AJ Dybantsa Says He Expects to Be Selected First Overall in 2026 NBA Draft

AJ Dybantsa told CBS Sports this week that he expects to be chosen first overall by the Washington Wizards in Tuesday's NBA draft. The 19-year-old forward said the outcome would validate four years of planning by him and his family. Dybantsa met with Wizards officials in Los Angeles on June 11 and 12.

He answered questions about mock-draft projections without hesitation, stating his belief that the presumptions would prove accurate.

Dybantsa and his parents have directed each step of his route to the draft. He attended three private high schools in Massachusetts, California and Utah before enrolling at BYU, where he received millions of dollars in compensation. The family has declined to retain an agent.

Dybantsa said his father, Ace, has handled basketball-related decisions since middle school and that the approach has worked so far.

Dybantsa scored 894 points in his single season at BYU, the third-highest total by a freshman in NCAA history. He was named a unanimous First Team All-American and did not miss a practice. BYU finished 23-12 and lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a 6-seed.

"I have one piece of advice: Don't overthink this," BYU coach Kevin Young told CBS Sports. "He's the kind of guy everyone's trying to get. " Dybantsa said he has grown accustomed to attention since age 13. He enters the draft without an agent and with his parents continuing to manage his basketball affairs.