I know the NBA Draft is now about an hour from beginning, and therefore this article won't have a very impressive shelf life, but I feel it's important to recognize this moment in BYU basketball history, where a freshman phenom was projected to be taken first overall in a loaded 2026 class.
AJ Dybantsa is the pick for the Washington Wizards, owners of the number-one pick, according to a growing league-wide consensus.
"BYU's AJ Dybantsa is who is being looked at strongest for that number-one overall pick with the Washington Wizards," Shared Shams Charania on ESPN. "They are really narrowing on AJ Dybantsa because of his fit, his flare, the passion that he plays with."
.@ShamsCharania provides more insight into who the Wizards might choose with the No. 1 overall pick 👀 pic.twitter.com/VVc8WGP0wQ
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 22, 2026
I know this has been something of an expectation among BYU fans all season now, but this may be the only time we see a Cougar come first off the board in the modern era (Shawn Bradley was a bit of an anomaly, drafted primarily for his size and potential rather than what he had proved capable of). AJ Dybantsa led the nation in scoring. A kid from Brockton, Massachusetts, was the number-one player in his high school recruiting class and chose to join Kevin Young's BYU basketball program in Provo, Utah.
Just one season following Egor Demin's selection (8th overall by the Brooklyn Nets), BYU basketball is about to send a second player to the NBA Draft lottery range in consecutive years. That after not seeing a single draftee from the program since Jimmer Fredette in 2011. For decades, BYU hoops was not a hotbed for NBA talent. Today, AJ Dybantsa confirms that this is not the same BYU basketball program of yesteryear.
A budding star with a unique blend of size, skill, and athleticism, AJ Dybantsa is the type of player that 30 of 30 NBA teams would love to build around. The type of player that a fanbase can rally around. The type of player who fills arenas, home and away. He may be an MVP candidate someday. A perennial All-Star. An All-NBA mainstay.
And he'll be representing BYU the whole way.
It's a special moment in the timeline of Cougar hoops. So in the final moments leading up to the draft, let's embrace the moment. BYU basketball is on the map thanks to players like AJ; there has never been a better time in the program's lengthy history.
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