I know it's all being played for laughs, but when Jimmer Fredette's son confidently stated that AJ Dybantsa, not his father Jimmer, was the best BYU basketball player ever, I was sent into a ponderous state.
Out of the mouth of babes, right?
Someone cue Jimmers highlights for his son 🤣
— Center Street Media (@CenterStMedia) May 16, 2026
(🎥 @whitneyfredette ) pic.twitter.com/qU7DaUCXDJ
Just one look at the number-three jersey on his back, and I knew exactly where this was going. According to Jimmer Fredette's son, AJ Dybantsa is the greatest to ever do it under the roof of the Marriott Center.
While I don't want to discredit a fellow fan's opinion (though, to be fair, you just had to be there), there's much more nuance to this topic than may appear at face value. And for that exact reason, you could feel the incredulous look Jimmer was wearing behind his shades. Shaking his head, the Cougar great simply said, "I'm right here."
If we're talking about the most talented player in BYU program history, the player who will likely enjoy the greatest professional career, or the player who was a program-altering presence from the moment he announced his commitment, then AJ Dybantsa is the obvious winner between these two BYU legends.
But if you ask me, Jimmer Fredette left a legacy at BYU that will likely never be topped. Not even by a consensus All-American and likely number-one overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Jimmer Fredette carried BYU basketball into revolutionary territory. While still battling in the considerably lower prestige Mountain West Conference -- compared to the allure of the Big 12 -- Jimmer Mania made BYU hoops appointment viewing across the nation. A player capable of dropping 30 or 40-point games at the drop of a hat, he was this singular force that lifted BYU basketball as high as the third-ranked program in the AP Poll.
He led a one-man wrecking crew through Kawhi Leonard and the top-10 San Diego State Aztecs. Twice. His distinct, singular style of unlimited three-point range carried the Cougars to the Sweet-16 round of the NCAA Tournament, and nearly past 2-seed Florida in an overtime defeat.
Jimmer Fredette was myth. The National Player of the Year. The man whose ability to light up a basketball floor on any given evening had casual basketball fans glued to their television set, gasping aloud and screaming "no way he makes that!" before the ball gently snaps through the net from an absurd distance.
No, Jimmer Fredette's NBA career won't hold a candle to what Dybantsa will soon accomplish, but if you want to know who I think is the greatest BYU basketball player of all time, look no further than the kid from Glens Falls, New York.
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