU alumni is going first overall in 2026. If this is possible today, who knows what heights Kevin Young and his NBA system can elevate this BYU basketball program toward?
Thanks for a great year in Provo, AJ. Go be great.
Add us as a preferred source on Google