AJ Dybantsa

Dybantsa was born on January 29, 2007, in Boston, Massachusetts, and grew up in Brockton where he attended Saint Sebastian's School.^[1][2] His father Ace was born in the Republic of the Congo and later moved to Grigny, France, while his mother Chelsea is from Jamaica.

He was named the 2023 Massachusetts Boys' Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year following his freshman season after averaging 19.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.^[3] Dybantsa helped lead Saint Sebastian's to the NEPSAC Class A state championship, but lost to Milton Academy 77–76.^[4]

Dybantsa transferred to Prolific Prep in Napa, California, at the end of his freshman year, where he teamed up with the second-ranked player of the 2026 class, Tyran Stokes.^[3][5] In July 2023, Dybantsa led the Nike Peach Jam in scoring with 25.8 points per game^[6] as a member of Expressions Elite, an Amateur Athletic Union team from Boston.^[7]

Dybantsa concluded his high school basketball career playing for Utah Prep Academy in Hurricane, Utah, during the 2024–25 season.^[8][9]

Recruiting

Dybantsa was named the number one NBA prospect in the 2026 class by ESPN following his high school freshman season,^[10] with his first NCAA Division I college offer coming from Boston College.^[11] Additional schools that offered him a scholarship and/or were under consideration include Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Baylor, BYU, UConn, Duke, Georgia Tech, Georgetown, Kentucky, North Carolina, Providence, USC, Utah and Washington.^[12][13] In July 2023, On3.com named Dybantsa the top high school player in the country regardless of class.^[6] In October 2023, Dybantsa announced that he had reclassified to the 2025 class.^[14]

More information Name, Hometown ...

College recruiting

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
AJ Dybantsa SF	Brockton, MA	Utah Prep	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	203 lb (92 kg)	Dec 10, 2024
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    On3:    ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 1    247Sports: 2    ESPN: 1
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2025 BYU Basketball Commitment List". Rivals. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "BYU Cougars". ESPN. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "BYU 2025 Basketball Commits". 247Sports. Retrieved March 14, 2026. "2025 BYU Cougars Basketball Commits". On3. Retrieved March 14, 2026.

Close

On December 10, 2024, Dybantsa announced on First Take that he would be committing to BYU as he wanted to play basketball without off-court distractions.^[15] He became the highest-ranked committed recruit to join BYU in program history.^[16]

On January 24, 2026, Dybantsa passed Danny Ainge for the most points posted by a BYU freshman in a game, recording 43 points during a 91–78 victory over Utah.^[17] On April 22, Dybantsa declared for the 2026 NBA draft, in which he was projected as a potential first overall pick.^[18]

On June 23, 2026, Dybantsa was selected first overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2026 NBA draft.^[19] He signed a four-year rookie contract worth $66.91 million on July 2, 2026.^[20]

Dybantsa won a gold medal while representing the United States at the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Americas Championship in Mérida, Mexico. He scored 12 points in the gold medal game and averaged 13.9 points for the tournament.^[6][21][22] The following year, he helped the United States win the title at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup in Turkey, where he averaged 14.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists during the competition.^[23] In 2025, Dybantsa was named MVP of the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup, after helping the United States win their ninth title at the event.^[24] He averaged 14.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists during the tournament.^[25]