On the day of the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the NBA Draft ended up stealing some headlines, courtesy of AJ Dybantsa. The star freshman for the BYU Cougars officially declared for the 2026 NBA Draft on Thursday. Dybantsa is projected by many pundits to be the No. 1 overall pick when the event is held on June 23.
Dybantsa made the announcement via a video posted on social media, which he concluded by saying, “See y’all on draft night.”
The 6-foot-9 forward was the No. 1 recruit in the nation from the Class of 2025, and he didn’t disappoint in his lone year in Provo, Utah. His 25.5 points led all of Division I, and he added 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals. His 894 total points were the third-most by a freshman in NCAA history.
In a Dec. 12 win over Eastern Washington, the frosh put up 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists, becoming just the third Big 12 player with a 30/10/10 triple-double. Then, in what ended up being his final college game, Dybantsa posted 35 points with 10 boards in a March Madness defeat to Texas. The 35 points are the third-most ever by a freshman in an NCAA Tournament game.
For his exploits, Dybantsa received a number of honors and recognitions. He was a consensus First-Team All-American and won the Julius Erving Award, which goes to the top small forward in the nation. He was also Big 12 Rookie of the Year, First-Team All-Big-12, and was a finalist for the National Player of the Year.
After releasing his social media video declaring his draft intentions, Dybantsa held a press conference with his family. It took place in his hometown of Brockton, Mass., at Edgar B. Davis Community School, which he attended. There, he talked about what he’s looking forward to the most.
“Now the work starts again, all over again,” Dybantsa said. “I’ve had a lot of NBA players tell me that it kind of restarts once you get there. I’m just looking forward to that next step, being a rookie and learning from all the vets.”
Dybantsa is expected to battle with Kansas Jayhawks freshman Darryn Peterson for being the first player taken in the draft. Peterson has yet to declare for the draft, but he and Dybantsa are the clear-cut top two prospects. With both players spending their freshman seasons in the Big 12, they were able to match up once this past season when BYU visited Kansas on Jan. 31.
NBA talent evaluators see them as almost equal prospects, and their statistics from that lone meeting were also nearly even. Peterson’s 18 points edged out Dybantsa, who had 17, as Kansas came out with the victory.
BYU has never produced a top overall draft pick; Shawn Bradley (1993) and Mel Hutchins (1951) both went No. 2 as the program’s highest picks. That’s partly because the Cougars simply have never had a prospect with Dybantsa’s star power. His choosing BYU was a surprise to many, as the school isn’t known for its rich college basketball history, but Dybantsa said he chose BYU so he could focus on basketball and not deal with many of the off-court issues that other top players at bigger programs contend with.
He also has ties to the area—his last year in high school was spent at Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah, after beginning his high school career in the Boston area.
Dybantsa could very well return to Utah come draft night if the Jazz earn the No. 1 overall pick via the draft lottery on May 10. The Jazz are tied with the Sacramento Kings for the fourth-best chances (11.5 percent) to notch the top pick. They trail the Washington Wizards, Indiana Pacers, and Brooklyn Nets, who each have a 14 percent chance.
He also, clearly, has ties to Boston, but the Celtics won’t be in the running for the top pick, or any lottery pick, since they made the 2026 playoffs. The remaining 16 picks of the first round, after the lottery selections, are determined by the NBA standings, and as a result of having the fourth-best NBA record, the Celtics will have the fourth-to-last draft pick in the first round, selecting No. 27 overall.
As a native of Brockton, which is in the Boston area, Dybantsa is quite familiar with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., roughly 100 miles from Brockton. He made that clear during Thursday’s announcement when discussing his goals as a professional.
“Hopefully go win numerous awards, win some championships,” said Dybantsa. “Then the next speech, the next big speech I should have is the Hall of Fame speech. So, we should be good.”
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
